The defense hypothesis is commonly used to explain the adaptive role of metal hyperaccumulation. We tested this hypothesis using two Brassicaceae congeneric species: Alyssum pintodasilvae, a Ni hyperaccumulator, and the non-accumulator Alyssum simplex both growing on serpentine soils in Portugal. Artificial diet disks amended with powdered leaves from each plant species were used to compare the...

nanosized hydroxyapatite and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) for the simultaneous determination of organic acids (oxalic, malic, malonic, citric, and fumaric) and nitrate in xylem saps of the hyperaccumulator Alyssum murale is presented in this study. The optimum experimental conditions for the separation and determination of organic acids and nitrate are studied...

Exposure of the hyperaccumulator Alyssum lesbiacum to nickel (Ni) is known to result in a dose-dependent increase in xylem sap concentrations of Ni and the chelator free histidine (His). Addition of equimolar concentrations of exogenous L-His to an Ni-amended hydroponic rooting medium enhances Ni flux into the xylem in the nonaccumulator Alyssum montanum, and, as reported here, in Brassica junc...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Nickel (Ni) hyperaccumulation is a rare form of physiological specialization shared by a small number of angiosperms growing on ultramafic soils. The evolutionary patterns of this feature among European members of tribe Alysseae (Brassicaceae) are investigated using a phylogenetic approach to assess relationships among Ni hyperaccumulators at the genus, species and below-spe...

A requirement for understanding morphogenesis is being able to quantify expansion at the cellular scale. Here, we present new software (RootflowRT) for measuring the expansion profile of a growing root at high spatial and temporal resolution. The software implements an image processing algorithm using a novel combination of optical flow methods for deformable motion. The algorithm operates on a...

The genus Alyssum L. belongs to the subtribe Alyssinae, tribe Alysseae and family Cruciferae (Brassicaceae). This genus is one of the largest genera of the family of Cruciferae in Iran, and seems to be the most problematic genus in which the boundary of certain species is not completely clear due to the polymorphism of morphological characters. The main objective of this research is to stud...