Dust storms have emerged as a significant environmental challenge in recent years, causing severe damage to vegetation, particularly in the arid and semi-arid regions of Iran. In this study, we hypothesized that the anatomical traits of leaf stomata, and root and stem wood of Pistacia atlantica response to the dust stress as an ecological driver in a simulated dust condition. Thirty seedlings were placed in a plastic totally enclosed chamber and dust blew at concentrations of 5000, 7000 and 9000 mg/m3 air. Simultaneously, 10 seedlings were prepared as control group with no dust treatment. The dusting process was repeated three times at intervals of 12 days. The stomatal traits of leaf, wood features of the stem and root of the both two groups of seedlings were compared together at the beginning and the end of the dusting period. The leaf stomatal features: stomata density, length, width, pore length and aperture; ring width (RW), fiber diameter and fiber wall thickness (FWT) of stem and root of both treated and untreated seedlings were examined. No variations were determined in the stomatal features except for pore aperture showing a reduction of 15% in dusted seedlings. Stem RW reduced 49.8% and FWT increased 57.7% in dusted seedlings. RW and fiber diameter decreased from 118 μm to 18.5 μm in controls to the 58 μm and 13.0 μm in the treated seedlings, respectively, while the FWT increased from 4.49 μm in control to the 4.96 μm in the root of treated seedlings. The lack of changes in the leaf cells could be due to the short period of dusting on the seedlings. This flexibility in stomatal morphology suggests that the species favors rapid guard cell alterations over costly stomatal restructuring during dust exposure, a pattern supported by its niche with high potential for dust storms in semi-arid regions. The results showed that dust stress have significant effects on the seedling growth, limiting wood formation reflecting a strategic shift from growth to structural support, likely mitigating hydraulic and mechanical risks under dust-induced stress. The results provide foundational insights into dust impacts on tree anatomy and future climate adaptability.
