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Increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide and heavy metals in soils through pollution are serious problems worldwide. In the present study, we investigated the impacts of elevated atmospheric CO2 and fly ash (FA)-amended soil on the physiological response (chlorophyll content, non-structural carbohydrates, oil and total proteins) of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] at three growth stages (vegetative, reproductive and maturity). An increase in plant growth and biomass was observed at elevated CO2 and for moderate concentrations of FA in amended soils in all development plant stages. In contrast to these results, a different response pattern was found for the chlorophyll content and non-structural carbohydrates in relation to the developmental stage, showing that even though in the vegetative growth stage the highest concentration of chlorophylls corresponded to elevated CO2 conditions. An opposite result was observed during the grainfilling stage (reduction of chlorophylls of 15 % at ambient CO2 conditions for the treatments 10, 15, and 25 % of FA), which probably is related with the distribution of nutrients at this stage. Regarding to oil and total protein content an increase was observed at elevated CO2 and high concentrations of FA in amended soils. Our findings demonstrate that elevated CO2 and FA-amended soils alter the physiological response of soybean affecting the crop quality. Fil: Rodriguez, Judith Hebelen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina Fil: Klumpp, Andreas. Universidad de Hohenheim. Instituto de Paisaje y Ecologia Vegetal. Especialidad En Ecologia Vegetal y Ecotoxicologia; Alemania Fil: Högy, Petra. Universidad de Hohenheim. Instituto de Paisaje y Ecologia Vegetal. Especialidad En Ecologia Vegetal y Ecotoxicologia; Alemania Fil: Fangmeier, Andreas. Universidad de Hohenheim. Instituto de Paisaje y Ecologia Vegetal. Especialidad En Ecologia Vegetal y Ecotoxicologia; Alemania Fil: Maestri, Damian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (p); Argentina Fil: Lamarque, Alicia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina Fil: Labuckas, Diana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina Fil: Pignata, María Luisa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina

The air quality in agricultural areas close to industrial emission sources (chemical, metallurgical and cement plant) was evaluated through a biomonitoring study employing the epiphytic species Tillandsia capillaris Ruiz and Pav. f. capillaris. Plants were collected from a non-contaminated area in the province of Cordoba (reference site) and transplanted back to this site and into three industrial areas representing different emission sources of air pollutants: cement plant, chemical and metallurgical industries. Biomonitors were exposed to ambient air for four periods of 3 months each during one year (for determination of physiological parameters) and for four periods of 6 months each during two years (for determination of trace elements). In the exposure period coinciding with the winter season (i.e., the dry season) the plants showed the strongest global physiological damage, possibly due to higher air pollutant concentrations. The comparison among study areas indicates the highest values of foliar damage index at the chemical industries sites, possibly due to the emission of oxidizing pollutants. On the other hand, heavy metals and trace element concentrations (V, Fe, Co, Cu, Br, Ni, Zn and Pb) were associated mainly with metallurgical industries, although the chemical industries and the cement plant were associated with Ni, Zn and Ca accumulation in the biomonitor, respectively. Considering that these sites with high industrial activity are located close to soybean producing areas, further environmental and toxicological studies are necessary, taking into account food safety and human health.

In order to study the pollution gradient in the vicinity of an HF producing factory, a biomonitoring programme was performed employing VDI standardised grass cultures. Specimen plants of Lolium multiflorum cv. Lema were exposed at 11 sites over five monthly periods and the biomass produced was used for subsequent F-analyses. Meteorological data from the study region confirmed that wind direction accounted for changes in the pollution pattern over periods of time. Fluoride concentrations in the grass cultures, however, were unrelated to temperature and precipitation sums during the exposures. The biomass production of the grass cultures proved to be unrelated to these parameters as well but, with the enhanced growth of the plants, the fluoride concentrations were lower due to the dilution of the element with higher biomass accumulation. Because the contribution of particulate fluoride was unknown, both the washed grass cultures and the washing water were analysed in order to determine the amount of external fluoride. Washing reduced the fluoride concentrations by 22% on average, indicating that most of the element was internal fluoride stemming from stomatal uptake. Larger amounts of fluoride, however, could be washed off from grass cultures exposed at sites close to the factory indicating that dust emissions played a greater role at these locations. Because particulate emissions were supposed to arise from CaF 2 and the waste-product anhydrite, grass cultures were also analysed for calcium and sulphur. While calcium concentrations were generally high but unrelated to fluoride, sulphur concentrations showed a slight relationship to the F-concentrations determined in the unwashed plants. Latter findings indicate the co-deposition of the two elements as surface bound, external loads, but bioindication could not clarify to what extent both elements were partitioned in the gas-to-particle phase. We therefore recommend using the grass culture method in air quality programmes to identify any exceedances of European feeding stuff standards in the vicinity of large emitters.

