Alicja Babst-Kostecka

Interests

Research

Plant adaptations to environmental stress; Population genetics; Metal tolerance and hyperaccumulation in plants; Plant-soil interactions

Teaching

Plant Ecology; Evolutionary Ecology; Mine Reclamation; Phytoremediation

Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Journals/Publications

• Dietrich, C. C., Tandy, S., Murawska-Wlodarczyk, K., Banaś, A., Korzeniak, U., Seget, B., & Babst-Kostecka, A. (2021). Phytoextraction efficiency of Arabidopsis halleri is driven by the plant and not by soil metal concentration. Chemosphere, 285, 131437.
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  The hyperaccumulation trait allows some plant species to allocate remarkable amounts of trace metal elements (TME) to their foliage without suffering from toxicity. Utilizing hyperaccumulating plants to remediate TME contaminated sites could provide a sustainable alternative to industrial approaches. A major hurdle that currently hampers this approach is the complexity of the plant-soil relationship. To better anticipate the outcome of future phytoremediation efforts, we evaluated the potential for soil metal-bioavailability to predict TME accumulation in two non-metallicolous and two metallicolous populations of the Zn/Cd hyperaccumulator Arabidopsis halleri. We also examined the relationship between a population's habitat and its phytoextraction efficiency. Total Zn and Cd concentrations were quantified in soil and plant material, and bioavailable fractions in soil were quantified via Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films (DGT). We found that shoot TME accumulation varied independent from both total and bioavailable soil TME concentrations in metallicolous individuals. In fact, hyperaccumulation patterns appear more plant- and less soil-driven: one non-metallicolous population proved to be as efficient in accumulating Zn on non-polluted soil as the metallicolous populations in their highly contaminated environment. Our findings demonstrate that in-situ information on plant phytoextraction efficiency is indispensable to optimize site-specific phytoremediation measures. If successful, hyperaccumulating plant biomass may provide valuable source material for application in the emerging field of green chemistry.
• Kushwaha, P., Neilson, J. W., Maier, R. M., & Babst-Kostecka, A. (2022). Soil microbial community and abiotic soil properties influence Zn and Cd hyperaccumulation differently in Arabidopsis halleri. The Science of the total environment, 803, 150006.
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  Soil contamination with trace metal(loid) elements (TME) is a global concern. This has focused interest on TME-tolerant plants, some of which can hyperaccumulate extraordinary amounts of TME into above-ground tissues, for potential treatment of these soils. However, intra-species variability in TME hyperaccumulation is not yet sufficiently understood to fully harness this potential. Particularly, little is known about the rhizosphere microbial communities associated with hyperaccumulating plants and whether or not they facilitate TME uptake. The aim of this study is to characterize the diversity and structure of Arabidopsis halleri rhizosphere-influenced and background (i.e., non-Arabidopsis) soil microbial communities in four plant populations with contrasting Zn and Cd hyperaccumulation traits, two each from contaminated and uncontaminated sites. Microbial community properties were assessed along with geographic location, climate, abiotic soil properties, and plant parameters to explain variation in Zn and Cd hyperaccumulation. Site type (TME-contaminated vs. uncontaminated) and location explained 44% of bacterial/archaeal and 28% of fungal community variability. A linear discriminant effect size (LEfSe) analysis identified a greater number of taxa defining rhizosphere microbial communities than associated background soils. Further, in TME-contaminated soils, the number of rhizosphere-defining taxa was 6-fold greater than in the background soils. In contrast, the corresponding ratio for uncontaminated sites, was 3 and 1.6 for bacteria/archaea and fungi, respectively. The variables analyzed explained 71% and 76% of the variance in Zn and Cd hyperaccumulation, respectively; however, each hyperaccumulation pattern was associated with different variables. A. halleri rhizosphere fungal richness and diversity associated most strongly with Zn hyperaccumulation, whereas soil Cd and Zn bioavailability had the strongest associations with Cd hyperaccumulation. Our results indicate strong associations between A. halleri TME hyperaccumulation and rhizosphere microbial community properties, a finding that needs to be further explored to optimize phytoremediation technology that is based on hyperaccumulation.
• Babst-Kostecka, A., Przybylowicz, W. J., van, d., Ryan, C., Dietrich, C. C., & Mesjasz-Przybylowicz, J. (2020). Endosperm prevents toxic amounts of Zn from accumulating in the seed embryo - an adaptation to metalliferous sites in metal-tolerant Biscutella laevigata. METALLOMICS, 12(1), 42-53.
• Babst-Kostecka, A., Przybyłowicz, W. J., Seget, B., & Mesjasz‐Przybyłowicz, J. (2020). Zinc allocation to and within Arabidopsis halleri seeds: Different strategies of metal homeostasis in accessions under divergent selection pressure. Plant‐Environment Interactions, 1(3), 207-220. doi:10.1002/pei3.10032
• Dietrich, C. C., Bilnicki, K., Korzeniak, U., Briese, C., Nagel, K. A., & Babst-Kostecka, A. (2019). Does slow and steady win the race? Root growth dynamics of Arabidopsis halleri ecotypes in soils with varying trace metal element contamination. ENVIRONMENTAL AND EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY, 167.
• Babst-Kostecka, A., Schat, H., Saumitou-Laprade, P., Grodzinska, K., Bourceaux, A., Pauwels, M., & Frerot, H. (2018). Evolutionary dynamics of quantitative variation in an adaptive trait at the regional scale: The case of zinc hyperaccumulation in Arabidopsis halleri. MOLECULAR ECOLOGY, 27(16), 3257-3273.
• Sailer, C., Babst-Kostecka, A., Fischer, M. C., Zoller, S., Widmer, A., Vollenweider, P., Gugerli, F., & Rellstab, C. (2018). Transmembrane transport and stress response genes play an important role in adaptation of Arabidopsis halleri to metalliferous soils. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 8.
• Babst-Kostecka, A. A., Waldmann, P., Frerot, H., & Vollenweider, P. (2016). Plant adaptation to metal polluted environments-Physiological, morphological, and evolutionary insights from Biscutella laevigata. ENVIRONMENTAL AND EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY, 127, 1-13.
• Wasowicz, P., Pauwels, M., Pasierbinski, A., Przedpelska-Wasowicz, E. M., Babst-Kostecka, A. A., Saumitou-Laprade, P., & Rostanski, A. (2016). Phylogeography of Arabidopsis halleri (Brassicaceae) in mountain regions of Central Europe inferred from cpDNA variation and ecological niche modelling. PEERJ, 4.
• Babst-Kostecka, A. A., Parisod, C., Gode, C., Vollenweider, P., & Pauwels, M. (2014). Patterns of genetic divergence among populations of the pseudometallophyte Biscutella laevigata from southern Poland. PLANT AND SOIL, 383(1-2), 245-256.
• Gode, C., Decombeix, I., Kostecka, A., Wasowicz, P., Pauwels, M., Courseaux, A., & Saumitou-Laprade, P. (2012). NUCLEAR MICROSATELLITE LOCI FOR ARABIDOPSIS HALLERI (BRASSICACEAE), A MODEL SPECIES TO STUDY PLANT ADAPTATION TO HEAVY METALS. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY, 99(2), E49-E52.
• Meyer, C., Kostecka, A. A., Saumitou-Laprade, P., Creach, A., Castric, V., Pauwels, M., & Frerot, H. (2010). Variability of zinc tolerance among and within populations of the pseudometallophyte species Arabidopsis halleri and possible role of directional selection. NEW PHYTOLOGIST, 185(1), 130-142.

