Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence the speciation and subcellular abundance of uranium in plant roots

Abstract

Uranium (U) is a natural radioactive metal and a persistent environmental pollutant. Characterising the influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on U bioaccumulation and partitioning in plants is crucial to understand U soil-to-plant transfer mechanisms. High resolution elemental mapping, spectroscopy and microscopy techniques were conducted on uranyl nitrate dosed Plantago lanceolata roots colonised with Rhizophagus irregularis. U-rich particles accumulated within the root cells, with higher abundance in epidermal and outer cortex cells of mycorrhizal root samples than in non-mycorrhizal roots. Electron microscopy determined two different crystalline U phases, an acicular crystal and a novel rounded aggregate formation, the latter of which was only found within the mycorrhizal root cells. Multiple imaging and spectroscopic techniques enabled the dominant elements with these U biominerals to be determined. Co-localisation between U, phosphorus and oxygen indicated the dominance of U-phosphate biominerals, but metals including calcium and zinc were also found to co-localise. The most dominant U compound was uranyl orthophosphate, likely accompanied by autunite. This study demonstrates alteration in U localisation and U particle morphology within Plantago roots as a direct consequence of AMF colonisation. This knowledge will allow more accurate U food-chain transfer modelling and better assessment of AMF-assisted phytoremediation feasibility.

Graphical abstract: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence the speciation and subcellular abundance of uranium in plant roots

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Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
10 Feb 2025
Accepted
13 Jun 2025
First published
16 Jun 2025
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2025, Advance Article

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence the speciation and subcellular abundance of uranium in plant roots

J. M. Dinsley, K. Halsey, E. Venter, M. A. Gomez-Gonzalez, K. L. Moore, L. P. Field, S. Shaw, C. H. Robinson and J. K. Pittman, Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2025, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D5EM00108K

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