Isotopic biomonitoring of anthropic carbon emissions in a megalopolis

PeerJ
Edison A Díaz-Álvarez, Erick de la Barrera

Abstract

Atmospheric pollution has become a serious threat for human health and the environment. However, the deployment, operation and maintenance of monitoring networks can represent a high cost for local governments. In certain locations, the use of naturally occurring plants for monitoring pollution can be a useful supplement of existing monitoring networks, and even provide information when other types of monitoring are lacking. In this work, we (i) determined the tissue carbon content and the δ13C values for the epiphytic CAM bromeliad Tillandsia recurvata and the relationship of both parameters with the existing CO concentrations in the Valley of Mexico basin and (ii) mapped the spatial distribution of such elemental and isotopic composition for this plant within the basin, in order to assess its potential as an atmospheric biomonitor of carbon monoxide, a pollutant with important repercussions on public health. The CO concentrations in the basin ranged from 0.41 ppm at rural locations to 0.81 ppm at urban sites. The carbon content of T. recurvata, which averaged 42.9 ± 0.34% (dry weight), was not influenced by the surrounding CO concentration. In contrast, the δ13C depended on the sites where the plants were collected. For examp...Continue Reading

References

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Mar 23, 2018·Conservation Physiology·Edison A Díaz-ÁlvarezErick de la Barrera
Sep 13, 2018·Scientific Reports·Edison A Díaz-Álvarez, Erick de la Barrera
Mar 4, 2020·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Shuqiong HuangSuyang Liu

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Software Mentioned

R Core Team
SEDEMA
R foundation for Statistical Computing
SEMARNAT
R
ArcGIS
StreetView
Google Earth

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