Comparative Analysis of Metal Distribution in Poplar (Populus papylifera) and Red Maple (Acer rubrum) Population from Reclaimed Mining Sites: Analysis of Gene Expression.

Understanding the dynamic of metals in soil and plants is essential for ecosystem management and risks assessment of environmental pollution and sustainability. The main objective of the present study is to determine the mobility of Ni, Cu, Fe, Mg and Zn in soil and their translocation in P. papylifera and Acer rubrum plants in a mining region in Northern Ontario. The total amount of Cu, Ni, Fe, Mg, and Zn were significantly higher in the top horizon (LFH) compared to the adjacent layer Ae. The vertical distribution of metals in soil varied with the type of metals. The results of this  study indicated that only a small portion of total metal was bioavailable to plants. The enrichment factor values for the targeted elements were far above the value of contamination resulting in high availability and distribution of metals in soil. With the exception of Cu, the translocation factor values were high for poplar (P. papylifera) and very low for maple  (Acer rubrum). Popular accumulate metals in leaves. The coping mechanism of both species to soil metal contamination will be discussed.