Nickel accumulators

Mosses and lichens accumulate nickel readily and at least nine species are used to monitor environmental gradients of nickel (Jenkins 1980a). Maximum concentrations of nickel found in whole lichens and mosses from nickel-contaminated areas range between 420 and 900 mg/kg DW vs. 12 mg/kg DW from reference sites (Jenkins 1980a). Nickel concentrations in herbarium mosses worldwide have increased dramatically during this century. In one case, nickel concentrations in Brachythecium salebrosum from Montreal, Canada, rose from 6 mg/kg DW in 1905 to 105 mg/kg DW in 1971 (Richardson etal. 1980). 

Kramer, U., J.D. Cotter-Howells, J.M. Chamock, AJ.M. Baker, and J.A.C. Smith. 1996. Free histidine as a metal chelator in plants that accumulate nickel. Nature 379 (6566) 635-638. 

Alkaline accumulators nickel cadmium batteries account for more than 99%... 

In principle, all plant species in the habitats exposed to airborne nickel emissions accumulate nickel, and in this respect it was irrelevant whether these were leafy species, fruits, seeds, tubers, or thickened parts of roots (carrots, turnips). Dwarf beans ready for eating proved to be particularly rich in nickel (8 mg kg dry matter), even on normal sites (Anke et al. 1993a,b, 2003, Szentmihaly et al. 1980). 

Mosses and lichens accumulate nickel readily and at least nine species are used to monitor environmental gradients of nickel. Maximum concentrations of nickel found in whole lichens and mosses from nickel-contaminated areas range between 420.0 and 900.0 mg/kg DW vs. 

Nickel-tolerant or accumulator species of plants are likely to be found only on nickel-rich soils. Hyperaccumulator species usually grow on relatively infertile nickel-rich serpentine soils and contain more than 10,000.0 mg Ni/kg DW. Leaves from some genera of nickel hyperaccumulator plants, including Alyssum, Homalium, and Hybanthus, growing on soils derived from volcanic rocks, which are rich in ifickel, accumulate nickel to concentrations of 120,000.0 mg kg DW. Nickel is bound as a citrate complex in hyperaccumulator plants from New Caledonia however, nickel accumulator plants from other locations do not contain unusually high levels of citrate, and nickel is not present as a citrate complex but as a carboxylic acid complex. 

Euphorbiaceae Succulent plants that accumulate nickel... 

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