Abstract
Vachellia (formerly Acacia) trees are native to arid environments in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, where they often support the local animal and plant communities acting as keystone species. The aim of this study was to examine whether oil pollution affected the central metabolism of the native keystone trees Vachellia tortilis (Forssk.) and V. raddiana (Savi), as either adults or seedlings. The study was conducted in the Evrona Nature Reserve, a desert ecosystem in southern Israel where two major oil spills occurred in 1975 and in 2014. Leaf samples were collected to analyze the central metabolite profiles from oil-polluted and unpolluted adult trees and from Vachellia seedlings growing in oil-polluted and unpolluted soils in an outdoor setup. We found that oil pollution had a stronger effect on one-year-old seedlings than on adult trees, reducing the levels of amino acids, sugars, and organic acids. While adult trees are mildly affected by oil pollution, the effects on young seedlings can cause a long-term reduction in the population of these keystone desert trees, ultimately threatening this entire ecosystem.
Highlights
Renewable energy sources are growing in popularity, human societies still heavily rely on fossil fuels [1]
When comparing the metabolic changes between oil-polluted and un oil-polluted V. tortilis and V. raddiana trees showed an increase in the amino acid alanine in luted trees, we found that oil-polluted V. tortilis trees in the South site had higher lev both sites
We found that oil pollution can alter the central metabolite profiles of two keystone tree species in a hyperarid desert ecosystem, in young seedlings and, to a lesser degree, in adult trees
Summary
Renewable energy sources are growing in popularity, human societies still heavily rely on fossil fuels [1]. Accidental oil spills have dispersed millions of tons of oil into the environment, jeopardizing ecosystems around the world. 5.5 million tons of oil polluted mangrove ecosystems alone [3]. Oil can persist in terrestrial environments for decades [6], with dramatic effects on the vegetation [7,8]. Plants can suffer both lethal and sublethal effects, which may already be evident during the contamination event or shortly thereafter. Oil pollution can reduce plant recruitment, affecting the community in the long term, and if its negative effects are not mitigated, this can cause habitat loss, dramatically altering the landscape [3]
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