BACKGROUND Some plants hyperaccumulate the toxic element selenium (Se) to extreme levels, up to 1% of dry weight. The function of this intriguing phenomenon is obscure. RESULTS Here, we show that the Se in the hyperaccumulator prince's plume (Stanleya pinnata) protects it from caterpillar herbivory because of deterrence and toxicity. In its natural habitat, however, a newly discovered variety...

Metal hyperaccumulator plants accumulate and detoxify extraordinarily high concentrations of metal ions in their shoots. Metal hyperaccumulation is a fascinating phenomenon, which has interested scientists for over a century. Hyperaccumulators constitute an exceptional biological material for understanding mechanisms regulating plant metal homeostasis as well as plant adaptation to extreme meta...

Selenium (Se) hyperaccumulation, the capacity of some species to concentrate Se to levels upwards of 0.1% of dry weight, is an intriguing phenomenon that is only partially understood. Questions that remain to be answered are: do hyperaccumulators have one or more Se-specific transporters? How are these regulated by Se and sulfur (S)? In this study, hyperaccumulator Stanleya pinnata was compared...

Thlaspi caerulescens is a well-studied metal-hyperaccumulator of zinc, cadmium and nickel, belonging to the Brassicaceae family. Moreover it is one of the few hyperaccumulators that occur on different metalliferous soil types, as well as on nonmetalliferous soils. We are interested in the development of systems to improve phytoremediation of metal contaminated soils through improved metal-accum...

The genus Alyssum (Brassicaceae) contains Ni hyperaccumulators (50), many of which can achieve 30 g kg(-1) Ni in dry leaf. Some Alyssum hyperaccumulators are viable candidates for commercial Ni phytoremediation and phytomining technologies. It is not known whether these species secrete organic and/or amino acids into the rhizosphere to solubilize Ni, or can make use of such acids within the soi...

Hyperaccumulated elements such as Ni may defend plants against some natural enemies whereas other enemies may circumvent this defense. The Ni hyperaccumulator Berkheya coddii Roessler (Asteraceae) is a host plant species for Chrysolina clathrata (Clark), which suffers no apparent harm by consuming its leaf tissue. Beetle specimens collected from B. coddii had a whole body Ni concentration of 26...

Phytoremediation is a potential cleanup technology for the removal of heavy metals from contaminated soils. Bidens maximowicziana is a new Pb hyperaccumulator, which not only has remarkable tolerance to Pb but also extraordinary accumulation capacity for Pb. The maximum Pb concentration was 1509.3 mg/kg in roots and 2164.7 mg/kg in overground tissues. The Pb distribution order in the B. maximow...

A relatively small group of hyperaccumulator plants is capable of sequestering heavy metals in their shoot tissues at high concentrations. In recent years, major scientific progress has been made in understanding the physiological mechanisms of metal uptake and transport in these plants. However, relatively little is known about the molecular bases of hyperaccumulation. In this paper, current p...

Nickel hyperaccumulator plants contain unusually elevated levels of Ni (> 1 000 μg Ni/g). Some insect herbivores, including Lygus hesperus (Western tarnished plant bug), have been observed feeding on the California Ni hyperaccumulator Streptanthus polygaloides. This bug may be able to utilize S. polygaloides as a host either through its feeding behavior or by physiological tolerance of Ni. This...