Krir Nouha, Guedri Mounira Mkaddem, Romdhane Mehrez, Alshaqha Manel Abdullah
Laboratory of Energy, Water, Environment and Process (LR18ES35), National Engineering School of Gabes, University of Gabes, Rue Omar Elkhattab-ZRIG-6029, Gabes 6072, Tunisia.
Biology Department, College of Science, King Khalid University [KKU], Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia.
Life (Basel). 2025 Jan 7;15(1):61. doi: 10.3390/life15010061.
This study investigates the anatomical adaptations of leaves from two halophyte species, (Forsskal) Asch. and L., in response to pollutants from a cement factory and human activities. In industrial areas, these plants absorb pollutants through their leaf surfaces, including Cu, Zn, and Pb. The two species were examined for anatomical changes under air pollution, and key factors including leaf blade thickness, palisade parenchyma cell height, spongy parenchyma cell diameter, epidermal characteristics, and stomatal traits were assessed. Under pollution, the leaves displayed smaller and denser stomata and idioblasts in the palisade and spongy parenchyma. These anatomical responses suggest that and could be effective bioindicators for detecting cement dust pollutants. Their leaf relative water content (RWC) exhibited a range of values: 70.1% and 87% for and 64.8% to 74.2% for on the highly polluted site (S1) and the control site (S4), respectively. Notably, a statistically significant site effect was observed ( > 0.01), confirming previous studies, and indicating reduced leaf relative water content (RWC) values in plants exposed to heavy metals like Cd and Pb. Heavy metals can lead to mineralization by binding to cell walls, altering their physicochemical properties and plasticity. Furthermore, significant correlations between specific heavy metals and histological parameters in leaves indicated potential interactions between metal composition and leaf structure, highlighting their role in modulating anatomical adaptations. The correlation of leaf thickness, upper epidermal thickness, and stomatal density with Zn and Pb levels underlines the importance of these anatomical features in heavy metal accumulation and retention in plant tissues.
本研究调查了两种盐生植物，即（福斯克）阿施和L. 的叶片在应对水泥厂污染物和人类活动时的解剖学适应性变化。在工业区，这些植物通过叶片表面吸收污染物，包括铜、锌和铅。研究了这两个物种在空气污染下的解剖学变化，并评估了包括叶片厚度、栅栏薄壁细胞高度、海绵薄壁细胞直径、表皮特征和气孔特征等关键因素。在污染条件下，叶片的气孔变小且更密集，栅栏薄壁组织和海绵薄壁组织中有异细胞。这些解剖学反应表明，和可作为检测水泥粉尘污染物的有效生物指示物。它们的叶片相对含水量（RWC）呈现出一定范围的值：在高污染地点（S1）和对照地点（S4），的叶片相对含水量分别为70.1%和87%，的叶片相对含水量为64.8%至74.2%。值得注意的是，观察到了具有统计学意义的地点效应（>0.01），这证实了先前的研究，并表明暴露于镉和铅等重金属的植物叶片相对含水量（RWC）值降低。重金属可通过与细胞壁结合导致矿化，改变其物理化学性质和可塑性。此外，叶片中特定重金属与组织学参数之间的显著相关性表明金属组成与叶片结构之间存在潜在相互作用，突出了它们在调节解剖学适应性方面的作用。叶片厚度、上表皮厚度和气孔密度与锌和铅含量的相关性强调了这些解剖学特征在植物组织中重金属积累和保留方面的重要性。
