The retention and distribution of parent, alkylated, and N/O/S-containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on the epidermal tissue of mangrove seedlings

Abstract

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) located on the epidermal tissues showed distinctive toxic effects to root, while the retention and distribution of PAHs on mangrove seedlings poorly understood. Our results confirmed that the partition coefficients (Kf) of the PAHs retained on the epidermal tissue of mangrove roots, such as Kandelia obovata, Avicennia marina and Aegiceras corniculatum, were much higher than the Poaceae plants roots, for example wheat and maize (Wild et al., 2005). Moreover, to the parent and alkyl PAHs, a well negative correlation was observed between the surface polarity of these three species of mangrove root and the Kf values (p < 0.05). To the N/O/S containing PAHs, these relationships were not obviously due to existing of the π-π, n-π interactions and hydrogen bonding between the N/O/S-containing PAHs and epidermal tissues. The PAHs retained on these three species of mangrove root epidermal tissues formed larger clusters than that of on Poaceae plants, such as wheat and maize (Wild et al., 2005) due to the limitation of the suberization of the root exodermis and endodermis. After exposure of 30 d, rhizo- and endophytic bacteria degraded parts of the N/O/S-containing PAHs to medium-lifetime fluorescence substances. To our knowledge, this is the first time to assess the retention of PAHs on the epidermal tissue of mangrove root, which will improve our understanding of the root uptake PAHs process.