title: Influence of environmental pollution on leaf properties of urban plane trees, Platanus orientalis L.
abstract: To investigate whether leaves of plane trees (Platanus orientalis) are damaged by traffic pollution, trees from a megacity (Mashhad, Iran) and a rural area were investigated. Soil and air from the urban centre showed enrichment of several toxic elements, but only lead was enriched in leaves. Leaf size and stomata density were lower at the urban site. At the urban site leaf surfaces were heavily loaded by dust particles but the stomata were not occluded; the cuticle was thinner; other anatomical properties were unaffected suggesting that plane trees can cope with traffic exhaust in megacities.
authors.affiliation: University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HAWK), Büsgenweg 1a, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pourkhabbaz
authors.forename: Nayerah
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rastin
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Olbrich
authors.forename: Rosemarie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Langenfeld-Heyser
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Polle
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D029624:Ferns / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D054046:Plant Stomata / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014197:Trees / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter