Effects of different levels of metal exposure and precipitation regimes on chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters in a coastal Brazilian restinga species

Residues from the Fundão dam accident in Brazil and their effects on photosynthetic efficiency of two restinga plant species

“…ABS/RC is considered as a measure for apparent antenna size or chlorophyll concentration and TR0/RC reflects the specific rate of the exciton trapped by reaction centers (Tsimilli-Michael 2020). Excessive levels of Mn, Cu, and Fe showed a strong correlation with the increased DI0/RC in Melia azedarach and Byrsonima sericea (Liu et al 2021;Oliveira et al 2022). Thus, the total amount of photons absorbed by Chl molecules and the activity of active RCs remain unaffected in A. arenaria at RBC during the rainy season, which demonstrated that the high levels of As, V and Pb did not cause severe disruption to leaf photosynthetic organs and oxygen-evolving complex functionality (OEC) damage.…”

“…The accumulation of heavy metals in plants depends on the mobility of the elements in the soil and the absorption capacity of each species (Dubey et al 2018). Moreover, the deposition of salt spray can be a primary source of the spread of contaminated particles in coastal regions (Du and Hesp 2020;Lana-Costa et al 2021;Oliveira et al 2022). The primary origin of salt spray is commonly attributed to the bursting of bubbles in breaking waves, often recognized as a crucial factor influencing vegetation zonation in coastal dunes (Du and Hesp 2020).…”

“…In heterogeneous environments, the physiological responses of plants depend on the simultaneous action of multiple stresses by seasonal variations in climate (Pandey et al 2015). Research on the physiological responses of plants to environmental resource gradients is important for the prediction of ecosystem responses to environmental changes (Ghori et al 2019;Souri et al 2019;Lana-Costa et al 2021;Tognella et al 2022;Oliveira et al 2022).…”

“…Restingas are exposed to progressive increases in concentrations of metals from industrial, mining and agricultural activities (Silva et al 2015;Silva et al 2017;Lana-Costa et al 2021;Oliveira et al 2022). In November 2015, approximately, 50 million m 3 of mud containing heavy metals (Pb, As, Sr, Zn, Cu, Ni and Co) polluted the Doce River, after the collapse of the Fundão Dam in Minas Gerais, Brazil (Marta-Almeida et al 2016;Cruz et al 2020;Viana et al 2020;Sá et al 2021).…”

“…Another tolerance mechanism is enclosed in a separate compartment and removing heavy metal from the cytosol away from other cellular organelles (Ghori et al 2019). Investigation of the native restinga species with potential for high tolerance to the heavy metal is essential to understand these mechanisms (Lana-Costa et al 2021;Oliveira et al 2022). Thus, ChlF can be effectively used to predict the magnitude of the impacts of absorbed metals on the coastal restinga vegetation subjected to different rainfall regimes.…”