A biomonitoring study using the ozone-sensitive bioindicator plant Nicotiana tabacum cv. Bel-W3 was conducted in the city of Valencia (eastern Spain) and surrounding areas in 2002. Plants were exposed to ambient air at seven sites, including four traffic-exposed urban sites, a large urban garden and a suburban and a rural station, for six consecutive 2-week periods using highly standardised methods. Foliar injury was registered at all stations in at least one of the exposure periods. The urban stations submitted to intense traffic showed lower ozone injury than the less traffic-exposed stations. Strong changes in the intensity of ozone injury were observed for the different exposure periods. Leaf injury was significantly related to both mean ozone values (24 and 12 h means) and cumulative exposure indices (AOT20, AOT40). However, correlation strength was moderate (r s = 0.39 to 0.58), suggesting that the plant response to ozone was modified by environmental factors. The use of sensitive bioindicators like tobacco Bel-W3 in cities provides complementary information to that of continuously operating air quality monitors, as the impact of ambient ozone levels is directly measured.

The present was study aimed at investigating the influence of relative humidity and temperature on spontaneous and pollution-induced mutation rates during exposure and recovery periods in the Trad-MCN test. Cuttings of Tradescantia clone 4430 were exposed to a negative control, to 4 mM maleic hydrazide (MH), and to a polluted water sample under varying conditions of air temperature and humidity in climatic chamber experiments. The relative humidity did not affect the spontaneous mutation rate in the clone investigated, but was negatively correlated with the frequency of pollution-induced mutations. Low temperature caused an increase in the number of micronuclei in the negative control, but no comparable response in polluted samples. At an extremely high temperature, signs of strong physiological damage and/or of a meiotic delay of pollen maturation were detected. When the temperature increased gradually and the extreme value was maintained only for short time, such detrimental effects were not observed. Subsequent treatment with high and low temperatures, by contrast, resulted in the highest MCN rates of all experiments. Our studies point to the possibility of producing irregular results of the Trad-MCN test if the influence of climatic factors has not sufficiently been considered.

A field study near the copper smelter of a large industrial complex examined air pollution effects on vegetation and soil parameters in Camaçari (northeast Brazil). Close to the smelter, soil pH-value was lower and total acidity as well as organic carbon contents were higher compared with a site far from the source and two reference sites. The acidification of top soil particularly and the drastically enhanced plant-available copper concentrations were caused by atmospheric deposition. High sulphur and copper deposition significantly reduced microbial biomass and altered functional diversity of soil microorganisms (arylsulphatase and xylanase). Large accumulations of sulphur, arsenic and copper were detected in mango leaves (Mangifera indica) growing downwind from the smelter suggesting potential food chain-mediated risk.

High deposition of gaseous/particulate fluorides and other air pollutants has resulted in an acidification and probable formation of soluble AlFx complexes in the soil in the vicinity of the industrial complex of Cubatao, SE Brazil. With the present field study we aimed at determining the contribution of F and Al uptake from fluoride-contaminated soil, supposedly as AlFx complexes, to the increase of foliar F and Al contents in saplings of an Al-accumulator tree species (Tibouchina pulchra) which were concomitantly exposed to fluoride-contaminated air and also the proportional contribution of both air and soil contamination to the mentioned foliar accumulation of these elements. The seasonal variations in F and Al accumulation and possible metabolic changes in the plants due to F and Al accumulation were also investigated. The saplings were exposed during three consecutive periods of 16 weeks to: (a) air and soil from a reference site (PVnoF); (b) air or soil from two polluted sites (CM-high air pollution, low F and MV-high air pollution, high F); and (c) both air and soil from these polluted sites. After exposure, the changes in the foliar concentrations of F and Al, the relations between both element contents and their relationships with oxidative stress indicators were determined. The data were grouped in three matrices: PVnoF–CMlwF and PVnoF–MVhgF, taking in account the possible air/soil exposure combinations in each, and soil/air from all sites. The slight F accumulation in plants of PVnoF–CMlwF matrix was a result of higher uptake from soil than from air (54 and 46%, respectively). At PVnoF–MVhgF matrix, the extremely high F accumulation in leaves of T. pulchra could be attributed to the combination of both air and soil contamination (83 and 17%, respectively). T. pulchra always showed higher foliar Al concentrations than 1000 μg g−1 dry mass, mainly after exposure to air and soil of both polluted sites (CMlwF and MVhgF). A highly significant linear regression was estimated between molar Al and F contents, taking in account the data obtained for saplings of T. pulchra cultivated in the different soils and exposed to ambient air of PVnoF, suggesting that both elements were taken as Al–F complexes from soil. The uptake of fluorides from air and/or soil of MVhgF caused significant metabolic changes in T. pulchra, but visible injury supposedly induced by fluorides were observed only when the foliar F contents surpassed 700 μg g−1 dry mass. On the contrary, Al did not cause any metabolic stress to the plants.

