Soil is alive

Soils contain dynamic biological systems that play a vital role in the functioning of ecosystems. Soils and sediments are one of the three environmental media (soil, water and air) and are non-renewable resources that occupy a central role in the economic structure of all civilization throughout history. The essential ecosystem services that soils provide include the regulation of biogeochemical cycles, water purification, retention and delivery of nutrients to plants, regulation of the hydrological cycle including mitigation of floods and droughts, and determination of the fate and behavior of pollutants in the environment [7]. Many of these processes, including the formation of soil structure itself, are functions of biological processes that are mediated by diverse populations of eubacteria, archaea, fungi, yeast, microalgae, protozoa, nematodes, and other microscopic invertebrate animals. The numbers of organisms and their collective contribution to the mass of the soil is highly variable within and between soils (Table 1.1) [12].

Table 1.1 Relative numbers and approximate biomass of the soil microbiota in a fertile mollisol [13].

                                      Numbers                                      Biomass

Organisms           per m2                         per g wet                kg/ha

Bacteria             1013-1014                   108-109                300-3000

Actinomycetes   1012-1013                    107-108                300-3000

Fungi                 1010-1011                   105-106                500-5000

Microalgae         1010-1011                  103-106                10-1500

Protozoa           109-1010                     103-105                 5-200

Nematodes         109-1010                   101-102                 1-100

Earthworms          3-300                                                     10-1000

Other
invertebrate fauna 109-1010                                                 1-200

The extensive use of synthetic organic chemical and petroleum products in the past decades has lead to their environmental ubiquity. The presence of certain chemicals in the environment has led to a variety of human health problems including cancers, disruption of the endocrine and immune systems, and reproductive diseases [14, 15]. Moreover, the degradation of natural systems through the accumulation of pollutants extends beyond the locality of synthetic compounds utilization. Therefore, no environment, however remote, is free from the burden of environmental contamination. Soil is perhaps one of the most significant pools of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), as physical and chemical properties of soil can contribute to the persistence of certain chemicals in soil matrices. However, unlike other environmental phases, a unique opportunity to degrade POPs exists while they are bound to soil. This is largely due to the presence of microbial communities with the enzymatic capability to degrade pollutants [16-18]. This dissertation explores a potential method of managing for ecosystem resilience: applied microbial ecological systems for biological treatment of organic pollutants in soils.

12. Stockdale, E.A. and P.C. Brookes, Detection and quantification of the soil microbial biomass - impacts on the management of agricultural soils. Journal Of Agricultural Science, 2006. 144: p. 285-302.

13. Metting, F.B., Soil Microbial Ecology: applications in agricultural and environmental management, ed. M.F.B. Jr. 1993, New York: Marcel Dekker Inc.

14. Jorgenson, J.L., Aldrin and Dieldrin: A review of research on their production, environmental deposition and fate, bioaccumulation, toxicology and epidemiology in the United States. Environmental Health Perspectives, 2001. 109: p. 113-139.

15. Vasseur, P. and C. Cossu-Leguille, Linking molecular interactions to consequent effects of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) upon populations. Chemosphere, 2006. 62(7): p. 1033-1042.

16. Singer, A.C., et al., Impact of the plant rhizosphere and augmentation on remediation of polychlorinated biphenyl contaminated soil. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 2003. 22(9): p. 1998-2004.

17. Heitkamp, M.a., W. Franklin, and C.E. Cerniglia, Microbial-metabolism of polycyclic aromatic-hydrocarbons - isolation and characterization of a pyrene-degrading bacterium. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 1988. 54(10): p. 2549-2555.

18. Cerniglia, C.E., Microbial-metabolism of polycyclic aromatic-hydrocarbons. Advances in Applied Microbiology, 1984. 30: p. 31-71

managing for ecosystem resilience

Our society receives many benefits from natural and managed ecosystems [1]. The production of food, fiber, and building materials are perhaps the most tangible goods provided by the natural world. There are a myriad of benefits provided to us by our surrounding ecosystem including: purified/potable water, hospitable climatic conditions, and a wealth of diverse organisms from which we derive medicines, industrial processes, and agricultural productivity, to name a few. Ecosystem services (services provided by the environment that directly benefit humans) are so thoroughly interwoven into the fundamental basis of modern civilization [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8] it is difficult to ascribe value to these services [5]. However, some have attempted to do so. For example, in 1997 Constanza et al. [9] calculated that the value of the entire biosphere was somewhere on the order of US $16-54 trillion per year (with the global gross national domestic product total around $18 trillion per year). They point out due to the uncertainties inherent to such a comprehensive estimation, the figure they generated should be considered a minimum value. However, it is clear that ecosystem services are central to the continued prosperity of human civilizations.

