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Arsenic uptake and toxicity in plants: integrating mycorrhizal influences

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Abstract

Arsenic (As) contamination of soil and water is a global problem that impacts on many areas of biology. This review firstly covers aspects of soil chemistry and soil-plant interactions relevant to the ways plants take up As (particularly arsenate (As(V)) from aerobic soils, with especial attention to As-phosphorus (P) interactions. It then assesses the extent to which studies of plant As tolerance based on short-term uptake of As(V) from nutrient solutions can be extrapolated to longer-term growth in contaminated soil. Mycorrhizal symbioses are then highlighted, because they are formed by ~ 90% of higher plants, often with increased uptake of phosphate (Pi) compared with non-mycorrhizal (NM) counterparts. It is therefore likely that mycorrhizas influence As(V) uptake. Published work shows that arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) plants (the most common mycorrhizal type) have higher P/As ratios than NM plants, and this would be expected to affect sensitivity to soil As. We discuss ways in which higher P/As selectivity might result from differential operation of P and As uptake pathways in AM compared with NM plants, taking into account new understanding of P uptake mechanisms. We also give suggestions for future research required to increase understanding of mechanisms of As(V) uptake, and its interactions with plant P.

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Acknowledgements

Our research is funded by the Australian Research Council. We are grateful to Rebecca Stonor and Maria Manjarrez who have provided technical support for our project. We thank many friends and colleagues for helpful discussions and the anonymous referees for detailed appraisals of the original version of the manuscript.

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  1. Soil and Land Systems, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Waite Campus, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia

    Sally E. Smith, Helle M. Christophersen, Suzanne Pope & F. Andrew Smith

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  1. Sally E. Smith
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Correspondence to Sally E. Smith.

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Smith, S.E., Christophersen, H.M., Pope, S. et al. Arsenic uptake and toxicity in plants: integrating mycorrhizal influences. Plant Soil 327, 1–21 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-009-0089-8

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