@Article{phyton.2025.073602,
AUTHOR = {Mingwei Yue, Shen Rao, Xiaomeng Liu, Wei Yang, Yuan Yuan, Feng Xu, Shuiyuan Cheng},
TITLE = {Cadmium Hyperaccumulation in Plants: Mechanistic Insights and Ecological Implications},
JOURNAL = {Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany},
VOLUME = {94},
YEAR = {2025},
NUMBER = {11},
PAGES = {3319--3348},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/phyton/v94n11/64708},
ISSN = {1851-5657},
ABSTRACT = {Cadmium (Cd), a highly toxic heavy metal, represents a major global environmental threat due to its widespread dispersion through anthropogenic activities. Environmental Cd contamination poses significant risks to living organisms, including humans, animals, and plants. Certain plant species have evolved Cd hyperaccumulating capabilities to adapt to high-Cd habitats, playing critical roles in phytoremediation strategies. Here we review the biodiversity and biogeography of Cd hyperaccumulators, the underlying mechanisms of Cd uptake and accumulation, and the ecological impacts of hyperaccumulation. The major points are the following: twenty-four Cd hyperaccumulator species have been documented, with shoot Cd concentrations ranging from 170–9000 mg·kg<sup>−1</sup>; core mechanisms involve root uptake by metal transporters (e.g., heavy-metal ATPases, and natural resistance-associated macrophage proteins), ligand-facilitated translocation via organic acids and phytochelatins, and ABC transporter-mediated vacuolar sequestration. Cd hyperaccumulators exert complex effects on rhizosphere microbiota, herbivores, and neighboring plant communities. Future research priorities should focus on the functional characterization of Cd transporters and regulatory genes, and comprehensive assessments of the ecological consequences of Cd accumulation in plants.},
DOI = {10.32604/phyton.2025.073602}
}