Arsenic metabolism in algae and higher plants

As a result of low oceanic phosphate levels, arsenate is coabsorbed by marine algae and converted into a variety of organoarsenic compounds. Accumulation of these arsenic derivatives in plants and other organisms has been documented by many investigators. We have identified one of the major arsenic‐containing products as O‐phosphatidyltrimethylarsoniumlactate, a phospholipid similar in structure to lecithin. The distribution of the phospholipid and other arsenic compounds in various marine species is described. Arsenate metabolism by bacteria, yeasts, fungi, algae, and higher plants is compared. The function of symbiotic root mycorrhizal systems in detoxication of environmental arsenate is discussed.