Publications by authors named "Maggie-Anne Harvey"
Article Synopsis
- Coelospermum decipiens is a tropical shrub that can hyperaccumulate selenium, achieving concentrations up to 1140 µg Se g-1 despite growing in low selenium soils (less than 0.01 mg Se kg-1).
- Research involved sampling various plant populations in far north Queensland and using advanced techniques like synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microscopy and absorption spectroscopy to analyze selenium distribution and composition.
- Findings indicate high selenium levels in leaves (100-1000 µg Se g-1) and especially in seeds (up to 28,000 µg Se g-1), with selenium in younger leaves concentrated in specific tissues, suggesting a potential role in protecting against herbivory.
Article Synopsis
- Micro-analytical techniques and molecular biology analyses are used to explore how some plants tolerate and accumulate high levels of toxic selenium (Se), which is not essential for them.
- Selenium hyperaccumulator plants have adapted to hold over 1000 µg Se g DW in their tissues, prompting the use of advanced methods like X-ray techniques to assess Se distribution and genetic studies to identify genes related to its metabolic pathways.
- This review discusses these methods, synthesizes current knowledge on Se metabolism, and suggests that combining data on Se's distribution with genomic studies may lead to better understanding of the mechanisms behind Se tolerance and accumulation in significant plant species.
Neptunia amplexicaulis is an herbaceous legume endemic to the Richmond area in central Queensland, Australia and is one of the strongest known Selenium hyperaccumulators on earth, showing significant potential to be utilised in Se phytoextraction applications. Here a protocol was established for in vitro micropropagation of Se hyperaccumulator N. amplexicaulis using nodal segments from in vitro-germinated seedlings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSelenium (Se), a trace element essential for human and animal biological processes, is deficient in many agricultural soils. Some extremely rare plants can naturally accumulate extraordinarily high concentrations of Se. The native legume Neptunia amplexicaulis, endemic to a small area near Richmond and Hughenden in Central Queensland, Australia, is one of the strongest Se hyperaccumulators known on Earth, with foliar concentrations in excess of 4000 μg Se g previously recorded.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFocusing on Coal Workers' Lung Diseases: A Comparative Analysis of China, Australia, and the United States.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
November 2018
China has high and increasing annual rates of occupational lung diseases such as pneumoconiosis and silicosis. In contrast, Australia and the United States of America (USA) have greatly lowered their annual rates of lung diseases since the 1970s. This paper systematically compared and analysed the multi-elements of coal dust management and health management in these three countries to provide a reference for China.
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