Bioremediation with Ferns

And
The Physiology of Bioremdiation in Pteris vittata
• Bioremediation can be defined as any
process that uses microorganisms, fungi,
green plants or their enzymes to return the
natural environment altered by
contaminants to its original condition.
• Phytoremediation: The word's etymology
comes from the Greek <phyto> = plant, and
Latin <remedium> = restoring balance.
Phytoremediation consists in mitigating pollutant
concentrations in contaminated soils, water or
air with plants able to contain, degrade or
eliminate metals, pesticides, solvents,
explosives, crude oil and its derivatives, and
various other contaminants, from the media that
contain them.
• Accumulator plants have the facility to
concentrate metals from soils that contain
low as well as high concentrations of
metals. Plants that show exceptional
uptake of metals are known as
hyperaccumulators.
 Pteris vittata:
a highly efficient accumulator of arsenic
Pteris vittata
Schematic diagram of arsenic uptake, translocation,
detoxification, and sequestration in P.vittata
arbuscular mycorrhizae

Agely et al. (2005)

found that AM fungi
tolerated arsenic
amendments,
increased frond dry
mass at the highest
arsenic application
rate, and increased
arsenic uptake
across a range of
phosphorous
levels.
• TABLE 2. Arsenic Hyperaccumulators in the World
• As hyperaccumulator location references
• Pteris vittata America Ma et al. (13)
• China Chen et al. (16)
• Cretan Brake China Wei et al. (95)
• Pityrogramma
• calomelanos Southern Thailand Francesconi et al. (96)
• Visoottiviseth et al. (17)
• Pteris cretica
• Pteris longifolia
• Pteris umbrosa Rothamsted Zhao et al. (43)
• Pteris multifida Poir China Du et al. (97)
• Pteris cretica chilsii
• Pteris cretica crista
• Pteris cretica rowerii
• Pteris cretica mayii
• Pteris cretica parkerii Aberdeen Meharg (10)
• Pteris biaurita
• Pteris quadriaurita
• Pteris ryukyuensis America Srivastava et al. (98)
• Pteris multifida
• Pteris oshimensis China Wang et al. (99)
• Pteris aspericaulis
• Pteris cretica
• var. Nervosa
• Pteris fauriei
• Pteris multifida
• Pteris multifida
• f. Serrulata
• Pteris oshimensis China Wang et al. (100)
• Pteris umbrosa R. Br Australia Koller et al. (101)
Azolla caroliniana
Azolla caroliniana
 Why phytoremediation? Why ferns?

Phytoremediation is a The ferns that

cost effective, low hyperaccumulate
technology treatment arsenic are candidates
that uses plants to for phytoremediation as
decrease the they are fast growing,
concentrations of toxic can be harvested
materials in soils and several times a year and
waters. are capable of removing
substantial amounts of
arsenic from the
surrounding soil.
 Questions and Concerns…
• the disposal of the contaminated vegetation
has not yet been resolved

• soil or groundwater contamination with a single

heavy metal is rare--multipollutant removal
needs to be the goal of phytoremediation

• if plants are introduced to an area in order to

carry out phytoremediation, the potential
disruption of local ecosystems needs to be
addressed
 Sources

• Agely, A. A.; Sylvia, D. M.; Ma, L. Q. Mycorrhizae increase arsenic uptake by the
hyperaccumulator Chinese brake fern (P. vittata L.). J. Environmental Quality 2005,
34, 2181–2186.
• Ma, L. Q.; Komar, K. M.; Tu, C.; Zhang, W.; Cai, Y.; Kennelley, E. D. A fern that
hyperaccumulates arsenic: a hardy, versatile, fast-growing plant helps to remove
arsenic from contaminated soils. Nature 2001, 409, 579.
• Qing-En Xie; Xiu-Lan Yan; Xiao-Yong Liao; Xia Li. The Arsenic Hyperaccumulator
Fern Pteris vittata L. Environmental Science & Technology 2009, 43, 8488-8495
• Stêpniewska, Z.; Bennicelli, R.P.; Balakhnina, T.I.; Szajnocha, K.; Banach, A.;
Woliñska, A. Potential of Azolla caroliniana for the removal of Pb and Cd from
wastewaters. International Agrophysics 2005, 19, 251-255.
• Su, Y. H.; McGrath, S. P.; Zhu, Y. G.; Zhao, F. J. Highly efficient xylem transport of
arsenite in the arsenic hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata. New Phytologist 2008, 180,
434–441.
• Wilkins, Carolyn, and Salter, Leo. (2003). Arsenic hyperaccumulation in ferns: A
review. Environmental Chemistry Group Bulletin of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
July 2003 edition