From the alteration of local ecosystems to the global biosphere as a whole, the deleterious effect of humanity on the environment has been well documented in recent years [10]. The dominant perspective on social-ecological systems have implicitly assumed a stable and infinitely resilient environment where resource flows could be controlled and nature would repair itself when human stressors were removed [11]. However, it is becoming clear that the human stressors are not being removed and are increasing as the human population grows. Therefore, managing for ecosystem resilience is imperative for the continued maintenance of hospitable environments.

1. Daily, G.C., Nature's services: societal dependence on natural ecosystems. 1997, Washington, DC: Island Press. xx, 392 p.

2. Arrow, K., et al., Economic-growth, carrying-capacity, and the environment. Science, 1995. 268(5210): p. 520-521.

3. Bolund, P. and S. Hunhammar, Ecosystem services in urban areas. Ecological Economics, 1999. 29(2): p. 293-301.

4. Costanza, R. and H.E. Daly, Natural capital and sustainable development. Conservation Biology, 1992. 6(1): p. 37-46.

5. Daily, G.C., et al., Ecology - The value of nature and the nature of value. Science, 2000. 289(5478): p. 395-396.

6. Li, J., Z.Y. Ren, and Z.X. Zhou, Ecosystem services and their values: a case study in the Qinba mountains of China. Ecological Research, 2006. 21(4): p. 597-604.

7. Wall, D.H., ed. Sustaining biodiversity and ecosystem services in soils and sediments. SCOPE. Vol. 64. 2004, Island Press: Washington DC.

8. Naeem, S., et al., Declining biodiversity can alter the performance of ecosystems. Nature, 1994. 368(6473): p. 734-737.

9. Costanza, R., et al., The value of the world's ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature, 1997. 387(6630): p. 253-260.

10. MA, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA). 2004: Washington DC.

11. Folke, C., Resilience: The emergence of a perspective for social-ecological systems analyses. Global Environmental Change-Human And Policy Dimensions, 2006. 16(3): p. 253-267.

Phytoremediation Research Log

Alert Criteria

 Title/Abstract: phytoremediation


Z Yang, ZL Wang, BW Li, and RF Zhang
    [Promotion effects of microorganisms on phytoremediation of heavy
    metals-contaminated soil]
    Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao 1 Aug 2009 20(8): p. 2025.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19947228

Shuhe Wei, Yunmeng Li, Qixing Zhou, Mrittunjai Srivastava, Siuwai Chiu,
Zhan Jie, Zhijie Wu, and Tieheng Sun
    Effect of fertilizer amendments on phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated
    soil by a newly discovered hyperaccumulator Solanum nigrum L.
    J Hazard Mater 6 Nov 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19951826

WX Han, YM Xu, W Du, AH Tang, and RF Jiang
    [Stoichiometry of multi-elements in the zinc-cadmium hyperaccumulator
    Thlaspi caerulescens grown hydroponically under different zinc
    concentrations determined by ICP-AES]
    Guang Pu Xue Yu Guang Pu Fen Xi 1 Sep 2009 29(9): p. 2565.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19950676

YB Sun, QX Zhou, L Wang, WT Liu, and R Liu
    [Characteristics of cadmium tolerance and bioaccumulation of Bidens
    pilosa L. seedlings]
    Huan Jing Ke Xue 15 Oct 2009 30(10): p. 3028.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19968126
  Alert Criteria

 Title/Abstract: phytoremediation


Kwon-Rae Kim and Gary Owens
    Potential for enhanced phytoremediation of landfills using biosolids -
    a review.
    J Environ Manage 23 Nov 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19939550

K-J Appenroth, K Krech, A Keresztes, W Fischer, and H Koloczek
    Effects of nickel on the chloroplasts of the duckweeds Spirodela
    polyrhiza and Lemna minor and their possible use in biomonitoring and
    phytoremediation.
    Chemosphere 27 Nov 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19945735

Fariba Mohsenzadeh, Simin Nasseri, Alireza Mesdaghinia, Ramin Nabizadeh,
Doustmorad Zafari, Gholam Khodakaramian, and Abdolkarim Chehregani
    Phytoremediation of petroleum-polluted soils: Application of Polygonum
    aviculare and its root-associated (penetrated) fungal strains for
    bioremediation of petroleum-polluted soils.
    Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 20 Nov 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19932506

LP Shen, LG Zong, P Jiang, WX Liu, B Jiang, and YH Chen
    [Extraction of Cd by ramie from soils as affected by applications of
    chelators and peat]
    Huan Jing Ke Xue 15 Sep 2009 30(9): p. 2767.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19927838

