Bryophytes in heavy metal-polluted environments: trait-based sensitivity, tolerance mechanisms, biomonitoring applications, and restoration potential.

Authors

Wen-Zhuan Huang, Wei Huang, Lu-Zi Jin, Chang-Hong Yu, Meng-Jie Yu, Wei-Wei Chen, Yu-Huan Wu

Published in

Frontiers in plant science. Volume 17. Pages 1891423. Epub Jul 23, 2026.

Abstract

Heavy metal contamination remains a persistent environmental challenge due to its non-degradable nature, long residence time, and cumulative ecological impacts. Bryophytes have long been recognized as effective bioindicators because of their high sensitivity and strong metal accumulation capacity. However, current research on bryophyte-metal interactions remains fragmented, with limited integration between mechanistic understanding and ecological application. In this review, we develop a trait-informed, hypothesis-generating framework that links bryophyte characteristics to heavy metal exposure, physiological responses, and ecological functions. We first examine the structural, physicochemical, and ecological attributes that govern metal interception and exposure variability, and then synthesize current evidence for extracellular immobilization, intracellular detoxification, regulatory coordination, redox buffering, and metabolic reprogramming. We further evaluate bryophyte-associated microbiomes while distinguishing functional plausibility from direct causal evidence. On the applied side, we assess bryophytes as biologically interpretable biomonitoring systems and as realistic agents of ecological stabilization and engineered biosorption. Finally, we identify key limitations, including taxonomic bias, inconsistent trait parameterization, limited experimental validation, and challenges in translating laboratory findings to field conditions. This framework currently supports directional and testable expectations rather than universal quantitative prediction, and its predictive capacity will depend on standardized cross-species experiments and field validation.

PMID:
42564062
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 14 Sep 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.