Analytical transmission electron microscopy (ATEM) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) have been used to determine the mineralogy of Pb-P deposits in the roots of the heavy metal tolerant grass cultivar Agrostis capillaris L. cv. Parys Mountain. The deposits have a pyromorphite (Pb5(PO4)3Cl)-type structure and composition although some of the Cl may be substituted by OH. Energy-dispersive mapping under the scanning electron microscope demonstrated that the majority of these deposits are present in the outer cell wall of the epidermis (the outermost layer of root cells). The phosphate composition of these grains contrasts with the phytate (C6H18O24P612−) composition of Zn-P deposits observed in similar electron microscopy studies. The physiological role of heavy metal P deposits is unclear. Heavy metal P precipitates may form actively as a tolerance mechanism to heavy metals or passively, sequestering P in a metabolically inactive form.
