Interactions between plant acclimation and adaptation to heavy metal and drought stresses, and their importance for remediation of metal-contaminated environments

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Elevated levels of heavy metals close to mines, smelters and refineries, such as found around Sudbury, Ontario, reduce the growth of plants and can even be lethal for them. The resulting soil exposure leads to erosion and emissions of metal-containing dust in the surroundings. Phytoremediation, i.e., planting vegetation on the affected area is a cost-effective means to mitigate the environmental effects of metal-contaminated sites, but the used plants have to be able to tolerate heavy metals, and frequently also drought, as metal-contaminated sites tend to have poor soils. Effects of low levels of metals on plants under field conditions are not well known, but it has been shown that physiological changes occur, possibly interfering with the plant's ability to tolerate other stresses such as drought.