Iron plaque on roots of Aster tripolium L.: interaction with zinc uptake

Abstract

The iron plaque on roots of Aster tripolium L. growing in waterlogged salt marsh soil adsorbed appreciable amounts of Zn and Cu, with maximum Zn/Fe and Cu/Fe ratios of 0.1 When concentrations of Zn or Cu adsorbed in the iron plaque are expressed as mg metal kg⁻¹ FeOOH (assuming that iron plaque consists mainly of FeOOH), the Zn and Cu concentrations of the iron plaque was up to 680 and up to 2000 times higher than in the surrounding sediment, respectively. The Zn concentration in red roots (with iron plaque) was higher than in white roots (without iron plaque). Zn concentrations in field sampled roots were correlated with the amount of Zn on the roots and the Zn concentration in the soil, whereas Cu concentrations in the roots were only significantly correlated to the Cu concentration in the soil. In vitro experiments showed that red roots take up more Zn than white roots. Measurement of Zn uptake by excised roots showed that the uptake of Zn into the xylem fluid was significantly higher in roots with 500–2000 nmol Fe cm⁻² on the root surface compared to roots with less than 500 or more than 2000 nmol Fe cm⁻² on the root surface. The results indicate that iron plaque enhances uptake of Zn by the roots but may act as a barrier when large amounts of Fe are deposited on the root surface. The role of the iron plaque on roots of salt marsh plants growing in soil contaminated with heavy metals is discussed.