Characterization of Tibouchina granulosa (Desr.) Cong. (Melastomataceae) as a biomonitor of air pollution and quantification of particulate matter adsorbed by leaves

The main anatomical features of Tibouchina granulosa (Desr.) Cong. (Melastomataceae) have been investigated in order to assess the potential of the species as a possible biomonitor of air pollution in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Various types of trichomes located on the adaxial and abaxial surfa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecological engineering 2013-12, Vol.61, p.316-327
Main Authors: Zampieri, Maria Cristina T., Sarkis, Jorge E.S., Pestana, Rafael C.B., Tavares, Armando R., Melo-de-Pinna, Gladys F.A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
air pollution
air quality
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife
Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution
Environmental degradation: ecosystems survey and restoration
forests
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
landscapes
leaf area
leaves
monitoring
Morphoanatomy
ornamental trees
Particulate matter
particulates
Scanning electron microscopy–energy depressive X-ray spectroscopy
Stomatal index
Terrestrial environment, soil, air
Tibouchina
Tibouchina granulosa
Trichomes
urban areas
weather
wet deposition
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Summary:The main anatomical features of Tibouchina granulosa (Desr.) Cong. (Melastomataceae) have been investigated in order to assess the potential of the species as a possible biomonitor of air pollution in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Various types of trichomes located on the adaxial and abaxial surfaces of the leaves of this ornamental tree were able to adsorb particulate matter (PM) within the size range 2.5–100μm. Following dry or wet deposition, the particles remained adsorbed to the leaves and did not return to the environment under normal weather conditions. The numbers of particles adsorbed per unit area of leaf differed significantly depending on the location at which the samples were collected. Leaves from a relatively unpolluted site located in a remnant of the Atlantic Forest within the city of São Paulo showed the lowest particle density, while samples collected in the city centers of São Paulo and Cubatão presented the highest numbers of particles with aerodynamic sizes
ISSN:0925-8574
1872-6992
DOI:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2013.09.050