Biomonitoring climate change and air quality assessment using bioindicators as experimental model

Andreea Cozea Elena Bucur Andrei Vasile Catalina Stoica

Abstract Nowadays, the air pollution has become a major environmental problem due to rapid increase of industrialization and anthropogenic activities which led to climate change. Air pollution is considered as a harmful agent for human health. Different classes of gaseous pollutants (SOx, NOx) are continuously released in air and perceived/recognized as pollutants. Among the biological models, plants could give us information related with pollution range in a monitored area, analyzing injuries caused on the leaves surfaces. The aim of this study was to identify and select certain species of plants for using them in experimental biomonitoring studies. An experimental fumigation system with a closed fumigation glasshouses maintained under defined conditions with environmental control and pollutant delivery was used to study the effects of air pollution on plants species. The relative degrees of injury as a response of plants to pollutants fumigation were assessed. Considering the sensitiveness degree to pollutants, the indigenous tobacco Nicotiana rustica proved to be the most sensitive followed by cultivated tobacco Nicotiana tabacum and least sensitive Petunia hibrida. Future researches will focus on field biomonitoring.