Sudhakar Srivastava, K C Bhainsa, and S F D'Souza
    Investigation of uranium accumulation potential and biochemical
    responses of an aquatic weed Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle.
    Bioresour Technol 23 Nov 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19939677
Leszek Karlinski, Maria Rudawska, Barbara Kieliszewska-Rokicka, and Tomasz
Leski
    Relationship between genotype and soil environment during colonization
    of poplar roots by mycorrhizal and endophytic fungi.
    Mycorrhiza 18 Nov 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19921284


JH Ibbini, LC Davis, and LE Erickson
    Phytoremediation in education: textile dye teaching experiments.
    Int J Phytoremediation 1 Jul 2009 11(5): p. 451.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19810348

JA Weishaar, D Tsao, and JG Burken
    Phytoremediation of BTEX hydrocarbons: potential impacts of diurnal
    groundwater fluctuation on microbial degradation.
    Int J Phytoremediation 1 Jul 2009 11(5): p. 509.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19810352

Shao Hong-Bo, Chu Li-Ye, Ruan Cheng-Jiang, Li Hua, Guo Dong-Gang, and Li
Wei-Xiang
    Understanding molecular mechanisms for improving phytoremediation of
    heavy metal-contaminated soils.
    Crit Rev Biotechnol 12 Oct 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19821782

LT Danh, P Truong, R Mammucari, T Tran, and N Foster
    Vetiver grass, Vetiveria zizanioides: a choice plant for
    phytoremediation of heavy metals and organic wastes.
    Int J Phytoremediation 1 Oct 2009 11(8): p. 664.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19810597

PK Padmavathiamma and LY Li
    Phytoremediation of metal-contaminated soil in temperate humid regions
    of British Columbia, Canada.
    Int J Phytoremediation 1 Aug 2009 11(6): p. 575.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19810356

Michel Mench, Jean-Paul Schwitzguebel, Peter Schroeder, Valerie Bert,
Stanislaw Gawronski, and Satish Gupta
    Assessment of successful experiments and limitations of
    phytotechnologies: contaminant uptake, detoxification and
    sequestration, and consequences for food safety.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 13 Oct 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19823886

A Gomes Neto and CS Costa
    Survival and growth of the dominant salt marsh grass Spartina
    alterniflora in an oil industry saline wastewater.
    Int J Phytoremediation 1 Sep 2009 11(7): p. 640.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19810360

AM Ferro and CE Tammi
    Field note: irrigation of tree stands with groundwater containing
    1,4-dioxane.
    Int J Phytoremediation 1 Jul 2009 11(5): p. 425.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19810346

B Yang, M Zhou, W S Shu, C Y Lan, Z H Ye, R L Qiu, Y C Jie, G X Cui, and M
H Wong
    Constitutional tolerance to heavy metals of a fiber crop, ramie
    (Boehmeria nivea), and its potential usage.
    Environ Pollut 12 Oct 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19828218

CD Collins and NJ Willey
    Phylogenetic variation in the tolerance and uptake of organic
    contaminants.
    Int J Phytoremediation 1 Sep 2009 11(7): p. 623.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19810359 

Sandra Radic, Marija Babic, Dragan Skobic, Vibor Roje, and Branka
Pevalek-Kozlina
    Ecotoxicological effects of aluminum and zinc on growth and
    antioxidants in Lemna minor L.
    Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 13 Nov 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19914715

Gang Wu, Hubiao Kang, Xiaoyang Zhang, Hongbo Shao, Liye Chu, and Chengjiang
Ruan
    A critical review on the bio-removal of hazardous heavy metals from
    contaminated soils: Issues, progress, eco-environmental concerns and
    opportunities.
    J Hazard Mater 28 Sep 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19864055

10/2/09
Verania Andria, Thomas G Reichenauer, and Angela Sessitsch
    Expression of alkane monooxygenase (alkB) genes by plant-associated
    bacteria in the rhizosphere and endosphere of Italian ryegrass (Lolium
    multiflorum L.) grown in diesel contaminated soil.
    Environ Pollut 19 Sep 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19773105

Cristina Lomonte, Augustine I Doronila, David Gregory, Alan J M Baker, and
Spas D Kolev
    Phytotoxicity of biosolids and screening of selected plant species
    with potential for mercury phytoextraction.
    J Hazard Mater 31 Aug 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19775810

Kene Onwubuya, Andrew Cundy, Markus Puschenreiter, Jurate Kumpiene, Brian
Bone, Jon Greaves, Phillip Teasdale, Michel Mench, Pavel Tlustos, Sergey
Mikhalovsky, Steve Waite, Wolfgang Friesl-Hanl, Bernd Marschner, and Ingo
Muller
    Developing decision support tools for the selection of "gentle"
    remediation approaches.
    Sci Total Environ 19 Sep 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19773018 


