Gabriele Klumpp

Plants as bioindicators of air pollution at the Serra do Mar near the industrial complex of Cubatão, Brazil

As a result of air pollutant emissions from the industrial complex of Cubatão, Brazil, the Atlantic Forest vegetation of the Serra do Mar shows severe and widespread damage. In order to obtain information on the type, intensity and causes of the vegetation damage, bioindicator plants were exposed at different distances from the emission sources. Air-pollution-induced effects were evaluated by estimation of visible injury symptoms and chemical analyses of leaves. The results prove the occurrence of phytotoxic levels of photochemical oxidants in wide parts of the research area. Intense fluoride-induced damage and high leaf fluoride concentrations were found in a valley downwind of fertiliser industries. The study showed that some of the traditional standardised bioindication methods from temperate climates may be successfully employed in biomonitoring programmes in tropical and subtropical regions.

Tropical fruit trees as bioindicators of industrial air pollution in southeast Brazil

Psidium guajava L., Psidium cattleyanum Sabine and Mangifera indica L. were tested under field conditions as possible tropical bioindicators of industrial air pollution. The study was performed around the industrial complex of Cubatão, SE Brazil, which comprises 23 industries, including fertilizer, cement, chemical, petrochemical, and steel plants, with 110 production units and 260 emission sources of pollutants. Saplings were exposed to environmental conditions during four periods of 16 weeks each (September 1994-September 1995), at four different sites in the coastal mountains near the industrial complex: the Valley of Pilões River (VP), the reference area; the Valley of Mogi River (VM), with high contamination of particulate matter, fluorides (F), sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N) compounds; Caminho do Mar (CM1, CM2), mainly affected by organic pollutants, S and N compounds, and secondary pollutants; and Paranapiacaba (PP), affected by secondary pollutants, such as ozone. M. indica did not adapt to the climatic conditions at the exposure sites. In the two Psidium species, the presence of visible symptoms, root/shoot ratio, foliar contents of F, S and N, amounts of ascorbate (AA) and water-soluble thiols (-SH), as well as peroxidase activity (POD) were determined. P. guajava showed higher foliar accumulation of F, S and N, more pronounced alterations of biochemical indicators, and less visible leaf injury than P. cattleyanum. P. guajava may be used as an accumulative indicator in tropical climates, while further studies will be needed before P. cattleyanum might be applied as a sensitive species in biomonitoring programs.

EuroBionet: A Pan-European Biomonitoring Network for Urban Air Quality Assessment

EuroBionet, the ‘European Network for the Assessment of Air Quality by the Use of Bioindicator Plants’, is an EU-funded cooperative project currently consisting of public authorities and scientific institutes from 12 cities in 8 countries. In 2000, the bioindicator plants tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum Bel W3), poplar (Populus nigra ‘Brandaris’), spiderwort (Tradescantia sp. clone 4430), Italian rye grass (Lolium multiflorum italicum) and curly kale (Brassica oleracea acephala) were exposed to ambient air at 90 monitoring sites according to standardised methods. Visible injuries and growth parameters were assessed and the accumulation of toxic substances in leaves determined. The exposure of tobacco resulted in a gradient with low levels of ozone-induced foliar injury in N and NW Europe, and medium to high values in the southern and central regions. The results of heavy metal and sulphur analyses in rye grass samples generally showed low to very low sulphur and low to medium heavy metal concentrations in leaves. In some cities, however, local hot spots of heavy metal contamination were detected. Analyses of the PAH contents in curly kale leaves gave low to medium values, with locally elevated levels at traffic-exposed sites.

Um novo conceito de monitoramento e comunicação ambiental: a rede européia para a avaliação da qualidade do ar usando plantas bioindicadoras (EuroBionet)

In spite of all progress made in reducing the emission of air pollutants, the air quality is still unsatisfactory in many European cities. Bioindicator plants are of increasing importance for air quality control as their use makes it possible to prove and to demonstrate the negative impact of air pollutants on living organisms in a way that is easily comprehensible also to laymen. The pan-European project EuroBionet uses bioindicator plants to assess air pollution effects within a network of cities. Through a specific communication concept the scientific results of the project are translated and communicated in a way that addresses the public and raises environmental awareness. Thus the aim is to induce a change of attitude in parts of the urban population and to increase the acceptance of remedial measures. In the present paper the scientific and communicative aims and methods of the EuroBionet project are presented. First results of the exposure of tobacco plants in ten European cities during August and September 2000 show a gradient of increasing ozone impact from the North to the South and Centre of Europe with low injury degree in Scotland and Denmark and high degree in Italy, France, Austria and Southern Germany.

