Impacts of cadmium treatments on leaflet and stipe anatomy of Pteris vittata Linn. and Pteris ensiformis burm. f. (Pteridaceae: ferns)

Abstract

Impacts of cadmium contamination in soil at different concentration levels on leaflet and stipe anatomy of Pteris vittata L. and Pteris ensiformis Burm. F. were investigated. Fernlets of P. vittata and P. ensiformis collected from ferns garden at the Natural History Museum and identified at IFE Herbarium both in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria were transplanted into planting pots containing 5 kg of soil pre-treated with cadmium at four concentration levels with the control untreated. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomised block design. The plants were nursed for twelve weeks with adequate watering, after which they were carefully removed and washed. Anatomical sections of the leaflets and stipes were carried out according to standard procedures. After proper staining, microscopic observations of internal structures were carried out on the samples. The major changes observed in the anatomical structures were changes in the thickness of the cuticles of both P. vittata and P. ensiformis as well as the distortion of some parenchyma cells, as the cadmium contamination levels increased in both species. The study concluded that cadmium treatment majorly impacted the cuticle thickness compared to other anatomical features; the negative effect was more pronounced in P. ensiformis.