10/1/09
Complexation and Toxicity of Copper in Higher Plants. II. Different
Mechanisms for Copper versus Cadmium Detoxification in the Copper-Sensitive
Cadmium/Zinc Hyperaccumulator Thlaspi caerulescens (Ganges Ecotype)
   Ana Mijovilovich, Barbara Leitenmaier, Wolfram Meyer-Klaucke, Peter
   M.H. Kroneck, Birgit Gotz, and Hendrik Kupper
   Plant Physiology. 2009;  151(2): p. 715-731 Open Access
   http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/content/abstract/151/2/715?ct=ct

Involvement of a Broccoli COQ5 Methyltransferase in the Production of
Volatile Selenium Compounds
   Xin Zhou, Youxi Yuan, Yong Yang, Michael Rutzke, Theodore W.
   Thannhauser, Leon V. Kochian, and Li Li
   Plant Physiology. 2009;  151(2): p. 528-540 Open Access
   http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/content/abstract/151/2/528?ct=ct 

9/17/09

Chaofeng Shen, Xianjin Tang, Sardar Alam Cheema, Congkai Zhang, Muhammad
Imran Khan, Fang Liang, Xincai Chen, Youfeng Zhu, Qi Lin, and Yingxu Chen
    Enhanced phytoremediation potential of polychlorinated biphenyl
    contaminated soil from e-waste recycling area in the presence of
    randomly methylated-beta-cyclodextrins.
    J Hazard Mater 22 Aug 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19748180

S Dwivedi, S Srivastava, S Mishra, A Kumar, R D Tripathi, U N Rai, R Dave,
P Tripathi, D Charkrabarty, and P K Trivedi
    Characterization of native microalgal strains for their chromium
    bioaccumulation potential: Phytoplankton response in polluted
    habitats.
    J Hazard Mater 20 Aug 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19744773

M McGuinness and D Dowling
    Plant-associated bacterial degradation of toxic organic compounds in
    soil.
    Int J Environ Res Public Health 1 Aug 2009 6(8): p. 2226.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19742157 


9/10/09
Jaanis Juhanson, Jaak Truu, Eeva Heinaru, and Ain Heinaru
    Survival and catabolic performance of introduced Pseudomonas strains
    during phytoremediation and bioaugmentation field experiment.
    FEMS Microbiol Ecol 3 Aug 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19732146

Rachel Dosnon-Olette, Michel Couderchet, and Philippe Eullaffroy
    Phytoremediation of fungicides by aquatic macrophytes: Toxicity and
    removal rate.
    Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2 Sep 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19732953

E Zabludowska, J Kowalska, L Jedynak, S Wojas, A Sklodowska, and D M
Antosiewicz
    Search for a plant for phytoremediation - What can we learn from field
    and hydroponic studies?
    Chemosphere 4 Sep 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19733893

G Gopalakrishnan, JG Burken, and CJ Werth
    Lignin and lipid impact on sorption and diffusion of trichloroethylene
    in tree branches for determining contaminant fate during plant
    sampling and phytoremediation.
    Environ Sci Technol 1 Aug 2009 43(15): p. 5732.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19731670

T Nagata, A Nakamura, T Akizawa, and H Pan-Hou
    Genetic engineering of transgenic tobacco for enhanced uptake and
    bioaccumulation of mercury.
    Biol Pharm Bull 1 Sep 2009 32(9): p. 1491.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19721220

JJ Ortega-Calvo, AI Marchenko, AV Vorobyov, and RV Borovick
    Chemotaxis in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria
    isolated from coal-tar- and oil-polluted rhizospheres.
    FEMS Microbiol Ecol 1 Jun 2003 44(3): p. 373.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19719618

Oz Barazani and Avi Golan-Goldhirsh
    Salt-driven interactions between Pistacia lentiscus and Salsola
    inermis.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 1 Sep 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19727882

9/3/09
YG Zhu, EA Pilon-Smits, FJ Zhao, PN Williams, and AA Meharg
    Selenium in higher plants: understanding mechanisms for
    biofortification and phytoremediation.
    Trends Plant Sci 1 Aug 2009 14(8): p. 436.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19665422

F Gremion, A Chatzinotas, K Kaufmann, W Von Sigler, and H Harms
    Impacts of heavy metal contamination and phytoremediation on a
    microbial community during a twelve-month microcosm experiment.
    FEMS Microbiol Ecol 1 May 2004 48(2): p. 273.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19712410

T Nagata, A Nakamura, T Akizawa, and H Pan-Hou
    Genetic engineering of transgenic tobacco for enhanced uptake and
    bioaccumulation of mercury.
    Biol Pharm Bull 1 Sep 2009 32(9): p. 1491.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19721220

JG Yang, JY Yang, CH Peng, CB Tang, and KC Zhou
    Recovery of zinc from hyperaccumulator plants: Sedum plumbizincicola.
    Environ Technol 1 Jun 2009 30(7): p. 693.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19705606

