Interactions between plant and rhizosphere microbial communities in a metalliferous soil

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 158; no. 5; pp. 1576 - 1583
• Main Authors: Epelde, Lur, Becerril, José M., Barrutia, Oihana, González-Oreja, José A., Garbisu, Carlos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2010; Elsevier Science Ltd; Elsevier
• Subjects: Bacteria - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Biomass; Cadmium; Communities; Ecosystems; Festuca rubra; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Jasione montana; lead; metal tolerance; Metallicolous; Metals - metabolism; microbial communities; Microbial functional diversity; Microbiology; Microorganisms; Mine soil; Mines; Noccaea caerulescens; physiological response; phytoremediation; Plant Roots - metabolism; Plant Roots - microbiology; Plants (organisms); Plants - metabolism; Plants - microbiology; polluted soils; pollution; Pollution abatement; Pseudometallophyte; rhizosphere; Rumex acetosa; Soil (material); Soil enzymes; Soil Microbiology; Thlaspi caerulescens; zinc; Pseudometallophyte; Soil enzymes; Mine soil; Microbial functional diversity; Metallicolous
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2009.12.013

In the present work, the relationships between plant consortia, consisting of 1–4 metallicolous pseudometallophytes with different metal-tolerance strategies ( Thlaspi caerulescens: hyperaccumulator; Jasione montana: accumulator; Rumex acetosa: indicator; Festuca rubra: excluder), and their rhizosphere microbial communities were studied in a mine soil polluted with high levels of Cd, Pb and Zn. Physiological response and phytoremediation potential of the studied pseudometallophytes were also investigated. The studied metallicolous populations are tolerant to metal pollution and offer potential for the development of phytoextraction and phytostabilization technologies. T. caerulescens appears very tolerant to metal stress and most suitable for metal phytoextraction; the other three species enhance soil functionality. Soil microbial properties had a stronger effect on plant biomass rather than the other way around (35.2% versus 14.9%). An ecological understanding of how contaminants, ecosystem functions and biological communities interact in the long-term is needed for proper management of these fragile metalliferous ecosystems. Rhizosphere microbial communities in highly polluted mine soils are determinant for the growth of pseudometallophytes.