Response of Native Tree Species to Ambient Air Quality

Abstract

The present investigation is the impact of air pollution on biochemical parameters of fifteen common tree species growing in different locations of Virudhunagar, Tamilnadu, India. The biochemical parameters taken into considerations were soluble protein content and total carbohydrate content of leaves. Variation in carbohydrate response to pollution stress may reflect difference in pollutants concentrations. Also, pollution tolerance has been associated with several biochemical characteristics such as higher concentrations of reducing sugars. It is evident from this research that the flow of the carbohydrates from the source to the sinks was affected by increased levels of studied gases. In addition, found a decrease in protein concentration under air pollution. Plant species differ in their response to air pollution. The results indicate that protein and carbohydrate content of leaves show considerable variation with the increase of intensity of air pollutants concentration.