ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Hyperaccumulators table – 3

Hello there! Do you know what a plant is? It's something that grows in the ground and can provide us with food or oxygen to breathe. Now, there are some special plants called hyperaccumulators that are even more amazing!

You know how sometimes we need medicine when we get sick? Well, these hyperaccumulators can absorb and store some special elements that can also be used as medicine. They are able to do this so well that scientists even made a table (like a list) of which plants are the best at it - this table is called the hyperaccumulators table - 3.

Let's imagine you have a bunch of different plants in your garden. Say, you have a plant that can absorb a certain element called nickel really well, maybe it can store a lot of it in its leaves. That plant would be considered a good hyperaccumulator for nickel! The same goes for other elements like lead or zinc. Some plants can accumulate lots of different elements, while others are only really good at absorbing one or two.

This table helps scientists find the right hyperaccumulators for different types of elements that they may need for research or medicine. It's really special that these plants have this ability to absorb and store elements so well, and it's important to protect them because they can help us find solutions to some problems we face.