RIS ID
140647
Abstract
Plants in urban areas interact with air quality in numerous ways. Firstly, pollutants from industry, vehicular and residential sources can be detrimental to plant growth. Secondly, plants sometimes contribute to poor air quality, for instance by emitting allergens such as pollen, or by trapping pollutants in street canyons and thirdly, with appropriate placement some species improve air quality through phytoremediation. A common urban pollutant is particulate matter (PM - small particles of solid or liquid). While this is of concern to human health, less well known is its effect on vegetation and while moss is commonly studied as a biomonitor, there is little research on how it is affected by urbanisation. Our objective was to measure PM entrapment by roadside moss turfs and compare it to leaves of a common Australian tree species, Pittosporum undulatum on an urban gradient.,,
Publication Details
Haynes, A., Popek, R., Boles, M., Paton-Walsh, C. & Robinson, S. A. (2019). Of turf, trees and air quality: does roadside moss trap more particulate matter than leaves?. International Association of Bryologists (IAB), International Molecular Moss Science Society (iMOSS), Sociedad Espanola de Briologia (SEB) 2019 Conference (pp. 56-57).