Effects of complex air pollution on tree species of the Atlantic Rain Forest near Cubatão, Brazil

The industrial complex of Cubatao, SE-Brazil, is presented as a typical example of the increasing environmental problems of developing and threshold countries. As a consequence of high air pollutant emissions the Atlantic Rain Forest shows severe decline symptoms. Studies with native tree species including field investigations in the stand and exposure experiments with young trees revealed an accumulation of toxic elements like fluoride and sulphur in the leaves, alterations of mineral economy, metabolic changes typical for stress situations and modifications of growth characteristics. These findings are discussed with respect to the vegetation risk by air pollution.

Fluoride impact on native tree species of the atlantic forest near Cubatão, Brazil

Air pollutant emissions from the industrial complex of Cubatão, Brazil, have led to a severe deterioration of the Atlantic Forest ecosystem. In a field study, leaves of the tree speciesTibouchina pulchra, Miconia pyrifolia, andCecropia glazioui were collected at four sites with different pollution characteristics. Leaf fluoride contents of the three species were found to be highly elevated in a valley near to fertilizer factories. In an area further from the emission sources, which in the past had been affected by fluoride pollution, fluoride concentrations inTibouchina andMiconia continued to be elevated. Preliminary exposure experiments using Tibouchina seedlings as accumulative indicators are reported.

Assessment of the vegetation risk by fluoride emissions from fertiliser industries at Cubatão, Brazil

Abstract The Atlantic Rain Forest near the industrial complex of Cubatao, south-eastern Brazil, suffers from the impact of severe air pollution. Gaseous and particulate fluorides which are emitted by fertiliser plants are assumed to play an important role in the forest decline. In order to obtain information on the air pollution situation and the spatial and temporal distribution of pollution effects, standardised bioindication methods from temperate climates were introduced and applied during a three-year study. A sensitive Gladiolus cultivar developed typical fluoride-induced leaf lesions in areas affected by airborne fluorides, and Lolium multiflorum cultures accumulated large quantities of fluoride. Highly significant linear regression was found between foliar fluoride contents of both species as well as between leaf damage and fluoride accumulation in Gladiolus plants. By using these indicator species, four different areas of the region were identified with respect to vegetation risk by airborne fluorides.

Foliar Nutrient Contents in Tree Species of the Atlantic Rain Forest as Influenced by Air Pollution from the Industrial Complex of Cubatão, SE-Brazil

Air pollutant emissions from the industrial complex of Cubatão, SE-Brazil, have caused a severe decline of the Atlantic Forest in that region. In order to test the influenceof air pollution on the mineral nutrition of trees, leaves of the native species Tibouchina pulchra Cogn. (Melastomataceae), Miconia pyrifolia Naud. (Melastomataceae) and Cecropia glazioui Snethl. (Cecropiaceae) were sampled during winter and summer seasons at four sites with different pollution characteristics. Additionally, saplings of T. pulchra were cultivated in uniform soil and exposed to ambient air at the same experimentalsites for periods of 16 weeks. In both kinds of leaf samples, the concentrations of macro-nutrients were determined and nutrient ratios calculated. In leaves of mature T. pulchraand C. glazioui growing at polluted sites N, P and S levels were significantly higher than in trees from the reference area. With respect to K contents, C. glaziouishowed an increase, T. pulchra a decrease when compared to reference trees. Mg and Ca concentrations generally did not exhibit great variations. As a consequence of the changes in mineral contents nutrient ratios (N/K, N/Ca, S/K, S/Ca) shifted to higher values. The results of the exposure experiments together with data on pollutant concentrations inambient air and rain water demonstrated that atmosphericdeposition to the plants and pollution effects on the soilchemistry are the main reasons for the observed alterations inmineral nutrition of trees.

HEMEROCALLIS AS BIOINDICATOR OF FLUORIDE POLLUTION IN TROPICAL COUNTRIES

In the frame of an active monitoring study at the Serra do Mar near the industrial pool of Cubatão, Brazil,Hemerocallis was tested for its suitability as bioindicator of airborne fluoride pollution. In a screening experiment with various cultivars comparison of susceptibility, correlation of visible injury and foliar fluoride concentration as well as comparison with exposure ofGladiolus gave best results for theHemerocallis cultivar ‘Red Moon’. When exposed simultaneously foliar fluoride accumulation ofHemerocallis showed a highly significant linear correlation with fluoride content ofLolium multiflorum, the ‘standardized grass culture’ andGladiolus, well-known bioindicator species for fluoride impact. With respect to the extent of foliar injuryHemerocallis was less sensitive thanGladiolus, in terms of accumulation capacity it ranged betweenLolium andGladiolus. In general, the results of the biomonitoring study proved that the Atlantic Forest vegetation in a valley downwind from the Cubatão fertilizer industries is still suffering from severe fluoride pollution.