Soil trace metal content does not affect the distribution of the hyperaccumulator Noccaea caerulescens in the Vosges Mountains (France)
2018
Sirguey, C. | Seznec, G. | Mahevas, T. | Echevarria, G. | Gonneau, C. | Sterckeman, T.
AIMS: Noccaea caerulescens is a pseudo-metallophyte known to hyperaccumulate Zn, Cd and Ni, and a model species for the study of the hyperaccumulation of trace metals. However, information about its ecology is rather scarce. The aim of this work was thus to determine if soil metal content was the main factor responsible for the distribution of N. caerulescens. METHODS: During 4 years, the Vosges Mountains (north eastern France) were explored during the flowering season. Plants and their rooting soil were analyzed for their trace element content (Cd, Mn, Ni and Zn). The ecological amplitude of N. caerulescens was analyzed using Maximum Entropy Modelling (MaxEnt). RESULTS: Only five populations of the 67 recorded were found on metalliferous soils. All the recorded populations presented a Zn-hyperaccumulator phenotype, whereas only two presented a Cd and/or Ni-hyperaccumulator phenotype. The spatial distribution of mineralized areas did not explain the spatial distribution of the species. The MaxEnt distribution model suggested that the principle explanatory factors were the annual precipitation, soil use and underlying geology. CONCLUSION: Trace metal concentrations in soils are not the main drivers of N. caerulescens distribution in the Vosges Mountains. Instead, pedological and climatic factors along with recent human activity are the main factors of the colonization of the massif.
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