De la Fuente, V., Rufo, L., Rodríguez, N., Ramírez, E., Sánchez, Gavilán, I., Amils, R. (2020). Differential iron management in monocotyledon and dicotyledon plants from the Rio Tinto basin. Protoplasma 257, 3, 889-900 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-019-01476-x
The study of plants adapted to an extreme environment with a high concentration of iron such as Rio Tinto allowed the study of important elements for the development and control of plant growth including their localization, management, and storage. The absorption, transport, and accumulation of iron were studied in different species of dicotyledons (Sarcocornia pruinosa, Salicornia patula, Arthrocnemum macrostachyum, and Halogeton sativus of the Chenopodiaceae family) and monocotyledons (Imperata cylindrica, Cynodon dactylon, and Panicum repens from the Poaceae family), all obtained from the Rio Tinto banks in different sample collection campaigns. The results clearly show that phytoferritin is not observed in the chloroplast of monocotyledons, an important difference from what is observed in dicotyledons. The presence of plastids with a high concentration of iron in the sieve tubes of monocotyledons strongly suggests their possible role in the transport and accumulation of iron in these plants.
