Abstract
Trees in urban and industrial areas significantly help to limit the amount of particulate matter (PM) suspended in the air, but PM has a negative impact on their life. The amount of PM gathered on leaves depends on quantity, size, and morphology of leaves and can also be increased by the presence of epicuticular waxes, in which PM can become stuck or immersed. In this study, we determined the ability of PM to accumulate on leaves in relation to the species of tree and PM source. We tested saplings of three common European tree species (Betula pendula, Quercus robur, and Tilia cordata) by experimentally polluting them with PM from different sources (cement, construction, and roadside PM), and then assessing the effects of PM on plant growth and ecophysiology. In all studied species, we have found two types of PM accumulation: a layer on the leaf surface and an in-wax layer. Results showed that the studied species accumulate PM on their leaf blade, reducing the efficiency of its photosynthetic apparatus, which in a broader sense can be considered a reduction in the plants’ normal functioning. Saplings of Q. robur suffered the least, whereas B. pendula (especially photosynthetic rate and conductivity) and T. cordata (especially increase in leader shoot length) exhibited greater negative effects. The foliage of B. pendula collected the most PM, followed by Q. robur, and then T. cordata, regardless of the dust’s source. All tested species showed a tendency for higher wax production when growing under PM pollution stress. We believe that, potentially, B. pendula best enhances the quality of the PM-contaminated environment; however, faster leaf fall, reduced productivity, and worse quality of wood should be considered in urban forest management.
Highlights
Consumerism and industrialisation have given birth to air pollution, an important global problem with a crucial impact on the health and lives of people (Rai 2016; Khaniabadi et al 2017)
Studies were conducted in the vegetation seasons of 2015 and 2016, using Betula pendula Roth., Quercus robur L., and Tilia cordata Mill. growing in pots filled with the same substrate
In comparison with control plants (d; Tukey HSD test), leaves of saplings dusted with cement particulate matter (PM) accumulated approximately 2.5-fold more PM (a), saplings dusted with roadside PM accumulated 2.3-fold more PM
Summary
Consumerism and industrialisation have given birth to air pollution, an important global problem with a crucial impact on the health and lives of people (Rai 2016; Khaniabadi et al 2017). Environ Sci Pollut Res (2020) 27:10296–10307 estimated that the current level of anthropogenic PM contamination causes approximately two million premature deaths annually worldwide (Silva et al 2013) This is why it is so important to study and use all safe, available, affordable methods to prevent and effectively eliminate the source of this complex problem. If pollutants have been released into the atmosphere, in addition to technical equipment such as chimney and car particle filters, plants, especially deciduous trees and shrubs, have an important role in reducing the amount of PM in the atmosphere by accumulating pollutants on the surfaces of their leaves (Popek et al 2017a). The amount of PM gathered on leaves depends on quantity, size, and morphology of leaves (Prusty et al 2005) and can be increased by the presence of epicuticular waxes, in which PM can become stuck or immersed (Dzierżanowski et al 2011; Leonard et al 2016)
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