Elemental Screening and Nutritional Strategies of Gypsophile Flora in Sicily Mendoza Fernández, Antonio Jesús Merlo, Encarna Musarella, Carmelo María Salmerón Sánchez, Esteban Martínez Hernández, Fabián Pérez García, Francisco Javier Spampinato, Giovanni Mota, Juan Francisco BCF (bioconcentration factor) Gypsophyte Gypsophily Gypsophilous flora Ionome This research was sponsored by Projects UAL2020-RNM-B2007 FEDER (European Regional Development Fund), Monitoring and Applied Scientific Research for Ecological Restoration of Gypsum Mining Concessions (Majadas Viejas and Marylen), and Spreading of Results (ECORESGYP) sponsored by the company Explotaciones Río de Aguas S.L. (Torralba Group), and “Monitoring and evaluation of environmental restoration of the mining concessions of Los Yesares, Ana María Morales, and el Cigarrón II”, sponsored by the company Saint Gobain S.A. This project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 777803. This research was supported by the CEI-JD-12 Project, which was granted by CEIMAR. This research was supported by the Project CEI-JD-15 “Seed germination test of Diplotaxis siettiana” granted by CEIMAR. The authors Antonio Jesus Mendoza-Fernández and Carmelo Maria Musarella were sponsored by the University of Almeria through the Program ‘Plan Propio de Investigación y Transferencia’, with a postdoctoral grant (Contrato Puente 2015) and financial assistance for a stay abroad (Estancias en otros Centros de Investigación 2016), and with support for guest teachers (Programa de Profesores Invitados 2017). Supplementary Materials. The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/plants14050804/s1 Sicily is a Mediterranean island with an exceptional natural heritage, where gypsum outcrops are widespread and associated with an endemic flora. These ecosystems are prioritized by the European Habitats Directive (Mediterranean gypsum steppes, 1520*) in the Mediterranean Basin. Some studies have revealed the physiological mechanisms in gypsophile plants, which are important adaptative characteristics of plants that live on gypsum. To identify stress-tolerant strategies, we studied the leaf chemical composition of 14 plant species (gypsum endemics, Mediterranean gypsophiles and widely distributed) from Sicily. The ability to accumulate mineral elements in leaves, especially sulfur (S), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg), is a widespread strategy for gypsophile plants. Bioconcentration factor (BCF) calculations also indicate bioaccumulation of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and potassium (K) in species with a certain degree of foliar succulence, such as Gypsophila arrostii Guss. subsp. arrostii or Diplotaxis harra (Forssk.) Boiss. subsp. crassifolia (Raf.) Maire, which also accumulates Mg and Sodium (Na). The narrow gypsophile Erysimum metlesicsii Polatschek exhibited the highest BCF value for strontium (Sr). The study of the gypsophile G. arrostii subsp. arrostii growing on limestone substrates indicates that this plant tends to hyperaccumulate nutrients, such as S, that are normally available in gypsum substrates. The remarkable ability of these plants to absorb elements such as sulfur and strontium is important to explain their ecological adaptations but also indicates their potential usefulness in environmental phytoremediation processes. The study of plant communities and flora of gypsum substrates is essential to understand the nutritional adaptations that allow flora to survive in gypsum environments and to support the better preservation of these interesting natural areas in Sicily. 2025-03-21T09:54:26Z 2025-03-21T09:54:26Z 2025-03-05 journal article Mendoza-Fernández, A.J.; Merlo, E.; Musarella, C.M.; Salmerón-Sánchez, E.; Martínez-Hernández, F.; Pérez-García, F.J.; Spampinato, G.; Mota, J. Elemental Screening and Nutritional Strategies of Gypsophile Flora in Sicily. Plants 2025, 14, 804. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14050804 https://hdl.handle.net/10481/103219 10.3390/plants14050804 eng info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/777803 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ open access Atribución 4.0 Internacional MDPI