Impact of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on uranium accumulation by plants.
Contamination by uranium (U) occurs principally at U mining and processing sites. Uranium can have tremendous environmental consequences, as it is highly toxic to a broad range of organisms and can be dispersed in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. Remediation strategies of U-contaminated soils have included physical and chemical procedures, which may be beneficial, but are costly and can lead to further environmental damage. Phytoremediation has been proposed as a promising alternative, which relies on the capacity of plants and their associated microorganisms to stabilize or extract contaminants from soils. In this paper, we review the role of a group of plant symbiotic fungi, i.e. arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, which constitute an essential link between the soil and the roots. These fungi participate in U immobilization in soils and within plant roots and they can reduce root-to-shoot translocation of U. However, there is a need to evaluate these observations in terms of their importance for phytostabilization strategies.
de Boulois
H Dupré
HD
Université catholique de Louvain, Unité de Microbiologie, Croix du Sud 3, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
Joner
E J
EJ
Leyval
C
C
Jakobsen
I
I
Chen
B D
BD
Roos
P
P
Thiry
Y
Y
Rufyikiri
G
G
Delvaux
B
B
Declerck
S
S
D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000502:physiology*; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000378:metabolism*; D014501:Uranium / Q000378:metabolism*
D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive; D014501:Uranium