What are some of the mechanisms for heavy metals in plants?
1. Chelation: Plants can bind heavy metals to chelating agents such as organic acids, peptides, or phytochelatins, forming stable complexes that can be sequestered in vacuoles or transported out of the cell.
2. Ion exchange: Plants can replace essential ions such as calcium with heavy metals in their cell walls, reducing the uptake of toxic heavy metals.
3. Sequestration: Plants can store heavy metals in vacuoles or bind them to metal-binding proteins, preventing their toxic effects on cellular metabolism.
4. Phytoextraction: Some plants have the ability to accumulate high concentrations of heavy metals in their tissues, which can be harvested and used for phytoremediation of contaminated soils.
5. Metabolism: Plants can metabolize or detoxify heavy metals by converting them into less toxic forms or by incorporating them into complex molecules that are less harmful to cellular processes.
6. Translocation: Plants can transport heavy metals from roots to shoots or from older to younger tissues, helping to distribute and detoxify heavy metals within the plant.