Effect of elevated CO2 concentration on photosynthetic characteristics of hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii under cadmium stress.

The combined effects of elevated CO2 and cadmium (Cd) on photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll fluorescence and Cd accumulation in hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii Hance were investigated to predict plant growth under Cd stress with rising atmospheric CO2 concentration. Both pot and hydroponic experiments were conducted and the plants were grown under ambient (350 µL L(-1)) or elevated (800 µL L(-1)) CO2 . Elevated CO2 significantly (P < 0.05) increased Pn (105%-149%), Pnmax (38.8%-63.0%) and AQY (20.0%-34.8%) of S. alfredii in all the Cd treatments, but reduced chlorophyll concentration, dark respiration and photorespiration. After 10 days growth in medium with 50 µM Cd under elevated CO2 , PSII activities were significantly enhanced (P < 0.05) with Pm, Fv/Fm, Φ(II) and qP increased by 66.1%, 7.5%, 19.5% and 16.4%, respectively, as compared with ambient-grown plants. Total Cd uptake in shoot of S. alfredii grown under elevated CO2 was increased by 44.1%-48.5%, which was positively correlated with the increase in Pn. These results indicate that elevated CO2 promoted the growth of S. alfredii due to increased photosynthetic carbon uptake rate and photosynthetic light-use efficiency, and showed great potential to improve the phytoextraction of Cd by S. alfredii.

Effects of dissolved organic matter from the rhizosphere of the hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii on sorption of zinc and cadmium by different soils.

Pot experiments were conducted to investigate the changes of the dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the rhizosphere of hyperaccumulating ecotype (HE) and non-hyperaccumulating ecotype (NHE) of Sedum alfredii and its effects on Zn and Cd sorption by soils. After planted with HE, soil pH in the rhizosphere reduced by 0.5-0.6 units which is consistent with the increase of DOM. The hydrophilic fractions (51%) in DOM from the rhizosphere of HE (HE-DOM) was much greater than NHE-DOM (35%). In the presence of HE-DOM, Zn and Cd sorption capacity decreased markedly in the following order: calcareous clay loam>neutral clay loam>acidic silty clay. The sorption isotherms could be well described by the Freundlich equation (R(2)>0.95), and the partition coefficient (K) in the presence of HE-DOM was decreased by 30.7-68.8% for Zn and 20.3-59.2% for Cd, as compared to NHE-DOM. An increase in HE-DOM concentration significantly reduced the sorption and increased the desorption of Zn and Cd by three soils. DOM derived from the rhizosphere of the hyperaccumulating ecotype of S. alfredii could significantly reduce metal sorption and increase its mobility through the formation of soluble DOM-metal complexes.