Rising sea levels put coastal communities and crops at risk, so scientists are investigating how some plants tolerate repeated saltwater inundation. The new study, published in Current Biology, focuses on mangrove trees and was carried out by researchers from Guangxi University, Florida International University and San Francisco State University, and led in part by Adam Roddy of New York University.
The team analysed 34 mangrove species and more than 30 close relatives across 17 plant families, comparing coastal and inland species and tracing trait evolution. Results show mangroves tend to have unusually small cells and thicker cell walls. These cellular features increase mechanical strength and reduce wilting in saline, waterlogged conditions. The authors report that mangrove lifestyles have evolved repeatedly, nearly 30 times over roughly 200 million years.
Coauthor Guo-Feng Jiang noted other known strategies, including excluding salt from tissues or taking it up and secreting it. The paper argues that simple cell traits point to a practical route for engineering salt-tolerant plants: manipulating cell size and cell wall properties. The research was supported by grants from the US National Science Foundation.
- Small cells
- Thicker cell walls
- Salt exclusion and secretion
Difficult words
- inundation — flooding by water covering an areasaltwater inundation
- mangrove — a coastal tree or shrub in wetlandsmangrove trees, mangrove species, mangrove lifestyles
- saline — containing salt, especially in water
- cell wall — rigid layer surrounding some plant cellscell walls, cell wall properties
- secrete — to release a substance from a cellsecreting
- tolerate — to endure difficult or harmful conditions
- wilt — to become limp or weak from stresswilting
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How could manipulating cell size and cell wall properties help crops in coastal areas?
- What challenges or risks might scientists face when engineering these cell traits in non-mangrove crops?
- Which other strategies mentioned in the article (for example, excluding or secreting salt) could be combined with cell trait manipulation, and why?
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