The Plant That’s Full Of Metal

TL;DR

Metal-hoarding plants absorb and store large amounts of nickel, helping to clean up abandoned nickel mines and potentially serving as a defense mechanism against herbivores.

Transcript

Hi, this is Julián from MinuteEarth. This shrub is super metal. No, literally...it’s a rare, metal-hoarding plant whose bluish-green sap, when dried out, is 25% nickel – that’s ten times more nickel than the typical nickel-containing ore found in nickel mines! In fact, these plants are actually planted in abandoned nickel mines to take the leftover... Read More

Key Insights

• 🙈 Metal-hoarding plants contain ten times more nickel than typical nickel-containing ore found in mines.
• 🌱 These plants are intentionally planted in abandoned nickel mines to extract the leftover nickel from the soil.
• 🤘 Metal-hoarding plants actively absorb more metal by producing specialized proteins.
• 🤘 The absorbed metal, including nickel, is stored within leaf cells in cordoned-off pockets.
• 😒 Metal-hoarding plants may use the stored nickel as a defense mechanism against herbivores.
• ✋ The high levels of stored nickel may make the plants toxic and unappetizing to herbivores.
• 🤘 Metal-hoarding plants contribute to land remediation by preventing leftover nickel from leaching into waterways.

Questions & Answers

Q: How do metal-hoarding plants absorb more metal than normal plants?

Metal-hoarding plants produce more specialized proteins that help them absorb specific nutrients, including metals, from the soil. These proteins transport the metal up into the leaves and trap it within leaf cells.

Q: Why do metal-hoarding plants absorb and store so much nickel?

While the exact reason is not fully understood, it is believed that metal-hoarding plants may use the stored nickel as a defense mechanism against herbivores. The high levels of nickel may be toxic to certain herbivores, helping the plants avoid being eaten.

Q: Are metal-hoarding plants beneficial for the environment?

Yes, metal-hoarding plants play a crucial role in cleaning up abandoned nickel mines. By absorbing and storing large amounts of nickel, they prevent it from leaching into waterways and make the land usable for other purposes like farming.

Q: How can metal-hoarding plants survive with such high levels of nickel?

Metal-hoarding plants have adapted mechanisms to tolerate high levels of nickel. Surplus nickel inhibits cell division and harms chlorophyll needed for photosynthesis, but these plants have evolved ways to evade these negative effects and continue to thrive.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Metal-hoarding plants contain 10 times more nickel than typical nickel-containing ore found in mines, making them valuable for extracting the metal.

• These plants are planted in abandoned nickel mines to remove the leftover nickel from the soil, preventing it from leaching into waterways and making the land suitable for other purposes.

• Metal-hoarding plants actively absorb and store large amounts of metal, including nickel, using specialized proteins and sequestering it within leaf cells.