Influence of low temperature on comparative arsenic accumulation and release by three hyperaccumulators.

Arsenic (As) hyperaccumulator ferns are renowned for their capacity to accumulate As and have been used to remediate As-contaminated environmental. However, there is less information on how they perform under low temperature though it is important for practical phytoremediation. The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of temperature on As accumulation by three As hyperaccumulators, , and . Ferns were cultured with 5 mg/L As addition under 25 °C to 5 °C for 15 days. The results showed that dropping of temperatures reduced As accumulation by moderately but not and until 10 °C. At 5 °C, all ferns discontinued As accumulation, and the morphology showed necrosis in , wherein and kept healthy. The As distribution showed that As was mainly accumulated in fronds, while stored partial As in its root. Both translocation factor and As efflux showed that temperate zone ferns manage As more strictly as compared to . Our findings demonstrated that temperature should be considered when applying ferns for As phytoremediation, and could be the most suitable fern for treating As-contaminated water in temperate zone area.