The Effect of Petroleum Pollutants on the Anatomical Features of Avicennia marina (Forssk.) Vierh

The present study is the first one conducted to evaluate the effect of oil pollutants on the anatomical structure of one of the most economical plant namely; Avicennia marina, naturally growing at Abu Monqare Island, west coast of the Red Sea, Egypt. In this study, the Leaves and the aerial roots (pneumatophores) are the main studied organs as they are the major parts which were affected by the oil pollution. The pneumatophores are divided into three parts; basal, middle and upper parts, according to its exposure to oil pollution. The obtained results revealed that the extracted residual oil of the contaminated soil contains some harmful substances such as aromatics, saturates asphaltenes and resins. The oil pollutants are deposited inside the tissues of leaves and aerial roots which leads to obvious changes on the anatomical features of the plant. According to this study, it was found that the effect of the petroleum hydrocarbons pollutants may cause serious plant diseases such as chlorosis and tuberculosis and quick decline of the plant in this area.