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Responses of tropical legumes from the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest to simulated acid rain

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Abstract

We investigated the morphological and anatomical effects of simulated acid rain on leaves of two species native to the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest: Paubrasilia echinata and Libidibia ferrea var. leiostachya. Saplings were subjected to acid rain in a simulation chamber during 10 days for 15 min daily, using H2SO4 solution pH 3.0 and, in the control, deionized water. At the end of the experiment, fragments from young and expanding leaves were anatomically analyzed. Although L. ferrea var. leiostachya leaves are more hydrophobic, rain droplets remained in contact with them for a longer time, as in the hydrophilic P. echinata leaves, droplets coalesce and rapidly run off. Visual symptomatology consisted in interveinal and marginal necrotic dots. Microscopic damage found included epicuticular wax flaking, turgor loss and epidermal cell shape alteration, hypertrophy of parenchymatous cells, and epidermal and mesophyll cell collapse. Formation of a wound tissue was observed in P. echinata, and it isolated the necrosis to the adaxial leaf surface. Acid rain increased thickness of all leaf tissues except spongy parenchyma in young leaves of L. ferrea var. leiostachya, and such thickness was maintained throughout leaf expansion. To our knowledge, this is the first report of acidity causing increase in leaf tissue thickness. This could represent the beginning of cell hypertrophy, which was seen in visually affected leaf regions. Paubrasilia echinata was more sensitive, showing earlier symptoms, but the anatomical damage in L. ferrea var. leiostachya was more severe, probably due to the higher time of contact with acid solution in this species.

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Acknowledgements

We thank CNPq for financial support, through the Scientific Initiation and Masters Scholarships granted to G.C. Andrade and the Research Productivity Scholarship granted to L.C. Silva (309480/2015-9); IEF/MG, for providing saplings; Núcleo de Microscopia e Microanálise of UFV, for support in SEM analyses; and Ana Cecília R. Mello, Débora L.L. Souza, Diego I. Rocha, Leonardo L. Bhering, Sérgio R. Aloquio, and Brenda V.N. Santana, for the assistance during sample collection, processing, and analysis.

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  1. Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Av. PH Rolfs s/n, Viçosa, MG, CEP 36.570-900, Brazil

    Guilherme C. Andrade & Luzimar C. Silva

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  1. Guilherme C. Andrade
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  2. Luzimar C. Silva
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Correspondence to Luzimar C. Silva.

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Andrade, G.C., Silva, L.C. Responses of tropical legumes from the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest to simulated acid rain. Protoplasma 254, 1639–1649 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-016-1054-z

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