Seasonal Variations in the Particulate Matter Accumulation and Leaf Traits of 24 Plant Species in Urban Green Space

Huong-Thi Bui, Uuriintuya Odsuren, Sang-Yong Kim and Bong-Ju Park ()
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Huong-Thi Bui: Division of Animal, Horticultural, and Food Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
Uuriintuya Odsuren: Division of Animal, Horticultural, and Food Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
Sang-Yong Kim: Department of Plant Resources, Korea National Arboretum, Pocheon 11186, Korea
Bong-Ju Park: Division of Animal, Horticultural, and Food Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 11, 1-15

Abstract: Particulate matter (PM), an extremely serious type of air pollution, leads to numerous human diseases. Mitigating PM in the urban city, where resident density has been increasing, has been a major challenge. The increase in residents leads to increasing traffic, the primary source of PM in urban areas. Plants play an important role in reducing PM and maintaining an ecological balance. For some Asian countries, such as Korea, with differing seasons and environmental conditions, PM accumulation and plant survival are greatly impacted by environmental conditions. In this study, we analyzed the amount of PM accumulation on the leaf surfaces and wax layers of 24 plant species during four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) to determine the PM accumulation in plants under different environmental conditions. The leaf traits of plant chlorophyll a (Chl a), chlorophyll b (Chl b), total chlorophyll (TChl), relative water content (RWC), leaf extract pH (pH), and leaf specific area (SLA) were analyzed to determine the influence of PM on plants and the relationship between PM and leaf traits. In this study, we found that the amount of PM accumulation differed among plants and seasons. Among the 24 plant species, plants Pinus strobus , P. parviflora , P. densiflora , Euonymus japonicus , and Acer palmatum were most adept at PM accumulation. Leaf structure, environmental conditions, such as PM concentration, and rainfall may be the main factors that impact the ability of plant leaves to accumulate PM. The plant leaf traits differed among the four seasons. PM accumulation on the leaf was negatively correlated with SLA (in all four seasons) and pH (in spring, summer, and autumn). PM was negatively correlated with Chl a, Chl b, and TChl in summer.

Keywords: air pollution; environmental conditions; large PM; coarse PM; wax layer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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