Paper · 1980 · International Journal of Remote Sensing

Effects of heavy metals on the absorbance and reflectance spectra of plants

D. N. H. Horler; J. Barber; A. R. Barringer

9
claims
11
verbatim quotes
177
citations
2
research areas
—
Not open access

Abstract

Abstract. Abstract. Published work on the reflectance of vegetation growing over soil mineralizations is reviewed. Experimental work was carried out on several species grown in a glasshouse and was extended to a pilot field study. In the laboratory studies, the most general effects of Cd, Cu, Pb or Zn were growth inhibition. A detailed study of the leaf pigments of pea plants showed that the chl a/chl b ratio (chl=chlorophyll) decreased under conditions of Cd or Cu stress but showed little effect with Pb or Zn. However, the absorption spectra of chloroplast pigments were not found to show any wavelength shifts with metal treatments, indicating that new spectral forms of chlorophyll were not produced as a stress response. A decrease in the total chlorophyll content of leaf tissue (fresh weight basis) was correlated with an increase in visible-wavelength leaf reflectance (R) of pea plants. R at infrared wavelengths of 0.85 μm, 1.65 μm and 2.20 μm decreased in metal-treated plants, compared with controls. Although experiments with other species, and a review of published literature, indicate that reflectance effects are dependent on species, phase of growth cycle and environment, the existence of correlations between R at certain wavelengths and the metal concentrations to which roots are exposed was confirmed using oak trees growing naturally in the area of a copper-arsenic mineralization in south-west England. Metal (Cu or As) concentrations in the soil were strongly negatively correlated (p > 99 per cent) with R at 1.65 μm and 2.20 μm, and positively correlated (p > 95 per cent) with R at 0.660 μm, in close agreement with the experiments on pea plants. The inclusion of the relevant infrared bands on Earth resource survey instruments is likely to enhance their usefulness for detecting heavy metal stress in plants.

Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record, shown for indexing and research. Copyright remains with the authors or the publisher. Read at the source ↗

The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.

Claims 9

Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultnegativemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn generally inhibited plant growth in laboratory studies.

Taxon
plantsViridiplantaet0
Treatment
Cd, Cu, Pb or Zne0
Outcome
growthe0
Direction
inhibitione0

Not reportedComparator

Verbatim

e0

“the most general effects of Cd, Cu, Pb or Zn were growth inhibition”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 258–325 · show in text ↑
t0

“plants”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 69–75 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultnegativemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Cd or Cu stress decreased the pea leaf chl a/chl b ratio.

Taxon
pea plantsLathyrus oleraceuse0
Treatment
Cd or Cu stresse0
Outcome
chl a/chl b ratioe0
Direction
decreasede0

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Lathyrus oleraceus
Lathyrus oleraceus · TaxonRenee Comet (photographer) AV Number: AV-9400-4164 · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“A detailed study of the leaf pigments of pea plants showed that the chl a/chl b ratio (chl=chlorophyll) decreased under conditions of Cd or Cu stress”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 327–476 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultno effectmeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Pb or Zn had little effect on the pea leaf chl a/chl b ratio.

Taxon
pea plantsLathyrus oleraceuse0
Treatment
Pb or Zne0
Outcome
chl a/chl b ratioe0
Direction
little effecte0

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Lathyrus oleraceus
Lathyrus oleraceus · TaxonRenee Comet (photographer) AV Number: AV-9400-4164 · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“A detailed study of the leaf pigments of pea plants showed that the chl a/chl b ratio (chl=chlorophyll) decreased under conditions of Cd or Cu stress but showed little effect with Pb or Zn”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 327–515 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultno effectmeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Metal treatments produced no wavelength shifts in chloroplast pigment absorption spectra.

Taxon
plantsViridiplantaet0
Treatment
metal treatmentse0
Outcome
absorption spectra of chloroplast pigmentse0
Direction
not found to show any wavelength shiftse0

Not reportedComparator

Verbatim

e0

“the absorption spectra of chloroplast pigments were not found to show any wavelength shifts with metal treatments”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 526–639 · show in text ↑
t0

“plants”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 69–75 · show in text ↑
Associationobservedoriginal resultmeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Lower pea leaf chlorophyll content correlated with higher visible wavelength reflectance.

