title: The use of tropical bromeliads (Tillandsia spp.) for monitoring atmospheric pollution in the town of Florence, Italy.
abstract: The results of an experiment with two species of epiphytic angiosperms (Tillandsia caput-medusae and T. bulbosa) for monitoring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the air of Florence, Italy, are presented. PAHs are compounds known to be dangerous because of their carcinogenic potential, and among cormophytes, tillands (monocotyledons equipped with peculiar, specialised, epidermal trichomes) are considered promising for air pollution biomonitoring. PAHs data were obtained using GC/MS analysis of plant extracts. Analytical data indicated an increasing trend in time of PAHs bioaccumulation. This result was compared with instrumentally recorded parameters such as meteorological (rain) and environmental ones (PM10), indicating that trichome-operated physical capture of aerial particles was prominent in PAHs bioaccumulation on tillands. SEM (scanning electron microscope) observations confirmed the role of the trichomes. This work indicates that tillands are particularly useful, low-cost biomonitoring organisms inside their area of distribution (all Latin American countries and southern USA) where these plants are easily available, but also wherever the climate allows them to survive.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia Vegetale, Università degli Studi di Firenze, 50121 Firenze, Italia. luibrig@unifi.it
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brighigna
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Papini
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mosti
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cornia
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bocchini
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Galletti
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D007558:Italy; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D011891:Rain; D031232:Tillandsia / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons