Convergent evolution of cell size enables adaptation to the mangrove habitat

Mangroves have evolved at least 27 times across ∼20 plant families to survive coastal environments characterized by high salinity, inundation, intense light, and strong winds.^1,2 To survive these extreme conditions, mangroves exhibit a variety of physiological strategies to tolerate the low osmotic potentials associated with saltwater inundation.^3,4,5,6,7,8 Because low osmotic potentials are counterbalanced by high turgor pressure, saltwater exposure exerts mechanical demands on cells. Analyzing 34 mangrove species and 33 closely related inland taxa from 17 plant families, we show that compared with their inland relatives, mangroves have unusually small leaf epidermal pavement cells and thicker cell walls, which together confer greater mechanical strength and tolerance to low osmotic potentials. However, mangroves do not exhibit smaller, more numerous stomata that enable higher photosynthetic rates,^9,10,11 suggesting selection on biomechanical integrity rather than on gas exchange capacity. Notably, mangroves break the allometric scaling between the sizes of epidermal pavement cells and stomata typically seen in land plants,^3,12 highlighting that strong selection in saline habitats can override genome size-mediated scaling rules. Phylogenetic comparative analyses revealed repeated convergent evolution of cell traits across independent transitions from inland to coastal habitats. These anatomical changes constitute a simple but effective adaptation to salt stress. Our findings underscore the role of biomechanics in driving convergent evolution of cell traits and suggest that manipulating cell size and wall properties could be a promising strategy for engineering salt-tolerant plants.