%0 Journal Article 
%A Chamba, Irene
%A Rosado, Daniel
%A Kalinhoff, Carolina
%A Thangaswamy, Selvaraj
%A Sánchez-Rodríguez, Aminael
%A Gázquez González, Manuel Jesús
%T Erato polymnioides – A novel Hg hyperaccumulator plant in ecuadorian rainforest acid soils with potential of microbe-associated phytoremediation
%D 2017
%@ 0045-6535
%U http://hdl.handle.net/10498/33544
%X Mercury (Hg) accumulation capacity was assessed in three plant species (Axonopus compressus, Erato polymnioides, and Miconia zamorensis) that grow on soils polluted by artisanal small-scale gold mines in the Ecuadorian rainforest. Individuals of three species were collected at two sampling zones: i) an intensive zone (IZ, 4.8 mg Hg kg−1 of soil) where gold extraction continues to occur, and ii) a natural zone (NZ, 0.19 mg Hg kg−1 of soil). In addition, the percentage of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonization was determined in plant roots and seven fungal morphotypes isolated from rhizospheric soil. Results suggest a facilitation role of native and pollution adapted AMF on Hg phytoaccumulation. E.g., E. polymnioides increased Hg accumulation when growing with greater AMF colonization. We concluded that E. polymnioides is a good candidate for the design of microbe-assisted strategies for Hg remediation at gold mining areas. The consortia between E. polymnioides and the AMF isolated in this study could be instrumental to get a deeper understanding of the AMF role in Hg phytoaccumulation
%K Heavy metals
%K bioremediation
%K pollution
%K artisanal scale gold mining
%K arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
%K southern Ecuador
%~ Universidad de Cádiz