Taxon
pea plantsLathyrus oleraceuse0
Organ / stage
leaf tissuee0
Compound
chlorophylle0
Outcome
visible-wavelength leaf reflectance (R)e0
Direction
increasee0

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Lathyrus oleraceus
Lathyrus oleraceus · TaxonRenee Comet (photographer) AV Number: AV-9400-4164 · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“A decrease in the total chlorophyll content of leaf tissue (fresh weight basis) was correlated with an increase in visible-wavelength leaf reflectance (R) of pea plants.”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 731–900 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultnegativemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Infrared reflectance at 0.85, 1.65 and 2.20 μm decreased in metal-treated plants relative to controls.

Taxon
plantsViridiplantaee0
Treatment
metal-treatede0
Outcome
R at infrared wavelengths of 0.85 μm, 1.65 μm and 2.20 μme0
Direction
decreasede0
Comparator
controlse0

Verbatim

e0

“R at infrared wavelengths of 0.85 μm, 1.65 μm and 2.20 μm decreased in metal-treated plants, compared with controls.”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 901–1017 · show in text ↑
Associationobservedoriginal resultsignificant (as stated)measured

Claim · model-written summary

Oak soil Cu or As concentrations were strongly negatively correlated with reflectance at 1.65 and 2.20 μm.

Taxon
oak treesQuercuse0
Compound
Cu or Ase0
Outcome
R at 1.65 μm and 2.20 μme0
Direction
negatively correlatede0
Setting
soile0

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Quercus
Quercus · Taxon · picture of the genus (one of its species)WikiVagant · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“oak trees growing naturally in the area of a copper-arsenic mineralization in south-west England. Metal (Cu or As) concentrations in the soil were strongly negatively correlated (p > 99 per cent) with R at 1.65 μm and 2.20 μm”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1335–1560 · show in text ↑
Associationobservedoriginal resultsignificant (as stated)measured

Claim · model-written summary

Oak soil Cu or As concentrations were positively correlated with reflectance at 0.660 μm.

Taxon
oak treesQuercuse0
Outcome
R at 0.660 μme0
Direction
positively correlatede0
Setting
soile0

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Quercus
Quercus · Taxon · picture of the genus (one of its species)WikiVagant · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“oak trees growing naturally in the area of a copper-arsenic mineralization in south-west England. Metal (Cu or As) concentrations in the soil were strongly negatively correlated (p > 99 per cent) with R at 1.65 μm and 2.20 μm, and positively correlated (p > 95 per cent) with R at 0.660 μm”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1335–1624 · show in text ↑
Recommendationauthor interpretationoriginal resultbasis n/a

Claim · model-written summary

Authors suggest infrared bands on Earth resource survey instruments would improve heavy metal stress detection in plants.

Taxon
plantsViridiplantaee0
Outcome
detecting heavy metal stress in plantse0
Qualifier
likelye0

Verbatim

e0

“The inclusion of the relevant infrared bands on Earth resource survey instruments is likely to enhance their usefulness for detecting heavy metal stress in plants.”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1681–1844 · show in text ↑

copper atom · growth · Viridiplantae (plants)Positive and negative results

5 papers: 2 positive, 3 negative or no effect

2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 2 in the opposite direction

  1. positive
  2. positive
  3. negative

1 paper more in this group

See all 5 papers →

zinc atom · growth · Viridiplantae (plants)Positive and negative results

5 papers: 3 positive, 2 negative or no effect

1 paper in the same direction as this paper · 3 in the opposite direction

  1. positive
  2. positive
  3. positive

1 paper more in this group

See all 5 papers →

cadmium atom · growth · Viridiplantae (plants)Results agree

2 papers: 0 positive, 2 negative or no effect

1 paper in the same direction as this paper

  1. negative
See all 2 papers →

lead atom · growth · Viridiplantae (plants)Results agree

4 papers: 0 positive, 4 negative or no effect

3 papers in the same direction as this paper

  1. negative
  2. negative
  3. no effect
See all 4 papers →

Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.