Leaf shape variation as a potential biomarker of soil pollution

Abstract

Halophytic plants play a fundamental role in salt marshes, influencing their structure, dynamics, and cycling of nutrients and minerals. These plants have the ability to retain metals in the soil, or absorb and retain them in underground structures, or transport them to their aerial structures. Here we aim to study shape variation in the leaves of Cressa truxillensis inhabiting the salt marsh of San Antonio Oeste, according to their proximity to a source of metals in the soil. A gradient of bioavailability of metal was observed in the soil, decreasing from the site closest to the source to the most distant point, where Zn was the most abundant metal followed by Pb and Cu. We used landmark-based geometric morphometric tools to study leaf shape variation. We observed more oval leaf growth on the farthest point of the pollutant's source, and lanceolate shape close to it. No significant among-site size differences were found. Collectively, these results suggest that the stress conditions associated with the soil metals’ concentration generate changes in the leaf shape of Cressa truxilensis. Considering that this species has not been extensively analyzed, this study establishes a baseline and supports the use of the leaf as an early biomarker of stress by contamination in plants associated with marshes.