RESEARCH ARTICLE Morphology, ultrastructure, and element uptake in Calophyllum brasiliense Cambess. (Calophyllaceae J. Agardh) seedlings under cadmium exposure Alezania Silva Pereira 1 & Priscila Andressa Cortez 1 & Alex-Alan Furtado de Almeida 1 & Majeti Narashima Vara Prasad 2 & Marcel Giovanni Costa França 3 & Maura da Cunha 4 & Raildo Mota de Jesus 1 & Pedro Antônio Oliveira Mangabeira 1 Received: 10 August 2016 /Accepted: 2 May 2017 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2017 Abstract Cadmium (Cd) is a metal known for its genotoxicity and cytotoxicity, much concerned for its poten- tial environmental and human health impacts. This study eval- uates the toxic effect of Cd in Calophyllum brasiliense plants. The plants were cultivated for 30 days in full nutrient solution in order to adapt, and for 15 days in nutrient solution without Cd or with 4, 8, 16, and 32 μmol Cd L −1 . Anatomical analysis of the leaf showed no significant effects of Cd on epidermal thickness in abaxial and adaxial sides, palisade, and spongy parenchyma. Contrastingly, changes were noticed in the ultra- structural level in the leaf mesophyll cells as rupture of the membrane of chloroplasts and disorganization of the thyla- koid membranes, in starch grains and in mitochondria with rupture of the membrane and invagination of the nuclear membrane. Electron dense materials into cells of the cortex and vascular bundle were also observed. In the cells of the root system, the observed ultrastructural changes were disruption of the cell wall and electron dense material deposition in the cortex cells and vascular region. Cd accumulated in roots with low translocation into shoot. Cd toxicity also affected the pho- tosynthetic activity, inducing stomatal closure and photosyn- thetic assimilation reduction and the instantaneous carboxyla- tion efficiency, drastically reducing the leaf transpiration. The nutrient content in the stem and root was variable, according to Cd increase in nutrient solution. Based on the experimental evidence, it can be concluded that C. brasiliense has potential to bioconcentrate high Cd levels in the root system. Keywords Bioaccumulation . Toxicity . Ultrastructure . Compartmentalization Introduction Brazil has large areas contaminated with toxic metals and that is a subject of environmental concern. It is believed that the incorporation and mobilization of various metals such as cad- mium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in the soil result from anthropogenic and geogenic/technogenic sources (Abreu et al. 2002). During the period of 2006–2012, it is estimated that the annual load of Cd discharged from Pearl River into South China was 43.9 t (Zhen et al. 2016). In the Southern region of Bahia State, North Eastern Brazil, the contamination by Cd is due to the fact that Cd ion is bioaccumulative and persistent in the environment, mainly in the soil and groundwater, making it the most toxic metal for plants. This ecosystem receives large contaminant inputs from catchments derived from run-off of urban and industrial inputs. Unlike other toxic metals, Cd in soil is more easily uptaken by plant roots and translocated to the different organs (Souza et al. 2011). Some plant species are naturally tolerant Responsible editor: Elena Maestri Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11356-017-9187-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Pedro Antônio Oliveira Mangabeira pamangabeira@uesc.br 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Santa Cruz State University, Km 16, Rodovia Jorge Amado, Ilhéus, BA 45.662-900, Brazil 2 Department of Plant Science, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India 3 Biological Science Institute, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil 4 Biosciences and Biotechnology Center, North Fluminense State University, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil Environ Sci Pollut Res DOI 10.1007/s11356-017-9187-y