Assessment of heavy metal stress in the adaptation strategies of Tulipa luanica growing on serpentine soil through some biomarkers in comparison to Tulipa kosovarica.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of how Tulipa luanica adapts to growth in soil with higher concentrations of heavy metals and to assess potential toxic effects using various biomarkers, in comparison to Tulipa kosovarica, a typical serpentine species. For this purpose, we analyzed the concentrations of Al, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the soil, as well as their accumulation in plants and their associated stress effects. The results indicate that, despite the presence of some metals in very high concentrations in the soil (Al, Fe, Mn, and Ni), they are translocated in minimal amounts within plant organs, particularly in T. luanica. Nearly all metals exhibited significantly higher concentrations in T. kosovarica when compared to T. luanica. Based on the analysis of biomarkers, it is apparent that T. luanica shows greater sensitivity to these conditions. This is evident through the decreased activity of δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase and levels of δ-aminolevulinic acid, malondialdehyde, and glutathione observed in T. luanica. It appears that T. luanica effectively restricts the absorption of metals in serpentine soils; however, it experiences oxidative stress induced by these metals, setting it apart from the more resilient T. kosovarica.