Biology subjects

Abriha-Molnar, V. E.

Publications and source records attributed to Abriha-Molnar, V. E..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Assessment of the level of pollution based on soil and Tilia europaea leaves

Anthropic activities related to urbanization release pollutants, including potentially toxic elements, into the atmosphere and these are eventually deposited in soils, water, infrastructures, vegetation. Urban soil and plant leaves are widely used as ecological indicators to assess the effect of urbanization. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of urbanization based on the elemental concentration of soil and leaves of Tilia x europaea from urban, suburban, and rural areas along an urbanization gradient in Debrecen, Hungary. Using the ICP-OES technique, we measured the concentration of Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sr, and Zn and based on the measured concentration, bioaccumulation factor (BAF) was calculated. The highest concentration of all elements was found in soil samples from urban areas, with an increasing tendency along the urbanization gradient. A significant difference was found along the urbanization gradient only for Cr based on the plant leaves. T. x europaea showed bioaccumulation capacity for Cr and Sr. Our results suggest that urbanization has a remarkable effect on the elemental concentration of soil, which is a perfect ecological indicator. At the same time, we concluded that the T. x europaea was not sensitive enough to indicate the effect of urbanization.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

Effect of urbanization on the city pollution based on soil and tree leaves in Valencia, Spain

The accumulation of the toxic metals can result in the degradation of neighboring ecosystems and reducing their value to humans in terms of aesthetic properties and utility. Therefore, the aim of our research was to investigate the effect of urbanization on metal levels in soil samples and Citrus sp. tree leaves along an urbanization (rural, periurban and urban) in Valencia (Spain). There were significant differences for the content of clay, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic matter (SOM), concentration of Ca and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP). A significant difference was not found in the case of elemental concentration of soil. There were significant differences for the concentration of Cu on Citrus sp. leaves, only. Based on our findings Valencia did not exhibit a significant relationship between the element concentrations and the urban gradient except for the case of copper in the leaf samples. The find no difference in the soil indicate the homogenous nature of the Valencia soil .

ecology↗

bioRxiv2023

Assessment of environmental impacts based on particulate matter, and chlorophyll content of urban trees

Trees improve air quality, and they have irreplaceable aesthetic value in urban landscapes. The amount of dust deposited on tree leaves is a simple and cost-effective indicator of air quality. Our aim was to explore particle filtering capacity of roadside trees in an urbanized area. We also assessed the impact of meteorological conditions on the amount of deposited dust. We measured the leaf surface deposition, and chlorophyll content of leaves along a road section that started at an intersection and ended in a less disturbed suburban area in Debrecen city, Hungary. Samples were collected in July, and September from Celtis occidentalis, a frequent species. We found a significant negative correlation between dust deposition on the leaves, and the distance from the intersection in July, meaning that the amount of dust on the leaves decreased as the distance from traffic increased. In September, dust deposition decreased considerably compared to July, caused by the rainfall before the second sampling. Chlorophyll content also had a significant negative correlation with the distance from the traffic intersection in July, as it decreased towards the less disturbed end of the transect. We also found a positive correlation between dust deposition and chlorophyll content in July. Surprisingly, the exposure to moderate amounts of pollutants in the air caused an increase in chlorophyll content. Our findings suggest that dust deposition on leaves serves as a reliable indicator of traffic intensity, because excess dust caused by the proximity of car traffic can be detected on the leaf surface. Although, certain weather conditions like rainfall and wind can disrupt the patterns in dust deposition that have developed over an extended period through wash-off and resuspension. Hence, it is advisable to consider these effects while selecting the sampling time and evaluating the results. HighlightsO_LILeaves of urban trees are used as bioindicators of deposited dust pollution. C_LIO_LIDust deposition, and chlorophyll content was measured along a roadside transect. C_LIO_LIWe found that dust and chlorophyll content decreased with distance from traffic emissions. C_LIO_LIModerate level of dust pollution resulted in an increase in chlorophyll content. C_LI

ecology↗