EBSCO Logo
Connecting you to content on EBSCOhost
Results
Title

Erratic hyperaccumulation of nickel, with particular reference to the Queensland serpentine endemic Pimelea leptospermoides.

Authors

Reeves, Roger D.; Laidlaw, W. Scott; Doronila, Augustine; Baker, Alan J. M.; Batianoff, George N.

Abstract

Many hyperaccumulators of nickel (Ni) are endemic to ultramafic soils and always show very high Ni concentrations. Others occur on a variety of substrates but accumulate high Ni from the ultramafic ones. Pimelea leptospermoides is unusual in being an ultramafic endemic that shows a very wide range of Ni concentrations. The present work sought to establish the factors governing the wide variation in Ni uptake by P. leptospermoides, and aimed to investigate the likelihood of this variation originating from plant differences or soil differences. Multiple paired plant and soil samples were taken over the geographic range of occurrence of P. leptospermoides. Plant and soil metal concentrations and soil pH were measured. No evidence was found to suggest that the plants belong to populations with inherent 'high-Ni' and 'low-Ni' accumulation capability. Instead, the soil pH (covering a range from 6.0 to 8.3) and the total soil Ni concentrations of the ultramafic soils were found to be the major influences on the level of Ni accumulation. The wide variation observed in Ni accumulation by P. leptospermoides from ultramafic soils can be explained by a combination of variations in soil pH and total soil Ni concentrations. Among more than 400 nickel-hyperaccumulating plants known worldwide, the Queensland endemic Pimelea leptospermoides is unusual in showing a very wide range of nickel concentrations from high-nickel ultramafic soils. This work aims to determine whether the variations result from differences among the various plant populations or from different properties of the soils on which they grow; it shows that a combination of variations in soil pH and total soil Ni concentration account for the observed differences in plant behaviour. Other cases of wide differences in nickel uptake by species at different sites may also be explained in this way, and the detailed investigation of soil properties should accompany studies on the nickel-accumulating behaviour of these plants.

Publication

Australian Journal of Botany, 2015, Vol 63, Issue 1/2, p119

ISSN

0067-1924

Publication type

Academic Journal

DOI

10.1071/BT14195

EBSCO Connect | Privacy policy | Terms of use | Copyright | Manage my cookies
Journals | Subjects | Sitemap
© 2025 EBSCO Industries, Inc. All rights reserved