Leaf morphological plasticity in Keora Sonneratia apetala (L.) among the salinity zones in the Sundarbans mangrove forests, Bangladesh

Salinity is the most natural factor that determines each species' morphological plasticity and geographic distribution. Salinity is a critical component that determines mangrove species' growth, development, and dispersal. Sonneratia apetala is considered as one of the most important mangrove species in the Sundarbans. To understand the mechanism of plasticity, this study investigated the response of Sonneratia apetala of the sundarbans among three salinity zones.Seventeen leaf parameters (Leaf length, Leaf width, Leaf middle width, Leaf upper quarter width, Leaf down quarter width, Petiole length, Tip angle, Base angle, Leaf area, Leaf perimeter, Leaf index, Leaf area perimeter ratio, Leaf length and petiole length ratio, Leaf base angle and tip angle ratio, Leaf upper and down quarter width ratio, Specific leaf area and Leaf thickness) were measured and quantified. Analysis has done through the digital image based procedure. A wide range of phenotypic plasticity was observed in all leaf parameters studied among the salinity zones of the Sundarbans. One-way ANOVA and Tukey’s posthoc test revealed significant differences (P<0.05) in all leaf parameters among the salinity zones and confirming that there was a high degree of phenotypic plasticity among the salinity zones of the Sundarbans.

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