Hyperaccumulator

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Hyperaccumulator

Hyperaccumulator (pronunciation: /ˌhaɪpərəˈkjuːmjʊleɪtər/) is a term used in the field of phytoremediation to describe certain types of plants that have the ability to take up and store high concentrations of heavy metals in their tissues.

Etymology

The term "hyperaccumulator" is derived from the prefix "hyper-" meaning "over" or "excessive", and "accumulator", which refers to something that gathers or piles up. In this context, a hyperaccumulator is a plant that excessively accumulates certain substances, particularly heavy metals, from the soil in its tissues.

Definition

A hyperaccumulator is a plant that can grow in soils with high concentrations of metals and accumulate these metals in their tissues at concentrations much higher than normal. These plants are used in phytoremediation, a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method of removing pollutants from the environment.

Related Terms

  • Phytoremediation: The use of plants to remove pollutants from the environment.
  • Heavy Metals: A group of metals and metalloids with potential harmful effects on the environment and living organisms.
  • Bioaccumulation: The accumulation of substances, such as pesticides or other chemicals, in an organism.
  • Biomagnification: The process by which the concentration of a substance increases in an organism as it consumes plants or other animals that contain the substance.

Hyperaccumulators and Phytoremediation

Hyperaccumulators play a crucial role in phytoremediation. They have the ability to absorb, accumulate, and tolerate exceptionally high levels of heavy metals in their tissues. This makes them ideal for use in the removal of heavy metals from contaminated soils. Some hyperaccumulators can accumulate metals at up to 100 times the levels found in other plants growing in the same environment.

Examples of Hyperaccumulators

Some examples of hyperaccumulators include the fern species Pteris vittata, which can accumulate arsenic, and the brassica species Thlaspi caerulescens, which can accumulate zinc and cadmium.

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