Research Priorities for Conservation of Metallophyte Biodiversity and their Potential for Restoration and Site Remediation |
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| Authors: | S N Whiting R D Reeves D Richards M S Johnson J A Cooke F Malaisse A Paton J A C Smith J S Angle R L Chaney R Ginocchio T Jaffré R Johns T McIntyre O W Purvis D E Salt H Schat F J Zhao A J M Baker |
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| Institution: | School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia.;Institute of Fundamental Sciences—Chemistry, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.;Rio Tinto Plc., 6 St James's Square, London SW1Y 4LD, U.K.;School of Biological Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, U.K.;School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa.;Laboratoire d'Ecologie, FacultéUniversitaire des Sciences Agronomiques de Gembloux, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium.;Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Surrey TW9 3AB, U.K.;Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RB, U.K.;College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, U.S.A.;Animal and Environmental Sciences Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705, U.S.A.;CIMM, Av. Parque Antonio Rabat 6500, Vitacura, Santiago, Chile.;Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD), BP A5, 98848 Nouméa, New Caledonia.;Environmental Technology Advancement Directorate, Environmental Protection Service, 351 St. Joseph Blvd., Hull, Quebec, Canada K1A 0H3.;Department of Botany, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, U.K.;Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Department, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2010, U.S.A.;Department of Ecology and Ecotoxicology, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.;Agriculture and Environment Division, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts AL5 2JQ, U.K.;Address correspondence to A. J. M. Baker, email . |
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| Abstract: | Plants that have evolved to survive on metal‐rich soils—metallophytes—have key values that must drive research of their unique properties and ultimately their conservation. The ability of metallophytes to tolerate extreme metal concentrations commends them for revegetation of mines and metal‐contaminated sites. Metallophytes can also be exploited in environmental technologies, for example, phytostabilization, phytoremediation, and phytomining. Actions towards conserving metallophyte species are imperative, as metallophytes are increasingly under threat of extinction from mining activity. Although many hundreds of papers describe both the biology and applications of metallophytes, few have investigated the urgent need to conserve these unique species. This paper identifies the current state of metallophyte research, and advocates future research needs for the conservation of metallophyte biodiversity and the sustainable uses of metallophyte species in restoration, rehabilitation, contaminated site remediation, and other nascent phytotechnologies. Six fundamental questions are addressed: (1) Is enough known about the global status of metallophytes to ensure their conservation? (2) Are metallophytes threatened by the activities of the minerals industry, and can their potential for the restoration or rehabilitation of mined and disturbed land be realized? (3) What problems exist in gaining prior informed consent to access metallophyte genetic resources and how can the benefits arising from their uses be equitably shared? (4) What potential do metallophytes offer as a resource base for phytotechnologies? (5) Can genetic modification be used to “design” metallophytes to use in the remediation of contaminated land? (6) Does the prospect of using metallophytes in site remediation and restoration raise ethical issues? |
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| Keywords: | conservation of biodiversity ecosystem hyperaccumulators metal tolerance rehabilitation remediation engineering stabilization |
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