Distributions of arsenic and essential elements in pinna of arsenic hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata L.

The distributions of arsenic and 6 essential elements in the pinna of As hyperaccumulator, Pteris vittata L., were studied using synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence (SRXRF). Significant correlation between the distribution and mobility of the elements revealed that SRXRF study on the elemental distribution was feasible to inspect the transportations of elements in plants. The distribution of As in the pinna showed that As had great abilities to be transported in xylem vessels and from xylem to mesophyll. The distribution of K, one of the most mobile elements in plants, was similar to that of As, whereas the distributions of Fe and Ca with less mobility in plants were almost opposite to that of As in the pinna.