A field survey of metal concentrations and mycorrhizal status of plants growing on copper mine tailings was conducted in Anhui Province, China. Available phosphorus and organic matter in the tailings were very low. High concentrations of Pb, Zn, As and Cd as well as Cu were observed on some sites. The dominant plants growing on mine tailings belonged to the families Gramineae and Compositae, and the most widely distributed plant species were Imperata cylin-drica, Cynodon dactylon and Paspalum distichum. Coreopsis drummondii also grew well on the arid sites but not on wet sites. Very low or zero arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal colonization was observed in most of the plants, but extensive mycorrhizal colonization was recorded in the roots of C. drummondii and C. dactylon. Metal concentrations in plant tissues indicated that /. cylindrica and P. distichum utilized avoidance mechanisms to survive at high metal concentrations. The investigation suggests that remediation and revegetation of heavy metal contaminated sites might be facilitated by selection of tolerant plant species. Isolation of tolerant AM fungi may also be warranted.
The effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal （AM） fungus （Glomus mosseae） and phosphorus （P） addition （100 mg/kg soil） on arsenic （As） uptake by maize plants （Zea mays L.） from an As-contaminated soil were examined in a glasshouse experiment. Non-mycorrhizal and zero-P addition controls were included. Plant biomass and concentrations and uptake of As, P, and other nutrients, AM colonization, root lengths, and hyphal length densities were determined. The results indicated that addition of P significantly inhibited root colonization and development of extraradical mycelium. Root length and dry weight both increased markedly with mycorrhizal colonization under the zero-P treatments, but shoot and root biomass of AM plants was depressed by P application. AM fungal inoculation decreased shoot As concentrations when no P was added, and shoot and root As concentrations of AM plants increased 2.6 and 1.4 times with P addition, respectively. Shoot and root uptake of P, Mn, Cu, and Zn increased, but shoot Fe uptake decreased by 44.6%, with inoculation, when P was added. P addition reduced shoot P, Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn uptake of AM plants, but increased root Fe and Mn uptake of the nonmycorrhizal ones. AM colonization therefore appeared to enhance plant tolerance to As in low P soil, and have some potential for the phytostabilization of As-contaminated soil, however, P application may introduce additional environmental risk by increasing soil As mobility.
XIA Yun-shengCHEN Bao-dongCHRISTIE PeterSMITH F AndrewWANG You-shanLI Xiao-lin
