Leaf Traits and Fluctuating Asymmetry as Stress Indicators in a Mangrove Species After an Extreme Rainfall Event
Climate change, particularly extreme rainfall, imposes stress on plants, which can be assessed using fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in leaves and key leaf traits. FA, which is defined as random deviations in symmetrical structures, is a known bioindicator of environmental stress. Additionally, leaf area...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| author | Dalton Serafim Luziene Seixas João Victor Sabino Kim Ribeiro Barão Jean Carlos Santos Guilherme Ramos Demetrio |
| author_facet | Dalton Serafim Luziene Seixas João Victor Sabino Kim Ribeiro Barão Jean Carlos Santos Guilherme Ramos Demetrio |
| author_sort | Dalton Serafim |
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| description | Climate change, particularly extreme rainfall, imposes stress on plants, which can be assessed using fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in leaves and key leaf traits. FA, which is defined as random deviations in symmetrical structures, is a known bioindicator of environmental stress. Additionally, leaf area (LA) and specific leaf area (SLA) provide insights into plant responses to stressors. Mangrove plants have several mechanisms to cope with constant flooding and rainy periods. However, under extreme rainfall conditions, their adaptive capacity may be overwhelmed and plants may experience developmental stress. Nonetheless, it has not yet been verified whether plants subjected to drastic increases in rainfall exhibit more asymmetric leaves. We investigated seasonal differences in FA in <i>Laguncularia racemosa</i> after an extreme rainfall event and found a significant increase in FA after the rainfall event (t = 1.759, df = 149, <i>p</i> = 0.08) compared with the dry season. Concurrently, LA increased by 28% (<i>p</i> < 0.01) and SLA increased by 33% (<i>p</i> < 0.01) after the rainfall event. During the dry season, the plants exhibited antisymmetry rather than FA, highlighting their distinct responses to seasonal stressors. These findings demonstrate the differential effects of rainfall extremes on leaf traits and asymmetry, positioning FA, LA, and SLA as mangrove stress indicators. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2673-7140 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Stresses |
| spelling | doaj-art-394f38ae1d6849ad837aee7f1ec3ca2e2025-08-20T02:09:11ZengMDPI AGStresses2673-71402025-03-01512110.3390/stresses5010021Leaf Traits and Fluctuating Asymmetry as Stress Indicators in a Mangrove Species After an Extreme Rainfall EventDalton Serafim0Luziene Seixas1João Victor Sabino2Kim Ribeiro Barão3Jean Carlos Santos4Guilherme Ramos Demetrio5Plant Ecology Laboratory, Penedo Educational Unit, Federal University of Alagoas, Penedo 57200-000, AL, BrazilPlant Ecology Laboratory, Penedo Educational Unit, Federal University of Alagoas, Penedo 57200-000, AL, BrazilPlant Ecology Laboratory, Penedo Educational Unit, Federal University of Alagoas, Penedo 57200-000, AL, BrazilGraduate Program of Biological Diversity and Conservation in the Tropics (PPG DIBICT), Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió 57072-900, AL, BrazilDepartamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão 49107-230, SE, BrazilPlant Ecology Laboratory, Penedo Educational Unit, Federal University of Alagoas, Penedo 57200-000, AL, BrazilClimate change, particularly extreme rainfall, imposes stress on plants, which can be assessed using fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in leaves and key leaf traits. FA, which is defined as random deviations in symmetrical structures, is a known bioindicator of environmental stress. Additionally, leaf area (LA) and specific leaf area (SLA) provide insights into plant responses to stressors. Mangrove plants have several mechanisms to cope with constant flooding and rainy periods. However, under extreme rainfall conditions, their adaptive capacity may be overwhelmed and plants may experience developmental stress. Nonetheless, it has not yet been verified whether plants subjected to drastic increases in rainfall exhibit more asymmetric leaves. We investigated seasonal differences in FA in <i>Laguncularia racemosa</i> after an extreme rainfall event and found a significant increase in FA after the rainfall event (t = 1.759, df = 149, <i>p</i> = 0.08) compared with the dry season. Concurrently, LA increased by 28% (<i>p</i> < 0.01) and SLA increased by 33% (<i>p</i> < 0.01) after the rainfall event. During the dry season, the plants exhibited antisymmetry rather than FA, highlighting their distinct responses to seasonal stressors. These findings demonstrate the differential effects of rainfall extremes on leaf traits and asymmetry, positioning FA, LA, and SLA as mangrove stress indicators.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7140/5/1/21climate changeenvironmental stress response<i>Laguncularia</i>plant-stress |
| spellingShingle | Dalton Serafim Luziene Seixas João Victor Sabino Kim Ribeiro Barão Jean Carlos Santos Guilherme Ramos Demetrio Leaf Traits and Fluctuating Asymmetry as Stress Indicators in a Mangrove Species After an Extreme Rainfall Event Stresses climate change environmental stress response <i>Laguncularia</i> plant-stress |
| title | Leaf Traits and Fluctuating Asymmetry as Stress Indicators in a Mangrove Species After an Extreme Rainfall Event |
| title_full | Leaf Traits and Fluctuating Asymmetry as Stress Indicators in a Mangrove Species After an Extreme Rainfall Event |
| title_fullStr | Leaf Traits and Fluctuating Asymmetry as Stress Indicators in a Mangrove Species After an Extreme Rainfall Event |
| title_full_unstemmed | Leaf Traits and Fluctuating Asymmetry as Stress Indicators in a Mangrove Species After an Extreme Rainfall Event |
| title_short | Leaf Traits and Fluctuating Asymmetry as Stress Indicators in a Mangrove Species After an Extreme Rainfall Event |
| title_sort | leaf traits and fluctuating asymmetry as stress indicators in a mangrove species after an extreme rainfall event |
| topic | climate change environmental stress response <i>Laguncularia</i> plant-stress |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7140/5/1/21 |
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