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Evaluation of growth and oxidative stress as indicative of salinity tolerance by the invasive tropical aquatic macrophyte tanner grass

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Abstract

In an estuary of a neotropical region located in Brazil, Urochloa arrecta occurs only in the area of freshwater. Nonetheless, information about the capacity of this population to invade areas considered inhospitable, i.e., saltwater, is scarce. In this sense, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of intermediate (20 ppt) and high (30 ppt) salinity on individuals from a population of U. arrecta located in the freshwater region of an estuarine ecosystem. Analyses of plant biomass, nitrogen, phosphorus, malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide content were evaluated as possible indicators of tolerance to salt stress. Our results showed that salinity reduced growth and increased oxidative stress. However, under conditions of intermediate salinity, U. arrecta individuals showed a biomass gain greater than 60%, MDA content similar to that in freshwater, and higher nitrogen absorption and assimilation. We conclude that U. arrecta probably presents physiological adjustments that allow its survival at intermediate salinity. Thus, the ability of this species to expand in this area alerts to the importance of studies that seek to adopt policies for the control or management of the species in saline ecosystems.

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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Carlos Fernando Sanches, Sonia Maria R. Carregari and Baltasar Fernandes Garcia Neto for all assistance with the experiment and analysis.

Funding

This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brazil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-graduação em Aquicultura, Centro de Aquicultura da UNESP (CAUNESP), Via de acesso Professor Paulo Donato Castellane S/N, Jaboticabal, SP, CEP 14884-900, Brazil

    Rachel Santini, Jéssica Pacheco de Lima & Antonio Fernando Monteiro Camargo

  2. Departamento de Biologia Aplicada à Agricultura (DBAA), Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Via de Acesso Professor Paulo Donato Castellane S/N, Jaboticabal, SP, CEP 14884-900, Brazil

    Priscila Lupino Gratão

  3. Departamento de Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Avenida 24 A, 1515, Rio Claro, SP, CEP 13506-900, Brazil

    Antonio Fernando Monteiro Camargo

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  1. Rachel Santini
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  2. Jéssica Pacheco de Lima
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  3. Priscila Lupino Gratão
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Santini, R., de Lima, J.P., Gratão, P.L. et al. Evaluation of growth and oxidative stress as indicative of salinity tolerance by the invasive tropical aquatic macrophyte tanner grass. Hydrobiologia 849, 1261–1271 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-021-04787-4

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