Abstract

This chapter is a brief synthesis of 22 years of research undertaken between 1994 and 2016 at four mines in the Andes mountain range in South America. We completed an exploration and description of the landscape, collected soil and native plant samples from the mines and then analyzed their composition, focusing on arsenic (As) and metal concentrations. The mines studied included: San Bartolomé (southern Ecuador), Turmalina (northern Peru), Carolina (central-northern Peru) and El Teniente (central Chile). The purpose of this research was to identify metallophytes that could be used as a potential source of germplasm for the conservation of specialized genotypes and to utilize their metal tolerance and accumulation properties for ground cover and phytoremediation. This chapter contains an introduction into the background and basic concepts of phytoremediation, followed by a general historical overview and a description of the characteristics of the soils and plants investigated. It should be stressed that these were the first findings of accumulator species in Ecuador and Peru. Bidens cinapiifolia, Paspalum racemosum, and Paspalum tuberosum can be considered hyperaccumulators of As. On the other hand, Senecio sp., Cortaderia hapalotricha, and Trifolium repens can be considered hyperaccumulators of lead (Pb), as they were able to accumulate more than 1000 mg kg− 1 of Pb in their shoots and had a Pb translocation factor (TF) greater than 1. Ageratina sp. could be the most promising species for phytoextraction of zinc (Zn), because it was able to accumulate more than 10,000 mg kg− 1 of Zn in shoots and had the highest TF. Lastly, Plantago orbignyana and Epilobium denticulatum should also be considered Pb and Zn hyperaccumulators.