What is Hyperaccumulator?
A '''hyperaccumulator''' is a [[plant]] that can grow in [[soil]]s with very high concentrations of [[metals]].<ref name=flav/> Featured by the [[BBC]] is a tree on the island of [[New Caledonia]], ''Pycnandra acuminata'', which grows on soil rich in [[nickel]].<ref>Halton, Mary 2018. The tree that bleed... metal? ''BBC News'' Science & Environment. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-45398434]</ref> Many different plants do this<ref name=flav>{{cite journal|last=Rascio|first=Nicoletta|author2=Navari-Izzo, Flavia|title=Heavy metal hyperaccumulating plants: How and why do they do it? And what makes them so interesting?|journal=Plant Science|date= 2011 |volume=180 |issue=2 |pages=169–181 |doi=10.1016/j.plantsci.2010.08.016|pmid=21421358|s2cid=207387747 }}</ref> in several different [[Family (biology)|plant families]]. The advantage of hyperaccumulation of metals may be that the [[toxic]] levels of [[heavy metals]] in [[leaves]] deter [[herbivores]] ([[defence against herbivory]]). Several gene families are involved in hyperaccumulation including absorbing and storing heavy metals.<ref name=flav/> The genes most usually involved are the ZIP gene family. These genes code for membrane receptors for the transport of, for example, [[zinc]] molecules. These hyperaccumulation genes (HA genes) are found in over 450 plant species, including the [[model organism]]s ''[[Arabidopsis]]'' and the [[Brassicaceae]]. Expression of HA genes allows the plant to uptake and sequester metals such as [[Arsenic|As]], [[Co]], [[Fe]], [[Cu]], [[Cd]], [[Pb]], [[Hg]], [[Se]], [[Mn]], [[Zn]], [[Mo]] and [[Ni]] in 100–1000 times the concentration found in sister species or populations.<ref>C. Pagliano ''et al'' 2006. Evidence for PSII-donor-side damage and photoinhibition induced by cadmium treatment on rice (Oryza sativa L.). ''J. Photochem. Photobiol. B: Biol''. '''84''', pp. 70–78</ref> == References == {{reflist}} == Related pages == *[[Plant physiology]] [[Category:Plant physiology]]