S Xiao and ML Chye
    Arabidopsis ACBP1 overexpressors are Pb(II)-tolerant and accumulate
    Pb(II).
    Plant Signal Behav 1 Sep 2008 3(9): p. 693.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19704830

T Kagenishi, K Yokawa, M Kuse, M Isobe, F Bouteau, and T Kawano
    Prevention of copper-induced calcium influx and cell death by
    prion-derived peptide in suspension-cultured tobacco cells.
    Z Naturforsch C 1 May 2009 64(5-6): p. 411.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19678548


Events:

Conference Objective

The goal of the 6^th International Phytotechnology Conference is to explore technologies and issues relating to the use of plants to address current and emerging environmental challenges. Current and emerging research and applications of plant matter or planted systems on environmental systems will be presented by industry, government, academics, students, consultants, and not-for-profit organizations. Overall, the conference endeavors to address how best to integrate research science and field applications using plants to remedy environmental problems.

Topics of interest will include:

• Phytoremediation Research on Fate and Contaminants
• Phytoremediation Field Projects
• Phytotechnologies for Use in Developing Economics
• Ecorestoration and Habitat Creation
• Biofuels
• Greenroof Technology
• Carbon Sequestration
• Vegetative Covers
• Constructed Wetlands
• Phytomonitoring
• Sustainability
• Molecular Engineering Related to Phytotechnologies
  

Who Should Attend

The Conference will feature a range of topics as noted above. The range from fundamental and molecular sciences to implementation and case studies will offer something to a wide range of interests. Practitioners and consultants should have interest in many talks and the workshops associated with the conference on Dec 1. Technology transfer and education is a big component of the International Phytotechnologies conferences, as our field has matured and implementation of the developed technologies is becoming more common. Many talks will be at the very cutting edge of the science involved in phytotechnologies. Genetic modification of plants for remediation applications and developing symbiotic plant-bacteria technologies is becoming a predominant goal in phytoremediation. The conference will also highlight many “and also” aspects of phytoremediation, such as generating biomass for use as biofuels, ecological restoration, and carbon sequestration. The conference will also offer many opportunities to interact with researchers and practitioners from around the globe.

http://phyto.mst.edu/2009_conference/schedule.html

COST Action 859 - Phyto2009

Final International Conference on:

" Phytotechnologies to promote sustainable land use and improve food safety "

October 12-16, Centro Stefano Franscini, Monte Verità, Ascona, Switzerland

Overview

Phytotechnologies are ecotechnologies relating to the use of vegetation, to resolve environmental problems in a watershed management, by prevention of landscape degradation, remediation and restoration of degraded ecosystems, control of environmental processes, and monitoring and assessment of environmental quality. They are beginning to offer efficient tools and environmentally friendly solutions for the cleanup of contaminated sites and water, the improvement of food chain safety, and the development of renewable bioenergy, contributing to a sustainable use of water and land.

The aim of this conference is to sum up, highlight and discuss results obtained within the last five years in the framework of COST Action 859.

The topics of the conference include:

• Improving nutritional quality and safety of food crops

• Functional genomics, biochemistry and physiology of plant uptake and translocation of nutrients and contaminants

• Phytotreatment of water, soils, sites and sediments

• Economy, ecology and food safety; renewable energy

http://www.phyto2009.ch/index.html

ITRC Phytotechnologies - August 11, 2009, 2:00PM-4:15PM EDT (18:00-20:15 GMT). This training familiarizes participants with ITRC's Phytotechnology Technical and Regulatory Guidance and Decision Trees, Revised (Phyto-3, 2009). This document provides guidance for regulators who evaluate and make informed decisions on phytotechnology work plans and practitioners who have to evaluate any number of remedial alternatives at a given site. This document updates and replaces Phytoremediation Decision Tree (Phyto-1, 1999) and Phytotechnology Technical and Regulatory Guidance Document (Phyto-2, 2001). It has merged the concepts of both documents into a single document. This guidance includes new, and more importantly, practical information on the process and protocol for selecting and applying various phytotechnologies as remedial alternatives. For more information and to register, see http://www.itrcweb.org or http://clu-in.org/live .

Phytoremediation is a maturing field.

Here you can see the growth of the technology as represented by academic research article citations and publications.

