Arsenic compounds in terrestrial organisms. IV. Green plants and lichens from an old arsenic smelter site in Austria

Two lichens and 12 green plants growing at a former arsenic roasting facility in Austria were analyzed for total arsenic by ICP–MS, and for 12 arsenic compounds (arsenous acid, arsenic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, methylarsonic acid, arsenobetaine, arsenocholine, trimethylarsine oxide, the tetramethylarsonium cation and four arsenoriboses) by HPLC–ICP–MS. Total arsenic concentrations were in the range of 0.27 mg As (kg dry mass)⁻¹ (Vaccinium vitis idaea) to 8.45 mg As (kg dry mass)⁻¹ (Equisetum pratense). Arsenic compounds were extracted with two different extractants [water or methanol/water (9:1)]. Extraction yields achieved with water [7% (Alectoria ochroleuca) to 71% (Equisetum pratense)] were higher than those with methanol/water (9:1) [4% (Alectoria ochroleuca) to 22% (Deschampsia cespitosa)]. The differences were caused mainly by better extraction of inorganic arsenic (green plants) and an arsenoribose (lichens) by water. Inorganic arsenic was detected in all extracts. Dimethylarsinic acid was identified in nine green plants. One of the lichens (Alectoria ochroleuca) contained traces of methylarsonic acid, and this compound was also detected in nine of the green plants. Arsenobetaine was a major arsenic compound in extracts of the lichens, but except for traces in the grass Deschampsia cespitosa, it was not detected in the green plants. In contrast to arsenobetaine, trimethylarsine oxide was found in all samples. The tetramethylarsonium cation was identified in the lichen Alectoria ochroleuca and in four green plants. With the exception of the needles of the tree Larix decidua the arsenoribose (2′R)‐dimethyl[1‐O‐(2′,3′‐dihydroxypropyl)‐5‐deoxy‐β‐D ‐ribofuranos‐5‐yl]arsine oxide was identified at the low μg kg⁻¹ level or as a trace in all plants investigated. In the lichens an unknown arsenic compound, which did not match any of the standard compounds available, was also detected. Arsenocholine and three of the arsenoriboses were not detected in the samples. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

137Cs and 40K activity concentration measurements and elemental analysis in lichen samples collected from the Giresun province of northeastern Turkey

About 21 years after the Chernobyl accident, ¹³⁷Cs and ⁴⁰K activity concentration measurements using gamma-ray spectroscopy and elemental analysis using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were performed in five different lichen species collected from the Giresun province of northeastern Turkey. Being a symbiosis of algae and fungi, lichens are mostly used for environmental measurements since the fungal partner is responsible for the uptake of necessary nutrients or harmful substances, such as heavy metals of radionuclides. The gamma activity results showed that ¹³⁷Cs, an artificial radionuclide released from the Chernobyl power plant accident, is still eminent in the environment of the province. The mean activity concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs and ⁴⁰K ranged from 24 to 254 with the mean value of 102 Bq kg^?1 and from 345 to 2103 with the mean value of 1143 Bq kg^?1 in dry weight. The results of the elemental analyses showed potassium, calcium, titanium, iron, tin, and barium in different concentrations.     

Arsenic species in terrestrial fungi and lichens from Yellowknife,NWT, Canada

Levels of total arsenic and arsenic species were determined in fungi collected from Yellowknife, NWT, Canada, an area that has been affected by past mining activities and elevated arsenic levels. Lichens (belonging to Cladonia and Cladina genera), as well as the mushrooms Coprinus comatus, Paxillus involutus, Psathyrella candolleana and Leccinum scabrum, were studied for the first time. Most of the fungi contained elevated arsenic levels with respect to data found in the literature for background levels. Minor amounts of arsenobetaine were found in all lichen samples. The major water‐soluble arsenic species in the fungi were inorganic arsenic for lichens and Psathyrella candolleana, arsenobetaine for Lycoperdon pyriforme and Coprinus comatus, and dimethylarsenate for Paxillus involutus and Leccinum scabrum. A large proportion of water‐soluble arsenic in Paxillus involutus occurred as an unknown compound, which did not co‐chromatograph with any of the available standard arsenic compounds. Low proportions of water‐soluble arsenic species (made evident by low extraction efficiencies) were observed in the majority of fungi studied. Arsenic that is not extracted may be bound to lipids, cell components or proteins, or might exist on the surface of the fungus as minerals. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Moss and Lichen as Biomonitors for Heavy Metals

Abstract

Concentrations of Zn, Pb and Cd in the mosses Hypnum cupressiforme and Hylocomium splendens were compared with the measurements of these elements in lichen-samples of Hypogymnia physodes at five sampling sites with different pollution situation in Switzerland. From measurements of several sites we found that the ratio of lichen to moss concentrations is a function of the the pollution situation determined in moss concentrations. This finding was controlled by further measurements of mosses and lichen samples from the Simmental region. These results fit well in this functional dependency, this is especially true for zinc and cadmium concentrations.     

