Biological monitoring (BM) uses organisms to determine the presence, amounts, temporal/spatial changes, and effects of both abiotic and biotic factors in the environment. The huge difference between BM and traditional physico-chemical measures of air quality is that the latter measures take into account emissions and immissions but only indirectly measure the “health” of the atmosphere because they do not look directly at biological responses. Specific plants, and namely tobacco cv. Bel-W3 are considered to be reliable bioindicators of ambient ozone (O3). Leaf injury on these plants is usually the first indication that a region has developed an O3 problem. Bel-W3 tobacco is a “perfect” bioindicator of O3 in the air, as it is highly sensitive. It develops easily recognizable and quantifiable peculiar foliar symptoms, and its vegetative period is coincident with the photo-smog season. Biomonitoring protocols are applied in community, local, regional, and nation-wide campaigns. The entire methodology, from plant cultivation to exposure, injury assessment, data treatment, statistical analysis, and presentation of results, is now standardized. Some sticking points are that: (i) BM does not replace modeling or conventional methods of direct measurement of air pollutants, it complements them by demonstrating the biological effect; (ii) bioindicator stations can make it possible to supplement at moderate costs the pre-existing network; and (iii) bioindicators raise public awareness by recourse to living organisms (i.e., O3-sensitive plants make invisible air pollution visible).
Biological monitoring of ozone pollution with vascular plants
Nali C.;Lorenzini G.
2021-01-01
Abstract
Biological monitoring (BM) uses organisms to determine the presence, amounts, temporal/spatial changes, and effects of both abiotic and biotic factors in the environment. The huge difference between BM and traditional physico-chemical measures of air quality is that the latter measures take into account emissions and immissions but only indirectly measure the “health” of the atmosphere because they do not look directly at biological responses. Specific plants, and namely tobacco cv. Bel-W3 are considered to be reliable bioindicators of ambient ozone (O3). Leaf injury on these plants is usually the first indication that a region has developed an O3 problem. Bel-W3 tobacco is a “perfect” bioindicator of O3 in the air, as it is highly sensitive. It develops easily recognizable and quantifiable peculiar foliar symptoms, and its vegetative period is coincident with the photo-smog season. Biomonitoring protocols are applied in community, local, regional, and nation-wide campaigns. The entire methodology, from plant cultivation to exposure, injury assessment, data treatment, statistical analysis, and presentation of results, is now standardized. Some sticking points are that: (i) BM does not replace modeling or conventional methods of direct measurement of air pollutants, it complements them by demonstrating the biological effect; (ii) bioindicator stations can make it possible to supplement at moderate costs the pre-existing network; and (iii) bioindicators raise public awareness by recourse to living organisms (i.e., O3-sensitive plants make invisible air pollution visible).I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
