Quantifying beryllium concentrations in plant shoots from forest ecosystems using cation‐exchange chromatography and quadrupole ICP‐MS

Abstract

Beryllium (Be) is known to be one of the most toxic elements but at the same time exerts a stimulating effect on plant growth. Despite this contradiction, little is known about the Be metabolism in living organisms, partially because of the low amounts present and because the analysis of Be in plants by ICP-MS remains challenging. The challenges arise from the complex organic matrix, the low abundance of Be relative to the other plant essential elements, and the matrix effects resulting thereof in the plasma. To address these challenges, we developed and evaluated a new method for Be concentration analysis in plant material. Key is the quantitative separation of Be from the other matrix elements by cation-exchange chromatography. The new method was verified by processing seven reference materials representing different plant matrices yielding a longterm reproducibility of 16% (RSD). Applying the method, Be concentrations in tree, shrub, bush, and grass samples grown in non-polluted ecosystems from four temperate forests and a tropical rainforest were measured. The Be concentrations in different plant organs range from 0.01 to 63 ng/g that suggest a natural baseline for Be concentrations of 52 ng/g (95 percentile of non-woody tissue) that may serve as bioindicator for Be pollution in the environment. Comparison of Be concentrations in plants with the soil's biologically available fraction revealed that Be is discriminated from uptake into shoots and thus can be considered as non-essential.

Mineral Nutrients Sourced in Deep Regolith Sustain Long‐Term Nutrition of Mountainous Temperate Forest Ecosystems

“…4.2.4. Analyzing the 10 Be(meteoric)/ 9 Be Ratio 9 Be concentrations were analyzed as described in Uhlig, Goldberg, et al (2020). In summary, 9 Be of plant matter was measured on an iCAP-Q with fast pump system (ESI Fast DX, 1 ml loop) with uncertainties better than 16% relative based on repeat digestion and analyses of SRM 1515 (apple leaves, NIST).…”

Elevated CO2 differentially attenuates beryllium‐induced oxidative stress in oat and alfalfa

“…Heavy metal (HM) stress causes severe damage to agricultural crop development and yield, as well as quality, by diminishing their growth and physiological processes (Abu‐Shahba et al, 2022; El‐Mahdy et al, 2021). Beryllium (Be) is an element of the IIA group inside the periodic table present at an approximate concentration of 2.8–5 mg/kg on the earth's crust (Armiento et al, 2013; Uhlig et al, 2020). Due to its extensive use in nuclear weapons, x‐ray machines, reactors, electronics, and aircraft constructions, Be is economically valuable (Ali et al, 2018).…”