Chemical composition of vegetation along urbanisation gradients in two European cities

Sæbø, Arne; Hanslin, Hans Martin; Torp, Torfinn; Lierhagen, Syverin; Gawrońska, H.; Dzierżanowski, K.; Gawroński, S.W.

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2014.12.029

Cited by 13 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The three tested species differed in terms of concentrations of TE in plant tissue, and the highest concentrations, except for Sb, were recorded in C. betulus . The differentiation between species was not surprising, since it was shown in earlier studies that there may be a more than 10-fold difference in TE accumulation between species, even when studied under the same pollution load conditions (Sæbø et al 2012 , 2015 ). It is interesting, however, that the highest TE concentrations inside the leaves were noted in deciduous C. betulus , not in conifers, especially not P. nigra which accumulated significantly higher amounts of PM.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…It is difficult to state exactly how much of TE is taken up from the soil and or comes from increased air deposition on the foliage (Sæbø et al 2015 ); thus, the importance of roadside vegetation in reducing the levels of TE in the ambient air is sometimes underestimated. In this work, TE was analysed in both plant tissues and PM accumulated on the foliage, which allowed to prove that in parallel with the adsorption of PM, plant foliage accumulated also considerable quantities of airborne TE deposited as PM.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, the concentrations of TE in the foliage of plants growing close to the emission source are usually high (Mori et al 2015 ; Przybysz et al 2014b ; Sæbø et al 2012 ). However, it is difficult to state exactly what amount of TE was taken up from the soil and was translocated to the aboveground parts of plants or came from the increased deposition on the foliage (Sæbø et al 2015 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Removal of particulate matter and trace elements from ambient air by urban greenery in the winter season

Przybysz

Nersisyan²,

Gawroński

2018

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Particulate matter (PM) is one of the most harmful inhaled pollutants. When PM is emitted into the atmosphere, the only possible method for cleaning ambient air is through vegetation acting as biological filters for pollutants. However, in winter periods when the concentration of PM is usually the highest, the efficiency of plants is very low. The aim of this work was therefore to examine the accumulation of PM and selected trace elements (TE) by three species, evergreen coniferous Taxus baccata L. and Pinus nigra Arn., and deciduous Carpinus betulus L. during the winter season. The highest amounts of PM accumulated on the foliage of P. nigra, while TE on the leaves of C. betulus. Most of the PM accumulated on plant foliage belonged to the large fraction size (10–100 μm) and was deposited on the surface of foliage (SPM). The concentration of four TE (Ni, Pb, Cd, and Sb) was higher in PM accumulated on foliage, while in the case of three other TE (Zn, Cr and Mg), their concentration was higher in plant tissue. The TE were recorded in all PM size fractions and were rather equally distributed between surface PM (SPM) and in-wax PM (WPM). These findings have implications for urban plantings in countries with short vegetative season, where tolerant conifer species and deciduous species which keep foliage through winter should be included in urban forest plantings due to their efficiency in the removal of pollutants from the air.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Removal of particulate matter and trace elements from ambient air by urban greenery in the winter season

Przybysz

Nersisyan²,

Gawroński

2018

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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“…Experiments carried out in China have shown that areas covered with trees have a lower PM 2.5 content in the air [163]. Research conducted in Warsaw and Stavanger in 2009-2010 revealed suspended dust PM 10 and PM 2.5 on the leaf surface and in waxes [164]. Among the four tree species studied in Warsaw (A. campestre, F. excelsior, P. × hispanica, T. cordata), small-leaved lime trees accumulated the highest content of PM 10 on the leaf surface and in waxes [165].…”

Section: Urban Microclimate and Air Pollutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Complex Issue of Urban Trees—Stress Factor Accumulation and Ecological Service Possibilities

Czaja

Kołton

Muras

2020

Forests

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This review paper is the first that summarizes many aspects of the ecological role of trees in urban landscapes while considering their growth conditions. Research Highlights are: (i) Plant growth conditions in cities are worsening due to high urbanization rates and new stress factors; (ii) Urban trees are capable of alleviating the stress factors they are exposed to; (iii) The size and vitality of trees is related to the ecological services they can provide. Our review shows, in a clear way, that the phenomenon of human-related environmental degradation, which generates urban tree stress, can be effectively alleviated by the presence of trees. The first section reviews concerns related to urban environment degradation and its influence on trees. Intense urbanization affects the environment of plants, raising the mortality rate of urban trees. The second part deals with the dieback of city trees, its causes and scale. The average life expectancy of urban trees is relatively low and depends on factors such as the specific location, proper care and community involvement, among others. The third part concerns the ecological and economic advantages of trees in the city structure. Trees affect citizen safety and health, but also improve the soil and air environment. Finally, we present the drawbacks of tree planting and discuss if they are caused by the tree itself or rather by improper tree management. We collect the latest reports on the complicated state of urban trees, presenting new insights on the complex issue of trees situated in cities, struggling with stress factors. These stressors have evolved over the decades and emphasize the importance of tree presence in the city structure.

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Air Phytoremediation

Gawroński

Gawrońska

2017

Phytoremediation

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Air pollution presently is a challenge fo-r many areas of the world. Plants are higher organisms that can best deal with this problem despite the fact often in the air is a mixture of pollutants of different origin and toxicity. The world of plants is very diverse and well adopted to changes in the environment, including air. This large biodiversity allowed to select species with a very high tolerance, which are the base for the discipline known as phytoremediation. All plants during their presence in the environment run the process of phytoremediation, but some species tolerate a very high concentration of selected pollutants. Moreover, they are able to uptake/ accumulate and next to degrade/detoxify in order to make them less harmful. Tolerant plant species can be found in very extreme conditions but for phytoremediation are useful plant species which besides being cultivatable, produce a large leaf area and biomass. Urban areas often contribute in creating high polluted sites as street canyons, road crossing, bus stops, and surrounding of heavy traffic freeway. In all these places, air pollution can be mitigated by the presence of selected plant species. Additionally, agronomic practices allow to maintain them on a polluted site and to form them in configuration for optimal deposition of pollutants. Air phytoremediation in urban areas, where at present men spend most of the time, is strongly desired and hard to overestimate if environment and human health and well-being are the prospect.

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Chemical composition of vegetation along urbanisation gradients in two European cities

Cited by 13 publications

References 23 publications

Removal of particulate matter and trace elements from ambient air by urban greenery in the winter season

Removal of particulate matter and trace elements from ambient air by urban greenery in the winter season

The Complex Issue of Urban Trees—Stress Factor Accumulation and Ecological Service Possibilities

Air Phytoremediation

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