The concentrations of both essential nutrients and chemically similar toxic analogues accumulated in cereal grains have a major impact on the nutritional quality and safety of crops. Naturally occurring genetic diversity can be exploited for the breeding of improved varieties through introgression lines (ILs). In this study, multi-element analysis was conducted on vegetative leaves, senesced fl...

Organisms of the planktonic food web convey essential nutrients as well as contaminants to animals at higher trophic levels. We measured concentrations of methyl mercury (MeHg) and essential fatty acids (EFAs, key nutrients for aquatic food webs) in four size categories of planktonic organisms - seston (10-64 microm), micro-(100-200 microm), meso-(200-500 microm), and macrozooplankton (>500 mic...

An axenically cultured isolate of single-celled freshwater microalgae (Chlorella sp.) metabolized toxic selenate to volatile dimethylselenide at exceptionally high rates when transferred from mineral-nutrient solution to water for 24 h. The Se-volatilization rates were orders of magnitude higher than those similarly measured for wetland macroalgae and higher plants. Ninety percent of 20 micro m...

Rice is a major source of calories and mineral nutrients for over half the world's human population. However, little is known in rice about the genetic basis of variation in accumulation of copper (Cu), an essential but potentially toxic nutrient. Here we identify OsHMA4 as the likely causal gene of a quantitative trait locus controlling Cu accumulation in rice grain. We provide evidence that O...

We evaluated the potential for grazers to regulate benthic algal biomass and taxonomic composition in an Alaskan marsh after enrichment with nutrients that are expected to increase in the region with ongoing climate change. We nested caged and uncaged substrates together inside mesocosm enclosures with natural abundances of snails or no snails and with or without nutrient enrichment (NO3 + PO4 ...

The concentration of essential mineral nutrients in the edible portion of plants such as grains may affect the nutritional value of these foods, while concentrations of toxic minerals in the plant are matter of food safety. Minerals taken up by the roots from soils are normally redirected at plant nodes before they are finally transported into developing seeds. However, the molecular mechanisms...

The concentration of essential mineral nutrients in the edible portion of plants such as grains may affect the nutritional value of these foods, while concentrations of toxic minerals in the plant are matter of food safety. Minerals taken up by the roots from soils are normally redirected at plant nodes before they are finally transported into developing seeds. However, the molecular mechanisms...

To understand the importance of plants in structuring the vertical distributions of soil nutrients, we explored nutrient distributions in the top meter of soil for more than 10,000 profiles across a range of ecological conditions. Hypothesizing that vertical nutrient distributions are dominated by plant cycling relative to leaching, weathering dissolution, and atmospheric deposition, we examine...

Bezoar is defined as the accumulation of undigested foreign bodies or nutrients in the gastrointestinal tract. These foreign bodies can be hair (trichobezoar), fibers or seeds of vegetables and fruits (phytobezoar), or remnants of milk (lactobezoar) and stones (lithobezoar). Lithobezoar, the accumulation of stones in the digestive tract, is commonly seen in stomach. In this paper, a 7-year-old ...