Structural and ultrastructural analysis of native tree species under the influence of air pollution

Abstract

The economic activities development in the Metropolitan Region of Campinas SP (RMC) was marked by the installation of a petrochemical complex. High concentrations of air pollutants are recorded in the region such as tropospheric ozone (O3), especially during the hot season (between August and December). Plants can be used as pollutants bioindicators once they can react to changes in air quality in specific ways. Thus the biomonitoring with plants is an important alternative tool for mapping risks posed by air pollution to biological systems, identifying populations at risk and creating monitoring networks. In recent years, structural and ultrastructural analysis of plants exposed to air pollutants have been growing, since they allow the validation, by specific markers in the leaves, contributing to the selection of bioindicators species. In temperate regions, many studies indicate the effects of O3 on vegetation, which is characterized by visible foliar symptoms and specific structural and ultrastructural changes. However, studies in tropical forests are scarce and little is known about the response of native plants to the effects of O3. The project aims to validate, through structural markers, visible symptoms resulting from oxidative stress caused by O3 in native arboreous species: Astronium graveolens, Piptadenia gonoachanta and Croton floribundus present in forest remnants in RMC, to encourage the use of such species as bioindicators in tropical regions. (AU)