8/27/09


Role of P450 Monooxygenases in the Degradation of the Endocrine-Disrupting
Chemical Nonylphenol by the White Rot Fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium
    Venkataramanan Subramanian and Jagjit S. Yadav
    Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2009;75 5570-5580
    http://aem.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/75/17/5570?etoc


Cloning of a Novel Pyrethroid-Hydrolyzing Carboxylesterase Gene from
Sphingobium sp. Strain JZ-1 and Characterization of the Gene Product
    Bao-zhan Wang, Peng Guo, Bao-jian Hang, Lian Li, Jian He, and
    Shun-peng Li
    Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2009;75 5496-5500
    http://aem.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/75/17/5496?etoc


Metabolism and Cometabolism of Cyclic Ethers by a Filamentous Fungus, a
Graphium sp.
    Kristin Skinner, Lynda Cuiffetti, and Michael Hyman
    Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2009;75 5514-5522
    http://aem.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/75/17/5514?etoc


Bacterial Chemotaxis to Atrazine and Related s-Triazines
    Xianxian Liu and Rebecca E. Parales
    Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2009;75 5481-5488
    http://aem.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/75/17/5481?etoc


DNA-Stable Isotope Probing Integrated with Metagenomics for Retrieval of
Biphenyl Dioxygenase Genes from Polychlorinated Biphenyl-Contaminated River
Sediment
    Woo Jun Sul, Joonhong Park, John F. Quensen, III, Jorge L. M.
    Rodrigues, Laurie Seliger, Tamara V. Tsoi, Gerben J. Zylstra, and
    James M. Tiedje
    Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2009;75 5501-5506
    http://aem.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/75/17/5501?etoc

8/26/2009


Sarah Jamil, P C Abhilash, Nandita Singh, and P N Sharma
    Jatropha curcas: A potential crop for phytoremediation of coal fly
    ash.
    J Hazard Mater 8 Jul 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19640648

Ana Mijovilovich, Barbara Leitenmaier, Wolfram Meyer-Klaucke, Peter M H
Kroneck, Birgit Gotz, and Hendrik Kupper
    Complexation and toxicity of copper in higher plants (II): Different
    mechanisms for Cu vs. Cd detoxification in the Cusensitive Cd/Zn
    hyperaccumulator Thlaspi caerulescens (Ganges ecotype).
    Plant Physiol 19 Aug 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19692532

Xin Zhou, Youxi Yuan, Yong Yang, Michael Rutzke, Theodore W Thannhauser,
Leon V Kochian, and L Li
    Involvement of a Broccoli COQ5 Methyltransferase in the Production of
    Volatile Selenium Compounds.
    Plant Physiol 5 Aug 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19656903

Mani Rajkumar, Noriharu Ae, and Helena Freitas
    Endophytic bacteria and their potential to enhance heavy metal
    phytoextraction.
    Chemosphere 30 Jul 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19647283

S Gan, E V Lau, and H K Ng
    Remediation of soils contaminated with polycyclic aromatic
    hydrocarbons (PAHs).
    J Hazard Mater 4 Aug 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19700241

Nele Weyens, Daniel van der Lelie, Safiyh Taghavi, Lee Newman, and Jaco
Vangronsveld
    Exploiting plant-microbe partnerships to improve biomass production
    and remediation.
    Trends Biotechnol 13 Aug 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19683353

Rong-Rong Ying, Rong-Liang Qiu, Ye-Tao Tang, Peng-Jie Hu, Hao Qiu, Hong-Ru
Chen, Tai-Hong Shi, and Jean-Louis Morel
    Cadmium tolerance of carbon assimilation enzymes and chloroplast in
    Zn/Cd hyperaccumulator Picris divaricata.
    J Plant Physiol 13 Aug 2009.
    http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19683362


8/18/09

Complexation and toxicity of copper in higher plants (II): Different mechanisms for Cu vs. Cd detoxification in the Cusensitive Cd/Zn hyperaccumulator Thlaspi caerulescens (Ganges ecotype) Ana Mijovilovich, Barbara Leitenmaier, Wolfram Meyer-Klaucke, Peter M.H. Kroneck, Birgit Gotz, and Hendrik Kupper Plant Physiology. published 19 August 2009, 10.1104/pp.109.144675 Open Access

http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/content/abstract/pp.109.144675v1?ct=ct

8/13/09

Screening Indoor Plants for Volatile Organic Pollutant Removal Efficiency. Dong Sik Yang, Svoboda V. Pennisi, Ki-Cheol Son, and Stanley J. Kays. HortScience. 2009; 44(5): p. 1377-1381

http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/44/5/1377?ct=ct

8/1/2009

J Gurska, W Wang, KE Gerhardt, AM Khalid, DM Isherwood, XD Huang, BR Glick, and BM Greenberg. Three year field test of a plant growth promoting rhizobacteria enhanced phytoremediation system at a land farm for treatment of hydrocarbon waste. Environ Sci Technol 15 Jun 2009 43(12): p. 4472.