新疆古尔班通古特沙漠南缘土壤生物结皮中地衣植物物种组成和分布

本文对新疆古尔班通古特沙漠南缘土壤生物结皮中地衣植物种类及分布特征进行了初步研究.结果表明,该地区参与土壤生物结皮的有13种地衣植物,即藓生双缘衣、拟橙衣、丽石黄衣、准葛尔橙衣、磷网衣、胶衣珊瑚变种、坚韧胶衣、金黄茶渍、碎茶渍、鳞饼衣、网衣、糙伏毛微孢衣、鳞核衣,分别属于5个目,10科.并分析了其分布特征,发现地衣植物的分布与苔藓植物有负相关关系,地衣的分布受到环境温度、太阳辐射强度、降水量等因素的影响.同时我们计算了三个组间的地衣多样性和相似性,发现组1的多样性最高,次为组3,组2的多样性最低.     

Isotope variations of hydrogen,carbon and nitrogen in florae from the Schirmacher Oasis,East Antarctica

Comparative biochemical and isotope-chemical investigations of cosmopolitical plants open up ways of obtaining parameters from different parts of the Earth which are characterised by variations in the habitat due to different environments. As an Antarctic oasis, the Schirmacher Oasis disposes of adequate favourable ecological conditions for the growth of lower plants.

In the present paper, results of isotope studies of lichens, mosses and algae of the Schirmacher Oasis are given and peculiarities of the habitats which influence the isotope contents of the plants are discussed.     

The Fumarprotocetraric Acid Inhibits Tau Covalently,Avoiding Cytotoxicity of Aggregates in Cells

Neurodegenerative disorders, including Tauopathies that involve tau protein, base their pathological mechanism on forming proteinaceous aggregates, which has a deleterious effect on cells triggering an inflammatory response. Moreover, tau inhibitors can exert their mechanism of action through noncovalent and covalent interactions. Thus, Michael’s addition appears as a feasible type of interaction involving an α, β unsaturated carbonyl moiety to avoid pathological confirmation and further cytotoxicity. Moreover, we isolated three compounds from Antarctic lichens Cladonia cariosa and Himantormia lugubris: protolichesterinic acid (1), fumarprotocetraric acid (2), and lichesterinic acid (3). The maleimide cysteine labeling assay showed that compounds 1, 2, and 3 inhibit at 50 µM, but compounds 2 and 3 are statistically significant. Based on its inhibition capacity, we decided to test compound 2 further. Thus, our results suggest that compound 2 remodel soluble oligomers and diminish β sheet content, as demonstrated through ThT experiments. Hence, we added externally treated oligomers with compound 2 to demonstrate that they are harmless in cell culture. First, the morphology of cells in the presence of aggregates does not suffer evident changes compared to the control. Additionally, the externally added aggregates do not provoke a substantial LDH release compared to the control, indicating that treated oligomers do not provoke membrane damage in cell culture compared with aggregates alone. Thus, in the present work, we demonstrated that Michael’s acceptors found in lichens could serve as a scaffold to explore different mechanisms of action to turn tau aggregates into harmless species.     

Stable Carbon Isotope Fractionation in Lower Plants from the Schirmacher and Untersee Oases (Central Dronning Maud Land,East Antarctica)

Abstract

Lower plants (algae, lichens, mosses) from the Antarctic continent have been analysed for their stable carbon isotope composition. In contrast to lichens and mosses which exhibit quite normal δ¹³C-values the studied microbial benthos is characterized by an extremely low carbon isotope fractionation (δ¹³C-values up to ?1.4‰. vs. PDB). Limited CO₂ availability and bicarbonate uptake are probably the main factors responsible for this phenomenon.     

Ca-Oxalate films and microbiological investigations of the influence of ancient pigments on the growth of lichens

Simultaneous thermogravimetry and thermomicroscopy were performed on Ca-oxalates which play an important role in the appearance of oxalate films connected with lichens superficially growing on human artefacts. Ca-oxalate exists in two well-described modifications: as the more stable monoclinic monohydrate whewellite and the less stable tetragonal dihydrate weddelite. Weddelite serves for lichens as a water absorbing and accumulating substrate which transforms to whewellite when humidity drops. To follow these morphological changes optically and the water loss gravimetrically at the same time, a combination of thermomicroscopy and thermogravimétric analysis was constructed, The reflection light microscope was connected to a video camera and computer so that the morphological changes and the thermogravimetric curves could be shown simultaneously on the screen as function of time and temperature.Lichens — double organisms composed of algae and fungi — form surface layers not only on natural organic and inorganic material but also on human artefacts. In calcareous artefacts such as the famous Chinese terracotta soldiers or Egyptian epigraphs they lead to a destruction of the surface by forming Ca-oxalate layers and thus to a deterioration of the historian work of art. But in places where the surface is covered by some blue colours (Egyptian and Chinese Blue, Chinese Purple) the growth of lichens is inhibited and the artefacts are well preserved. The copper ion contained in the pigments is responsible for this effect since copper is a strong poison for microorganism.As lichens exhibit an extremely slow growth under natural and laboratory conditions the two lichen components: algae and fungi were investigated separately. The three mentioned ancient pigments have very low solubility products and thus do not act on the quickly growing fungi. But under special experimental conditions Egyptian Blue formed clear halos on the growth plates of the algaeChlorella minutissima andTrebouxia glomerata. These halos were compared with those of the easily soluble copper sulphate as a standard.We are deeply indebted to Mrs. R. Daum for skilled assistance in handling the microbial strains and to Prof. Dr. G. Marx and Dr. H. Bischoff for the determination of the solubility products.