Abstract
Atmospheric pollution has become a serious threat for human health and the environment. However, the deployment, operation and maintenance of monitoring networks can represent a high cost for local governments. In certain locations, the use of naturally occurring plants for monitoring pollution can be a useful supplement of existing monitoring networks, and even provide information when other types of monitoring are lacking. In this work, we (i) determined the tissue carbon content and the δ13C values for the epiphytic CAM bromeliad Tillandsia recurvata and the relationship of both parameters with the existing CO concentrations in the Valley of Mexico basin and (ii) mapped the spatial distribution of such elemental and isotopic composition for this plant within the basin, in order to assess its potential as an atmospheric biomonitor of carbon monoxide, a pollutant with important repercussions on public health. The CO concentrations in the basin ranged from 0.41 ppm at rural locations to 0.81 ppm at urban sites. The carbon content of T. recurvata, which averaged 42.9 ± 0.34% (dry weight), was not influenced by the surrounding CO concentration. In contrast, the δ13C depended on the sites where the plants were collected. For example, the values were −13.2‰ in rural areas and as low as –17.5‰ in an urban site. Indeed, the isotopic values had a positive linear relationship with the atmospheric CO concentrations. Given the close relationship observed between the isotopic composition of T. recurvata with the CO concentrations in the Valley of Mexico, the δ13C values can be useful for the detection of atmospheric carbonaceous emissions.
Highlights
Atmospheric pollution has become a serious threat for human health and the environment
The central and northern portions had the highest concentrations of Carbon monoxide (CO), reaching a maximum of 0.81 ppm, and the lowest concentration was found at the northeast end of the distribution of the monitoring network, where it reached a mean value of 0.41 ppm (Fig. 2)
Carbon content and isotopic composition for Tillandsia recurvata On average, the tissue carbon content was 42.9 ± 0.3% ranging from 38.4% for plants collected in the urban area of a small town at the north-west portion of the Valley, to 44.9% at the southern part of the Valley, in the middle of the Mexico
Summary
Atmospheric pollution has become a serious threat for human health and the environment. Mexico City, with vigorous industrial and household activities, as well as numerous motor vehicles of all classes, has seen an increase of emissions of different pollutants to the atmosphere. This has resulted in a higher incidence of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, which already cause at least 9,600 premature deaths annually just. Isotopic biomonitoring of anthropic carbon emissions in a megalopolis. Atmospheric pollution is one of the leading causes of biodiversity loss and ecosystem change both, from nitrogen deposition and the release of greenhouse gas emissions (Sala et al, 2000; Rockström et al, 2009; Hooper et al, 2012)
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