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Micro-morphological response of some native dicotyledonous species to particulate pollutants emitted from stone crushing activities

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Abstract

Stone crushing processes release particulates and associated noxious substances in our surroundings that are continuously destructing environmental conditions and ecosystem health. Morpho-anatomical changes in some medicinally important native species (Aerva javanica, Calotropis procera, Digera muricata, Euphorbia prostrata, Euploca strigosa, and Peganum harmala) exposed to heavy dust pollution were evaluated. These species selected on the basis of their ubiquitous distribution in the area. Two sites were selected in the Kirana Hills, Sargodha, one near stone crushers within 500-m radius (polluted) and the other 4 km away from the crushers (control) varying significantly in amount of dust particles received. A decrease in plant height of all species from dust-polluted sites was observed. Reduction in height was more prominent in species like C. procera and D. muricata. Stem sclerification increased in C. procera and E. prostrata from the polluted site that is an indication of better tolerance to dust pollution. C. procera showed increased stem and leaf epidermis, stem sclerenchyma, and stem vascular bundles, which can increase resistance to dust pollution. E. strigosa was the most sensitive species in which all morpho-anatomical factors decreased. Survival of plant species depended on specific structural modifications in dermal, mechanical, parenchymatous, and vascular tissue. Overall, dust pollution severely affected plant morphological and micro-morphological traits, but the response of selected species to dust pollution was variable. It is concluded that stem and leaf anatomical traits like size of dermal and storage tissue thickness and stomatal density are good indicators for biomonitoring of dust pollution.

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Data availability

The herbarium samples used for identification of plant species deposited to the Herbarium Collection of the Department of Botany, University of Agriculture Faisalabad.

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Acknowledgments

This manuscript is a part of M.Phil. research of Miss Libaba Shamsi submitted to Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, 40100, Pakistan

    Iftikhar Ahmad

  2. Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, 38040, Pakistan

    Lubaba Shamsi, Mansoor Hameed, Farooq Ahmad, Muhammad Sajid Aqeel Ahmad, Anum Javaid & Muhammad Asim Sultan

  3. Department of Botany, Government Sadiq College Women University, Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan

    Sana Fatima & Muhammad Ashraf

Authors
  1. Iftikhar Ahmad
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  2. Lubaba Shamsi
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  3. Mansoor Hameed
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  4. Sana Fatima
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  5. Farooq Ahmad
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  6. Muhammad Sajid Aqeel Ahmad
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  7. Muhammad Ashraf
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  8. Anum Javaid
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  9. Muhammad Asim Sultan
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Contributions

Iftikhar Ahmad, Mansoor Hameed, and Farooq Ahmad supervised the research work of Lubaba Shamsi. Sana Fatima, Anum Javaid, and Muhammad Asim Sultan helped in data collection and manuscript preparation. Muhammad Sajid Aqeel Ahmad analyzed the data statistically and performed the multivariate analysis. Muhammad Ashraf proofread the manuscript for language editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mansoor Hameed.

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The manuscript submitted solely to Environmental Science and Pollution Research and no part published or submitted elsewhere. All ethical guidelines set by parent institution(s) were observed during sampling and analysis.

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All authors equally participated in execution of experiment and unanimously agreed to publish in Environmental Science and Pollution Research.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Responsible Editor: Gangrong Shi

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Ahmad, I., Shamsi, L., Hameed, M. et al. Micro-morphological response of some native dicotyledonous species to particulate pollutants emitted from stone crushing activities. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 25529–25541 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12463-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12463-2

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