Unraveling the spectral and biochemical response of mangroves to oil spills and biotic stressors

This study reveals strong intra- and interspecific variability of mangrove's spectral and biochemical responses to oil pollution. Trees undergoing acute exposure to oil showed stronger alterations of foliar traits than the chronically exposed ones. Alterations induced by biotic stressors such as parasitism, disease, and grazing were successfully discriminated from those of oil for all species based on Linear Discriminant Analysis (Overall Accuracy ≥76.40% and Kappa ≥0.70). Leaf chlorophyll, phenol, and starch contents were identified as the most relevant traits in stressor discrimination. The study highlights that oil spills affect mangroves uniquely, both acutely and chronically, threatening their global conservation.PMID:38537795 | DOI:10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123832
Source: Environmental Pollution - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: research