title: Probability of foliar injury for Acer sp. based on foliar fluoride concentrations.
abstract: Fluoride is considered one of the most phytotoxic elements to plants, and indicative fluoride injury has been associated over a wide range of foliar fluoride concentrations. The aim of this study was to determine the probability of indicative foliar fluoride injury based on Acer sp. foliar fluoride concentrations using a logistic regression model. Foliage from Acer nedundo, Acer saccharinum, Acer saccharum and Acer platanoides was collected along a distance gradient from three separate brick manufacturing facilities in southern Ontario as part of a long-term monitoring programme between 1995 and 2014. Hydrogen fluoride is the major emission source associated with the manufacturing facilities resulting with highly elevated foliar fluoride close to the facilities and decreasing with distance. Consistent with other studies, indicative fluoride injury was observed over a wide range of foliar concentrations (9.9-480.0 μg F-g-1). The logistic regression model was statistically significant for the Acer sp. group, A. negundo and A. saccharinum; consequently, A. negundo being the most sensitive species among the group. In addition, A. saccharum and A. platanoides were not statistically significant within the model. We are unaware of published foliar fluoride values for Acer sp. within Canada, and this research provides policy maker and scientist with probabilities of indicative foliar injury for common urban Acer sp. trees that can help guide decisions about emissions controls. Further research should focus on mechanisms driving indicative fluoride injury over wide ranging foliar fluoride concentrations and help determine foliar fluoride thresholds for damage.
authors.affiliation: Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Terrestrial Assessment and Field Services Unit, Environmental Monitoring and Reporting Branch, 125 Resources Road, Toronto, Ontario, M9P 3V6, Canada. andrew.mcdonough@ontario.ca.
authors.forename: Andrew M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: McDonough
authors.affiliation: Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Terrestrial Assessment and Field Services Unit, Environmental Monitoring and Reporting Branch, 125 Resources Road, Toronto, Ontario, M9P 3V6, Canada.
authors.forename: Murray J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Dixon
authors.affiliation: Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Terrestrial Assessment and Field Services Unit, Environmental Monitoring and Reporting Branch, 125 Resources Road, Toronto, Ontario, M9P 3V6, Canada.
authors.forename: Debbie T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Terry
authors.affiliation: Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Terrestrial Assessment and Field Services Unit, Environmental Monitoring and Reporting Branch, 125 Resources Road, Toronto, Ontario, M9P 3V6, Canada.
authors.forename: Aaron K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Todd
authors.affiliation: Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Terrestrial Assessment and Field Services Unit, Environmental Monitoring and Reporting Branch, 125 Resources Road, Toronto, Ontario, M9P 3V6, Canada.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Luciani
authors.affiliation: Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Terrestrial Assessment and Field Services Unit, Environmental Monitoring and Reporting Branch, 125 Resources Road, Toronto, Ontario, M9P 3V6, Canada.
authors.forename: Michele L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Williamson
authors.affiliation: Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Terrestrial Assessment and Field Services Unit, Environmental Monitoring and Reporting Branch, 125 Resources Road, Toronto, Ontario, M9P 3V6, Canada.
authors.forename: Danuta S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Roszak
authors.affiliation: Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Terrestrial Assessment and Field Services Unit, Environmental Monitoring and Reporting Branch, 125 Resources Road, Toronto, Ontario, M9P 3V6, Canada.
authors.forename: Kim A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Farias
mesh_terms: D031002:Acer / Q000187:drug effects*; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005459:Fluorides / Q000633:toxicity*; D009864:Ontario; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000187:drug effects; D011336:Probability; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D005459:Fluorides
keywords: Fluoride; Foliage; Impacts; Logistic regression; Monitoring; Ontario