Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026

10:05
Integrated Field Lysimetry and Porewater Sampling for Evaluation of Chemical Mobility in Soils and Established Vegetation
Published on: July 4, 2014
Arsenic Tolerance in a Population of the Grass Andropogon scoparius Michx
Abstract:
Samples of Andropogon scoparius Michx. collected on an arsenic mine exhibited a wide range of tolerance to arsenic in solution, whereas plants of the same species growing in uncontaminated soil showed no tolerance. Arsenic tolerance must be an evolved character under genetic control. Furthermore, the degree of tolerance is related to the amount of arsenic in which the plant was growing.
Related Concept Videos
Responses to Salt Stress
Salt stress—which can be triggered by high salt concentrations in a plant’s environment—can significantly affect plant growth and crop production by influencing photosynthesis and the absorption of water and nutrients.
Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.