http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19603664

T Toyama, Y Sato, D Inoue, K Sei, YC Chang, S Kikuchi, and M Ike Biodegradation of bisphenol A and bisphenol F in the rhizosphere

sediment of Phragmites australis. J Biosci Bioeng 1 Aug 2009 108(2): p. 147.

http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19619863

Emily R Beynon, Zoe C Symons, Rosamond G Jackson, Astrid Lorenz, Elizabeth L Rylott, and Neil C Bruce. The role of oxophytodienoate reductases in the detoxification of the explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene by Arabidopsis. Plant Physiol 15 Jul 2009.

http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19605548

Sarah Jamil, P C Abhilash, Nandita Singh, and P N Sharma. Jatropha curcas: A potential crop for phytoremediation of coal fly ash. J Hazard Mater 8 Jul 2009.

 http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19640648

D Tian, F Zhu, W Yan, X Fang, W Xiang, X Deng, G Wang, and C Peng. Heavy metal accumulation by panicled goldenrain tree (Koelreuteria paniculata) and common elaeocarpus (Elaeocarpus decipens) in abandoned mine soils in southern China. J Environ Sci (China) 1 Jan 2009 21(3): p. 340.

 http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19634446

HG Huang, TX Li, XE Yang, XZ Zhang, and DY Wu. [Research advances in plant lead tolerance and detoxification mechanism] Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao 1 Mar 2009 20(3): p. 696.

http://highwire.stanford.edu/cgi/medline/pmid;19637613

A Day With Dick

The following is from an internal State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality newsletter.

When Dick Pedersen sent an email to all DEQ staff highlighting the mentorship program this summer, it struck a chord. It was the first I had heard of the program and being a junior staff member, I could think of no better way to learn how to navigate through my burgeoning career than to learn from someone with experience. Moreover, being from a family of farmers and carpenters, mentorship has been the path to becoming expert tradesmen for as long as the trades have existed. Yet in modern times and especially in the professional fields, this relationship between the learned and the learning has all but disappeared. Perhaps arising from my greenness, perhaps a logical conclusion of the mentorship concept (learning from the best), I promptly replied to Dick’s email asking him if he would be able to mentor me. He suggested a job shadow day and asked what aspect of his position I would be interested in learning about.

I am very interested in the political aspects of environmental regulation and was interested to know what the director’s activities at the Capitol consisted of. So on the morning of Inauguration Day, wearing my spooky black suit (I was supposed to be a shadow, after all) I met Dick and Greg Aldrich (DEQ’s legislative liaison) at the Capitol for a day that was to be both informative and inspiring.

Greg and I started the day with a short tour of the Capitol building, a summary of the political process here in Oregon (I am new to Oregon), and what his job involved. While I probably only scratched the surface with a one-day visit, my impression was that Greg is a very busy man while the legislature is in session. He reviews all submitted bills for potential relevance to DEQ’s work, tracks bills we’re supporting, maintains contacts with representatives, senators and their staff, coordinates Dick’s schedule while at the Capitol and much, much more.

We met Dick in the Capitol building lobby while Obama was giving his inaugural speech in Washington. The energy was palpable, which foreshadowed the day to come. I try to maintain an open mind in all that I do, but my expectation of the day was that the budget would dominate all discussions, which turned out to be true. While I am not informed enough to give a budget update, I will say that there are some fundamental rules of addition and subtraction (revenue and expenditures) that are driving a frenzy of activity as we near the end of the biennium.


For the remainder of the morning, Dick, Greg and their shadow met with the legislators whose positions on our Bills or seats on committees have potentially deciding voices. Dick’s approach to lobbying would not meet the definition of lobbying (a group of supporters and representatives of particular interests who try to influence political policy on a particular issue) as I did not hear him offer opinion, but rather witnessed him embrace his role as a public servant, providing information about DEQ, inviting and responding to questions, and offering his assistance − whenever needed − to raise awareness of DEQ and our work around the state.

At first I was surprised by the absence of positions in Dick’s approach. But as I noticed him solicit positive responses regardless of an individual legislator’s position on this or that bill, I realized the merits of this more subtle approach: to raise awareness of DEQ’s important role in the state’s essential functions, without exposing personal or political divisions on specific issues. Single-issue politics have dominated our political climate for years and it is easy to fall back on a divisive issue. Avoiding this pitfall, while navigating through the complex field of issues that need consideration is not easy but is essential when extolling the work of a large organization such as ours.

Dick and I had lunch together in a basement cafeteria. Some things that struck from our more candid conversation while eating was his genuine enthusiasm for his job: “...One could approach this job as if it were just any job. Go into the office, sit at the computer, field calls… or you could embrace the leadership, variety, and potential that it offers.”