Presentations

• Perez, S., Hogan, D. E., Lokugama, V., Loy, D. A., Babst-Kostecka, A., & Maier, R. (2022). Zinc removal from water using functionalized hydrogels. University of Arizona ENViSion Research Symposium.
• Babst-Kostecka, A. (2021, July). Understanding and optimizing the plant phenotype - Roots target the root of the problem. CALS/Bayer Crop Science event. virtual.
• Blankinship, J., Rathke, S., Babst-Kostecka, A., Gornish, E., Barberan, A., Field, J., Saez, A. E., Rasmussen, C., & Tfaily, M. (2021). Mitigating dust pollution for climate-resilient development in arid regions. Symposium on Resilience Research for Global Development ChallengesArizona Institutes for Environment.
• Tfaily, M., Rasmussen, C., Saez, A. E., Field, J., Barberan, A., Gornish, E., Babst-Kostecka, A., Rathke, S., & Blankinship, J. (2021). Mitigating dust pollution for climate-resilience development in arid regions. Arizona Institutes for Resilience.

Poster Presentations

• Ledesma, J., Babst-Kostecka, A., Maier, R. M., Neilson, J. W., & Rasmussen, C. (2021, December). Effects of long-term stockpiling on soil quality and potential for mine site reclamation in semi-arid regions. Society for Mining, Metallurgy, & Exploration (SME) 2021 conference. Tucson, AZ.
• Ledesma, J., Babst-Kostecka, A., Maier, R. M., Neilson, J. W., & Rasmussen, C. (2021, November). Effects of Long-Term Stockpiling on Soil Quality and Potential for Mine Site Reclamation in Semi-Arid Regions. 2021 ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting. Salt Lake City, UT.
• Murawska-Wlodarczyk, K., Wlodarczyk, T., Babst-Kostecka, A., Neilson, J. W., & Maier, R. M. (2021, December). The effect of capping material on successful seed germination and seedling growth for quantification of root development in the underlying contaminated tailings. Society for Mining, Metallurgy, & Exploration (SME) 2021 conference. Tucson, AZ.
• Babst-Kostecka, A., Neilson, J. W., Maier, R. M., & Kushwaha, P. (2020, November). Linking the rhizosphere microbial community with variability in Zn and Cd hyperaccumulation in the model species Arabidopsis halleri. 2020 ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting. Virtual.