Trace element hyperaccumulator plant traits: a call for trait data collection

Background and aims Hyperaccumulator plants exhibit extreme ecophysiological characteristics, which make them suited for phytoremediation. Understanding their ecological strategies might help identify the species and functions to be favored in phytoremediation, restoration, and conservation projects...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plant and soil 2023-07, Vol.488 (1-2), p.187-196
Main Authors: Gervais-Bergeron, Béatrice, Paul, Adrian L. D., Chagnon, Pierre-Luc, Baker, Alan J. M., van der Ent, Antony, Faucon, Michel-Pierre, Quintela-Sabarís, Celestino, Labrecque, Michel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Analysis
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Data collection
Ecological effects
Ecology
Ecosystem services
Flowers & plants
Identification and classification
Leaves
Life Sciences
Metals
Phytoremediation
Plant communities
Plant Physiology
Plant Sciences
Plant species
Plants
Plants (botany)
Restoration
Review Article
Soil Science & Conservation
Species
Trace elements
Trace elements in nutrition
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Summary:Background and aims Hyperaccumulator plants exhibit extreme ecophysiological characteristics, which make them suited for phytoremediation. Understanding their ecological strategies might help identify the species and functions to be favored in phytoremediation, restoration, and conservation projects for metalliferous sites. Methods Here, we identified the hyperaccumulator species in the worldwide plant trait database TRY and cross-referenced these trait syndromes associated with the ability of plants to concentrate metals. This allows us to link trace element hyperaccumulation with broader plant ecological strategies. Results Hyperaccumulator plant species tend to have smaller leaves and poorer competitive ability compared to non-hyperaccumulator plant species. Contrary to expectations, we found no indication of hyperaccumulator plants being more resource-conservative on the leaf economics spectrum. However, these data remain fragmentary as only 2.7% of hyperaccumulator plant species have their traits published in the TRY database. Conclusion The recent development of trait-based models to construct plant communities providing optimal ecosystem services (e.g. , phytoremediation, restoration) requires further research to identify predictable trait-service relationships. We thus call for an international collaborative sampling effort to measure traits in more hyperaccumulator plant species.
ISSN:0032-079X
1573-5036
DOI:10.1007/s11104-023-05996-7