Arsenic uptake by aquatic macrophyte Spirodela polyrhiza L.: Interactions with phosphate and iron

The uptake of arsenate (As(V)) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA) by aquatic macrophyte Spirodela polyrhiza L. was investigated to determine the influence of arsenic interaction with PO43− and Fe ions. Plants were grown hydroponically on standard Murashige and Skoog (MS) culture solutions. Arsenic concentrations in Fe-oxide (Fe-plaque) on plant surfaces were determined by citrate-bicarbonate-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (CBE) technique. S. polyrhiza L. accumulated 51-fold arsenic from arsenate solution compared to that from DMAA solution with initial concentrations of 4.0 and 0.02 μM of arsenic and phosphate, respectively. The arsenate uptake was negatively (p < 0.001) correlated with phosphate uptake and positively (p < 0.05) correlated with iron uptake. About 56% of the total arsenic was accumulated into the plant tissues while 44% was adsorbed on Fe-plaque (CBE-extract), when the plants were grown on arsenate solution. The DMAA uptake into the plant was neither affected by the phosphate concentrations nor correlated (p > 0.05) with iron accumulation. The results suggest that adsorption of arsenate on Fe-plaque of the surface of S. polyrhiza L. contributes to the arsenic uptake significantly. Thus, arsenate uptake in S. polyrhiza L. occurred through the phosphate uptake pathway and by physico-chemical adsorption on Fe-plaques of plant surfaces as well. The S. polyrhiza L. uses different mechanisms for DMAA uptake.