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. Keywords: Biomonitoring, Industrial air pollution, Fluoride, Sulfur, Nitrogen, Psidium guajava, Psidium cattleyanum

The use of cuprous fungicides in cocoa production in the southern part of the state of Bahia (Brazil) for decades has caused an accumulation of copper in various components of the cocoa plantations, and a contamination of regional freshwater ecosystems is suspected. Urban and industrial sources are supposed to contribute to water pollution and eutrophication of the Rio Cachoeira, the main river in this region. In order to study the metal contamination and nutritional status of this freshwater ecosystem, samples of the aquatic macrophytes Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes were collected at seven sites along the river course. The samples were analysed for their copper, aluminium, chromium, nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations. The levels of heavy metals increased in the downstream direction, particularly in the roots of water hyacinth. A dramatic increase of nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in water as well as in plant tissues was found in samples collected downstream from the city of Itabuna. Metal input and eutrophication were attributed to agricultural, industrial and urban sources in the region. Biomonitoring of the water quality using aquatic macrophytes as accumulative indicator plants is recommended in addition to chemical water analyses. Keywords: Water pollution, Heavy metals, Eutrophication, Macrophytes, Bioindicator, Brazil

Air pollutant emissions from the industrial complex of Cubatao, 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.

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.

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.

Air pollutant emissions from the industrial complex of Cubatao, 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.

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.

The carbon dioxide (CO2) levels of the global atmosphere and the emissions of heavy metals have risen in recent decades, and these increases are expected to produce an impact on crops and thereby affect yield and food safety. In this study, the effects of elevated CO2 and fly ash amended soils on trace element accumulation and translocation in the root, stem and seed compartments in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] were evaluated. Soybean plants grown in fly ash (FA) amended soil (0, 1, 10, 15, and 25% FA) at two CO2 regimes (400 and 600 ppm) in controlled environmental chambers were analyzed at the maturity stage for their trace element contents. The concentrations of Br, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in roots, stems and seeds in soybeans were investigated and their potential risk to the health of consumers was estimated. The results showed that high levels of CO2 and lower concentrations of FA in soils were associated with an increase in biomass. For all the elements analyzed except Pb, their accumulation in soybean plants was higher at elevated CO2 than at ambient concentrations. In most treatments, the highest concentrations of Br, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Pb were found in the roots, with a strong combined effect of elevated CO2 and 1% of FA amended soils on Pb accumulation (above maximum permitted levels) and translocation to seeds being observed. In relation to non-carcinogenic risks, target hazard quotients (TQHs) were significant in a Chinese individual for Mn, Fe and Pb. Also, the increased health risk due to the added effects of the trace elements studied was significant for Chinese consumers. According to these results, soybean plants grown for human consumption under future conditions of elevated CO2 and FA amended soils may represent a toxicological hazard. Therefore, more research should be carried out with respect to food consumption (plants and animals) under these conditions and their consequences for human health. Fil: Rodriguez, Judith Hebelen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina Fil: Klumpp, A.. Universität Hohenheim. Institute of Landscape and Plant Ecology; Alemania Fil: Fangmeier, A. Universität Hohenheim. Institute of Landscape and Plant Ecology; Alemania Fil: Pignata, Maria Luisa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina

The accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Tillandsia capillaris Ruiz and Pav. form capillaris and trace elements in T. capillaris and Lolium multiflorum (LAM) cv. Lema was assessed and evaluated in the city of Stuttgart, Germany. Several sites (urban, suburban and rural) categorized according to type and intensity of vehicular traffic were investigated. At these sites, plants of T. capillaris and standardized cultures of L. multiflorum were exposed to ambient air. Foliar concentrations of PAHs (16 priority pollutants according to US-EPA) and of the trace elements Br, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined. A high level of vehicular traffic was associated with the largest concentrations of PM10 in ambient air and with the highest contents of PAHs and heavy metals in the bioindicator plants. The results showed a similar pattern between T. capillaris and the standardized biomonitor L. multiflorum. Therefore, these results allow us to propose T. capillaris as a suitable bioindicator to assess the distribution of pollution impacts caused by PAHs and trace elements in different subtropical and tropical regions. Fil: Rodriguez, Judith Hebelen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina Fil: Pignata, María Luisa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina Fil: Fangmeier, A.. Universidad de Hohenheim; Alemania Fil: Klumpp, A.. Universidad de Hohenheim; Alemania

The toxicity and ecotoxicity of airborne particulate matter is determined by its physical features, but also by its chemical composition. The standardised exposure of accumulative bioindicator plants is suggested as an efficient and reliable tool to assess and monitor effects of particulate matter on man and environment. Two widely applied biomonitoring procedures, namely the standardised ryegrass exposure for monitoring of trace metals, and the standardised exposure of curly kale for monitoring of PAH compounds, is presented taking examples from a Europe-wide biomonitoring study conducted in 11 European cities. The presented studies proved the suitability of the procedures applied and demonstrated the high relevance of traffic emissions for particle-bound trace metal and PAH pollution in urban areas. Recommendations for the further standardisation of methods and wider application of these methods in environmental monitoring programmes are made.

11 páginas, 2 tablas, 3 figuras., Within a European biomonitoring programme, Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) was employed as accumulative bioindicator of airbornetraceelements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Sb, V, Zn) in urban agglomerations. Applying a highly standardised method, grass cultures were exposed for consecutive periods of four weeks each to ambient air at up to 100 sites in 11cities during 2000–2002. Results of the 2001 exposure experiments revealed a clear differentiation of traceelementpollution within and among local monitoring networks. Pollution was influenced particularly by traffic emissions. Especially Sb, Pb, Cr, Fe, and Cu exhibited a very uneven distribution within the municipal areas with strong accumulation in plants from traffic-exposed sites in the city centres and close to major roads, and moderate to low levels in plants exposed at suburban or rural sites. Accumulation of Ni and V was influenced by other emission sources. The biomonitoring sites located in Spanish city centres featured a much higher pollution load by traceelements than those in other cities of the network, confirming previously reported findings obtained by chemical analyses of dust deposition and aerosols. At some heavily-trafficked sites, legal thresholds for Cu, Pb, and V contents in foodstuff and animal feed were reached or even surpassed. The study confirmed that the standardised grass exposure is a useful and reliable tool to monitor and to assess environmental levels of potentially toxic compounds of particulate matter., This study was supported by the LIFE Environment Programme of the European Commission under the grant LIFE/99/ENV/D/000453.CEAM is partly supported by Generalitat Valenciana, Bancaja, and CONSOLIDER-INGENIO 2010 (GRACCIE).

International audience; Within the scope of a biomonitoring study conducted in twelve urban agglomerations in eight European countries, the ozone-sensitive bioindicator plant Nicotiana tabacum cv. Bel-W3 was employed in order to assess the occurrence of phytotoxic ozone effects at urban, suburban, rural and traffic-exposed sites. The tobacco plants were exposed to ambient air for biweekly periods at up to 100 biomonitoring sites from 2000 to 2002. Special emphasis was placed upon methodological standardisation of plant cultivation, field exposure and injury assessment. Ozone-induced leaf injury showed a clearly increasing gradient from northern and northwestern Europe to central and southern European locations. The strongest ozone impact occurred at the exposure sites in Lyon and Barcelona, while in Edinburgh, Sheffield, Copenhagen and Düsseldorf only weak to moderate ozone effects were registered. Between-site differences within local networks were relatively small, but seasonal and inter-annual differences were strong due to the variability of meteorological conditions and related ozone concentrations. The 2001 data revealed a significant relationship between foliar injury degree and various descriptors of ozone pollution such as mean value, AOT20 and AOT40. Examining individual sites of the local monitoring networks separately, however, yielded noticeable differences. Some sites showed no association between ozone pollution and ozone-induced effects, whereas others featured almost linear relationships. This is because the actual ozone flux into the leaf, which is modified by various environmental factors, rather than ambient ozone concentration determines the effects on plants. The advantage of sensitive bioindicators like tobacco Bel-W3 is that the impact of the effectively absorbed ozone dose can directly be measured.

