文摘
Purpose We aimed to examine the effects of spatial heterogeneity on Zn/Cd removal efficiency by the Zn/Cd hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii grown on agricultural soil contaminated with mine waste. Materials and methods Field-collected metal-contaminated agricultural soils were arranged in pots either homogeneously or heterogeneously in “half-or “quarter-patterns. Young shoots of S. alfredii were grown on these substrates in a greenhouse. Results and discussion The efficiency of Zn and Cd removal from soil by S. alfredii was highest in the “quarter-pattern heterogeneous treatment, in which the percentages of total soil Zn and Cd extracted were 8.02 and 7.27, respectively. Comparing the two heterogeneous treatments, the amounts of Zn and Cd accumulated in S. alfredii shoots were significantly greater in the “quarter-pattern heterogeneous treatment than in the “half-pattern treatment. Conclusions We concluded that the efficiency of Zn/Cd removal increased as the scale of spatial heterogeneity decreased from “half-to “quarter- These results may have important implications for the efficiency of phytoremediation by hyperaccumulators in the field.