We discussed the strong political wind generated from the about-face at the federal level and the irony of the financial constraints that have emerged to challenge this new political will. We discussed the concept of ecosystem services and how ascribing tangible value to their essential role as the foundation of our economy may provide incentive, where lacking, for effective environmental stewardship. I enjoyed our conversation and was given the impression that Dick enjoys (as do I) engaging in discussion that explores options for improving our relationship with the environment and increasing the efficacy of our work.

For the first part of the afternoon, I accompanied Greg to an Environment and Water Committee hearing on the proposed gray water reuse bill. I was surprised and reassured by how quickly the panel dove into the intricacies of outdoor gray water reuse without fumbling with basic concepts. One theme that emerged here and throughout the day was that current budgetary realities (and perceptions) present serious obstacles to any Bill that proposes new expenditures. Personally, it irks me to think that we would abandon a project that has modest upfront cost and the potential for a fast and exponential return on investment. But for those of us who track the progress of sustainability initiatives, unfortunately, this phenomenon is old news (I am reminded of the evolution of the new Eugene State Office Building project and the shedding of nearly all the green features as budgets tighten).


The budget loomed large in the Economic Revitalization Team (ERT) meeting with the Governor. I snuck in halfway into the meeting, which was populated by agency heads and regional ERT representatives. Dick maintained the positivism I had noticed throughout the day even when presented with some gloomy words from the Governor. In fact, I was surprised by the “take-home-message” he relayed to me afterwards, which was that ERT is being charged to “think outside the box,” something Dick admittedly loves to do. Many would be depressed (and some in the meeting appeared to be) by the budgetary realities they are faced with. While Dick, not discounting the significant challenge, focused on the opportunity the scenario presented. I think this tendency will serve him (and us) well in the coming months.

On my way back to Eugene I had some time to ponder the day. I couldn’t help but think of the similarities between Dick’s work at the Capitol and memories of my potato-farmer grandfather in eastern Washington. Farmer Dick is cultivating political soil in a sometimes harsh environment, planting seeds whose crops will only come to fruition if carefully tended to. Just like Farmer Mauri Balcom, Farmer Dick Pedersen has to respond to the changing climate with tact and precision to weather the storm in Salem.

Chicken Pox and Human Development

Experiencing the chicken pox as a parent, I've had the opportunity to consider the role of disease in the human rearing experience. It is our natural, almost undeniable urge and sense obligation to alleviate pain and suffering from the experience of our progeny. It is a very primal instinct that has a central role in our species' uncanny ability to grow our population. Yet what role does the experience of dis-ease have on the child's' development as a person with perseverance and will? To shelter ones child from malaise is currently quite comprehensive. With the prevalence of antibiotics and vaccinations in the parents "tool box", it is now possible to eliminate nearly all communicable disease of early childhood. But does sheltering our children from the pain of illness come at a cost to the development of the individual or our species?

It has been shown that without the invasion of Earth's earliest organisms by early pathogens, multicellular life would not exist as we know it. Furthermore, without these early bacterial infections, life would not have left the primordial soup Earth's early oceans. This view of the development of life is commonly referred to as the "endo-symbiosis" theory. Which, in all honesty, is theory as much as evolution is a theory. It goes something like this: Earth's earliest living creatures where single celled chemo-autotrophic bacteria (bacteria that get energy from harnessing chemical reactions driven by inorganic mineral matter). These bugs were doing just fine, thank you very much, until one bug decided "this is just too boring". Chemoautotriphism is the equivalent of the minimum wage job in the land of the microbes. Hours of work for very little gain. So one innovative bug decided, "hey, I don't want to do this anymore, I'll let the others do the work and them eat them". So this big brute of a bug when around happily engulfing other bugs until one day when a particularly tenacious bug fought back. It held on, fending off the attacker, until they both gave up. And one with bug inside the other they found that it wasn't such a bad deal. The little eaten bug had a sheltered home inside the eater and in trade the eaten imparted new skills and abilities to his host.

This was the beginnings of multicellular life, photosynthesis, and all life on land. Without this "infection" all of us would not be here. What does this say about the role of infections in human health? What proportion of biochemical, physiological, neurological abilities we take for granted are the result of systemic infections that were later incorporated into our makeup?


In further support of this theory, is the tendency for bacteria and viruses to share genetic information with others. They contain what have been labeled "mobile genetic elements" which are small packages of DNA that can be released into the environment for anyone, or anything to absorb and incorporate into their own DNA. One can easily imagine a scenario where the passing of these bits of information between species leads to a rapid evolution of those that take advantage of all the work done by others to evolve certain capabilities. Were our ancestors those "receptive" creatures? Did a case of hyper-infection lead to the complex and adaptable physiology we enjoy today?

Next time you sterilize your body with antibiotics, or subject your children to an arsenal of vaccinations, consider the potential benefits of antagonistic relationships that may (or may not) lead to symbiosis.