International audience; Urban atmospheres contain complex mixtures of air pollutants including mutagenic and carcinogenic substances such as benzene, diesel soot, heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In the frame of a European network for the assessment of air quality by the use of bioindicator plants, the Tradescantia micronucleus (Trad-MCN) test was applied to examine the genotoxicity of urban air pollution. Cuttings of Tradescantia clone #4430 were exposed to ambient air at 65 monitoring sites in 10 conurbations employing a standardised methodology. The tests revealed an elevated genotoxic potential mainly at those urban sites which were exposed to severe car traffic emissions. This bioassay proved to be a suitable tool to detect local ‘hot spots’ of mutagenic air pollution in urban areas. For its use in routine monitoring programmes, however, further standardisation of cultivation and exposure techniques is recommended in order to reduce the variability of results due to varying environmental conditions.

International audience; In the frame of a European research project on air quality in urban agglomerations, data on ozone concentrations from 23 automated urban and suburban monitoring stations in 11 cities from seven countries were analysed and evaluated. Daily and summer mean and maximum concentrations were computed based on hourly mean values, and cumulative ozone exposure indices (Accumulated exposure Over a Threshold of 40 ppb (AOT40), AOT20) were calculated. The diurnal profiles showed a characteristic pattern in most city centres, with minimum values in the early morning hours, a strong rise during the morning, peak concentrations in the afternoon, and a decline during the night. The widest amplitudes between minimum and maximum values were found in central and southern European cities such as Du¨ sseldorf, Verona, Klagenfurt, Lyon or Barcelona. In the northern European cities of Edinburgh and Copenhagen, by contrast, maximum values were lower and diurnal variation was much smaller. Based on ozone concentrations as well as on cumulative exposure indices, a clear north–south gradient in ozone pollution, with increasing levels from northern and northwestern sites to central and southern European sites, was observed. Only the Spanish cities did not fit this pattern; there, ozone levels were again lower than in central European cities, probably due to the direct influence of strong car traffic emissions. In general, ozone concentrations and cumulative exposure were significantly higher at suburban sites than at urban and traffic-exposed sites. When applying the newly established European Union (EU) Directive on ozone pollution in ambient air, it was demonstrated that the target value for the protection of human health was regularly surpassed at urban as well as suburban sites, particularly in cities in Austria, France, northern Italy and southern Germany. European target values and long-term objectives for the protection of vegetation expressed as AOT40 were also exceeded at many monitoring sites.

A pollution gradient was observed in precipitation, plants and soils sampled at different locations around a fluoride producing chemical plant in Germany. In all samples the influence of emissions was discernible up to a distance of 500 m from the plant. However, fluoride concentrations in plant bioindicators (leaves of birch and black berry) and in bulk precipitation showed a more pronounced relationship with the distance from the source than fluoride concentrations in soil. Vegetables sampled in the vicinity of the plant also had elevated concentrations of fluoride, but only the consumption of larger quantities of this material would lead to exceedances of recommended daily F-intake. The present study did not indicate the existence of low phytotoxicity thresholds for fluoride in the plant species used in the study. Even at very high fluoride concentrations in leaf tissue (963 ppm) plants did not show injury due to HF. Dust sampling downwind of the chemical plant confirmed that particulate fluoride was of minor importance in the study area.

The present was study aimed at investigating the influence of relative humidity and temperature on spontaneous and pollution-induced mutation rates during exposure and recovery periods in the Trad-MCN test. Cuttings of Tradescantia clone 4430 were exposed to a negative control, to 4 mM maleic hydrazide (MH), and to a polluted water sample under varying conditions of air temperature and humidity in climatic chamber experiments. The relative humidity did not affect the spontaneous mutation rate in the clone investigated, but was negatively correlated with the frequency of pollution-induced mutations. Low temperature caused an increase in the number of micronuclei in the negative control, but no comparable response in polluted samples. At an extremely high temperature, signs of strong physiological damage and/or of a meiotic delay of pollen maturation were detected. When the temperature increased gradually and the extreme value was maintained only for short time, such detrimental effects were not observed. Subsequent treatment with high and low temperatures, by contrast, resulted in the highest MCN rates of all experiments. Our studies point to the possibility of producing irregular results of the Trad-MCN test if the influence of climatic factors has not sufficiently been considered.

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.

