BACKGROUND Bioavailability of metals occurring in soil is the basic source of its accumulation in vegetables and herbs. The impact of soil pollution (due to urban and mining areas) on the food chain presents a challenge for many investigations. Availability of metals in a potentially polluted soil and their possible transfer and bioaccumulation in sorrel (Rumex acetosa), spinach (Spinacia olera...

Alimurgic species are edible wild plants growing spontaneously as invasive weeds in natural grassland and farmed fields. Growing interest in biodiversity conservation projects suggests deeper study of the multifunctional roles they can play in metal uptake for phytoremediation and their food safety when cultivated in polluted land. In this study, the responses of the tap-rooted perennial specie...

1. Flood-sensitive plant species are restricted to highly elevated sites in floodplains, but why flood-tolerant plants do not grow at higher elevations is much less clear. We test the hypothesis that a trade-off exists between flood-tolerance and selective root placement in nutrient-rich patches, a putatively important trait in the more competitive highly elevated sites. 2. Achillea ptarmica , ...