Projects / Programmes
Tolerance of organisms in stressed ecosystems and potential for remediation
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 1.03.00 |
Natural sciences and mathematics |
Biology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| B003 |
Biomedical sciences |
Ecology |
| B270 |
Biomedical sciences |
Plant ecology |
| B002 |
Biomedical sciences |
Biophysics |
| B230 |
Biomedical sciences |
Microbiology, bacteriology, virology, mycology |
metals, salinity, pollution, Thlaspi, halophylic fungi, mycorrhizal fungi, PIXE, XRF
Researchers (20)
Organisations (2)
Abstract
Availability of metal pollutants in the extreme ecosystems of industrial (pollution) and natural (salinity) origin poses directed selection pressure for the development of tolerance mechnisms to organisms (hiperacumulating plants, halophytes and halofilic fungi), that enable their survival in these environments, whereas the knowledge on this mechanisms remains sparse.
PIXE will be used to determine the availability of the metals for organisms that are due to their tolerance potentially interesting for remediation of these sites. Laboratory experiments will be used to determine the availability of these metals in food chains.
The hypotheses will be tested: (i) fungi are able to fix available metals in fungal walls or internal structures, (ii) mycorrhizal fungi limit the uptake of metals to few mycorrhizal species, (iii) representatives of gen. Thlaspi are not interesting food for insects and therefore do not enter food chains.
In cooperation with our beneficiary Mezica Mine MPI d.o.o., the already started remediation of polluted site in the near vicinity of the lead mine and smelter will be perceeded on the basis of previous experiments and knowledge gained in the frame of the project.
In cooperation with our beneficiary and the owner of Secovlje saltplants Mobitel d.d. we will prepare the inventarisation of halophytic plants, their areal, determine the existence of mycorrhiza and inventarisation of halophilic fungi. In addition efforts will be directed into more efficient and active protection of hallophytes in Secovlje Salterns as well as preservation of indigenous halophilic fungi and active petola in saltplant ponds.