Apesar de todo o progresso alcançado na redução da emissão de poluentes atmosféricos durante as últimas décadas, a poluição do ar ainda representa um dos principais problemas ambientais nos centros urbanos da Europa. Plantas bioindicadoras têm um papel cada vez maior no controle da qualidade do ar, já que seu uso comprova e demonstra os efeitos negativos da poluição em seres vivos de uma maneira facilmente inteligível, inclusive para leigos. Em uma rede de municípios, o projeto pan-europeu EuroBionet utiliza plantas bioindicadoras para a avaliação de possíveis efeitos da poluição aérea. Através de um conceito de comunicação específico, os resultados científicos do projeto são traduzidos e divulgados de uma forma que chama a atenção do público em geral e que sensibiliza a população urbana. Desta forma, pretende-se induzir a uma mudança no comportamento e aumentar a aceitação de medidas corretivas. No presente trabalho, os objetivos científicos e de comunicação do projeto EuroBionet são apresentados. Os primeiros resultados da exposição de plantas de tabaco em dez cidades européias, durante os meses de agosto e setembro de 2000, demonstram um gradiente de impacto de ozônio do norte para o sul e centro da Europa, com efeitos leves na Escócia e Dinamarca e fortes nas plantas expostas na Itália, França, Áustria e sul da Alemanha. 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.

The present study was performed in the vicinity of the industrial complex of Cubatao, Sao Paulo, Brazil, in order to evaluate the response of 'manaca da serra' Tibouchina pulchra Cogn. (Melastomataceae), a common species of secondary Atlantic Rain Forest vegetation, to the impact of complex air pollution. Emphasis was given to changes of biochemical parameters such as ascorbic acid concentration, peroxidase activity, contents of water-soluble thiols, pH of leaf extract and buffering capacity. These plant factors are often used as early indicators of air pollution stress. Field experiments included sampling of leaves from mature trees in areas with different air pollution load (passive monitoring), exposure of saplings cultivated in uniform soil at these areas (active monitoring) and a study on the combined effects of contaminated soil and air pollution. In general, metabolic response of saplings was more accentuated than that of mature trees. Leaf extract pH and buffering capacity showed no or only small alterations in plants exposed to industrial emissions. In contrast, air pollution resulted in a distinct decrease in ascorbic acid contents and an increase in peroxidase activity and thiol concentrations in leaves. Cultivation of saplings in soil types from contaminated regions frequently caused the same modifications or enhanced the effects produced by air pollution. Growth analysis of exposed saplings demonstrated that a change of the relationship between above-ground and below-ground plant parts was the most obvious effect of air pollution and soil contamination. The experiments showed that even T. pulchra, a species considered resistant to air pollution, suffers metabolic disturbances by the present ambient air and soil quality. Although biochemical and physiological alterations were not related to a certain air pollution type, they could be used to estimate the overall pollution load and to map zones with different air quality.

In the frame of an active monitoring study at the Serra do Mar near the industrial pool of Cubatao, 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 Cubatao fertilizer industries is still suffering from severe fluoride pollution.

Four-year-old spruce clones ( Picea abies (L.) Karst.) cultivated in sand and provided with a complete nutrient solution, or a solution deficient in magnesium and calcium, were exposed to the pollutant mixtures SO 2 /NO 2 , O 3 /NO 2 , and O 3 /SO 2 /NO 2 , at realistic concentrations for 32 weeks. Fumigation caused a slight increase of total N contents in current year needles, whereas in one-year-old needles N concentrations did not change. The response of nitrate reductase activity to pollutant stress depended on needle age and nutrient supply, respectively. In one-year-old needles fumigation resulted in a significant inhibition of enzyme activity, particularly in Mg and Ca deficient trees. The combination of all three components proved to be most effective in causing a decrease by 60% compared to the control. In contrast, nitrate reductase activity was stimulated in current year needles, especially by O 3 /NO 2 and O 3 /SO 2 /NO 2 . Changes in the activity of nitrate and nitrite reductases are considered as a factor contributing to the high phytotoxic potential of pollutant combinations with NO 2 .

Nearly nothing is known about the environmental impact of aircraft emissions in the vicinity of airports, particularly at the level of the vegetation. Nevertheless, large jet aircrafts are significant sources of ground level air pollutants as: NOx , heavy metals (Al, Ti, Cr, Fe, Ni, Ba, Cd) and volatile organic compounds (BTX and HPA). First measurements have been realized in relation to the impact on the surrounding vegetation of airport – related emissions.