Plant Tissues and Embryos Biominerals in Sarcocornia pruinosa, a Halophyte from the Río Tinto Salt Marshes

Abstract

Although biomineralization in plants is an important area of research, there is very limited information. In this work, we report the location of Na, K, Ca, Mg and Fe biominerals in Sarcocornia pruinosa (Chenopodiacaeae), a halophyte species growing in the estuarine area of Río Tinto, an extreme acidic environment. The estuarine soils of the Tinto basin are characterized by slightly acidic pH and high concentrations of ions. They are exposed to Atlantic Ocean tides that contribute to the increase in pH, Na and Mg concentrations. The aim of this work was to characterize the elemental composition and to identify the biominerals detected in cell tissues of S. pruinosa. Analytical techniques, such as ICP-MS (Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry), XRD and microscopy such as OM (optical microscopy) with histochemical staining, SEM and TEM (scanning and transmission electronic microscopy) coupled with EDX (energy dispersive X-ray) were carried out to analyze the plant tissues of S. pruinosa and characterize the detected biominerals. The elemental composition in succulent stems and seeds of S. pruinosa showed high values of Na and K followed by Ca, Mg and Fe. The presence of halite, sylvite, weddellite, glushinskite and Fe oxides biominerals in this halophyte species is reported. Our data suggest the importance of vegetation in the biogeochemical cycles in estuarine areas.

Bioactive Compounds in Sarcocornia and Arthrocnemum, Two Wild Halophilic Genera from the Iberian Peninsula

“…The Chenopodiaceae species are generally characterized by a high content of minerals, polyphenols, and fatty acids, among other compounds of interest. The abundance of inorganic elements (Na + , K + , Mg 2+ , and Ca 2+ , among others) in the tissues of these plants, together with the wide diversity of bioactive compounds, have been related to their capacity to survive and grow in extreme environments with high salinity and long periods of intense drought [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ].…”

The endemic halophyte Sarcocornia carinata Fuente, Rufo & Sánchez-Mata (Chenopodiaceae) in relation to environmental variables: elemental composition and biominerals

“…Results obtained in this study confirm many of the adaptive strategies reported in the literature for dicotyledonous succulent halophytes. The anatomy of the stem sections was like other articulated succulent species, with the presence of a special water storage tissue that included big cells with large vacuoles filled with salt (Grigore et al 2011;Fuente et al 2018). Additionally, the quantitative abundance of the elements analyzed matched the general pattern described for halophytes (Chaudhary 2019), with Na being the main element in the total concentration, followed by Mg, K and Ca.…”

“…Other biominerals reported in plants are magnesium oxalates, silica, and iron in the form of jarosite and Fe-oxides (Monje and Baran 2005;Rodríguez et al 2005). Fuente et al (2018) have identified the chlorides halite and sylvite, and the oxalates glushinskite and weddellite in the succulent stem tissue of the littoral halophyte Sarcocornia pruinosa. However, there is a lack of information about the existence of seasonal changes in this process and the effect of soil composition on the biomineral composition of plants that adapt to salinity in the same way.…”

XRD-Thermal Combined Analyses: An Approach to Evaluate the Potential of Phytoremediation, Phytomining, and Biochar Production

“…The main effect revealed by in-situ measurements is the plumbojarosite and whewellite disappearance. The latter is one of the most common phases in plants tissues, commonly occurring within the cells but also in extracellular form [79,80]. Whewellite is stable up to 400 °C as already reported by Quintana et al [81] and above this temperature it decomposes, probably forming calcite [82,83].…”