Abstract: Root morphology and Zn2+ uptake kinetics of the hyperaccumulating ecotype (HE) and non-hyperaccumulating ecotype (NHE) of Sedum alfredii Hance were investigated using hydroponic methods and the radiotracer flux technique. The results indicate that root length, root surface area, and root volume of NHE decreased significantly with increasing Zn2+ concentration in growth media, whereas the root growth of HE was not adversely affected, and was even promoted, by 500 mol/L Zn2+. The concentrations of Zn2+ in both ecotypes of S. alfredii were positively correlated with root length, root surface area and root volumes, but no such correlation was found for root diameter. The uptake kinetics for 65Zn2+ in roots of both ecotypes of S. alfredii were characterized by a rapid linear phase during the first 6 h and a slower linear phase during the subsequent period of investigation. The concentration-dependent uptake kinetics of the two ecotypes of S. alfredii could be characterized by the Michaelis-Menten equation, with the Vmax for 65Zn2+ influx being threefold greater in HE compared with NHE, indicating that enhanced absorption into the root was one of the mechanisms involved in Zn hyperaccumulation. A significantly larger Vmax value suggested that there was a higher density of Zn transporters per unit membrane area in HE roots.

Key words: phytoremediation, Sedum alfredii, translocation, uptake kinetics, zinc (Zn).