Abstract
We aimed to verify whether morphoanatomic alterations occur in response to excess iron, in roots of Setaria parviflora and Paspallum urvillei (Poaceae), and to localize the presence of the sites of iron accumulation. Plants were subjected to 0.009, 1, 2, 4, and 7 mM Fe-EDTA in nutrient solution. Both species presented iron contents in the roots above the critical toxicity level. The presence of iron plaque on roots of the two species was confirmed, and it may have reduced iron absorption by the plants. Roots from the two species showed typical visual symptoms of stress by excess iron: change in color and mucilaginous and flaccid appearance. Anatomical damage was observed in both species: aerenchyma disruption, alterations in endodermal cells, and irregular shape of both vessel and sieve tube elements. The metal was histolocalized in the cortex and in protoxylem and metaxylem cell walls in both species, which suggests a detoxification strategy for the excess iron. Phenolic compounds were not histolocalized in roots. Microscopic analyses were therefore effective in evaluating the real damage caused by excess iron.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for the approval of a PNADB Project (Programa Nacional de Apoio e Desenvolvimento da Botânica); Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for the approval of a SISBIOTA-BRASIL (proc. CNPq 563335/2010-6; proc. FAPESP 2010/52319-6) Project and for the Research Productivity Scholarships granted to L.C. Silva (309170/2012-5) and A.A. Azevedo (307538/2010-9); Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) for the approval of projects CRA-APQ-01361-12 and RDP–00195-10; Secretaria de Estado de Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior (SECTES) and Projeto Floresta Escola, for financial support; Hilda Maria Longhi Wagner, for species identification; and Núcleo de Microscopia e Microanálise of Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV).
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de Araújo, T.O., de Freitas-Silva, L., Santana, B.V.N. et al. Morphoanatomical responses induced by excess iron in roots of two tolerant grass species. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 2187–2195 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3488-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3488-1