Journal Article

Indication of the sensitivity of Pinaceae species growing in Eastern Central Europe to ground-level ozone pollution

Žatková, Lucia, Buchholcerová, Anna, Mináriková, Veronika, Varšová, Svetlana, Adamčíková, Katarína, Lukasová, Veronika, Onderka, Milan, Milovský, Rastislav, Bilčík, Dušan

2025

Overview

This study focused on testing the response of the assimilation apparatus of evergreen Pinaceae species to increasing levels of oxidative stress simulated in manipulative experiments. Needles were collected from mature individuals of Pinus mugo , Pinus cembra , Pinus sylvestris , Abies alba , and Picea abies at the foothill (FH) and alpine treeline ecotone (ATE) in the High Tatras (Western Carpathians). The injury index (INX), quantified by the modified electrolyte leakage (EL) method, indicated severe needle damage due to exposure to extremely high levels of O 3 . Ozonation induced changes in the chemical composition of the needles, which were detected via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The oxidative stability (OxS) indicator derived from INXs was used to determine the stomatal O 3 flux-based critical level CL(OxS), with the threshold value of OxS at -0.05, corresponding to 5% injury to the needles. Assessment of the phytotoxic ozone dose (POD0) under ambient O 3 and field environmental conditions during the 2023 growing season via CL(OxS) revealed that the studied species utilised between 18% ( Abies alba FH) and 33% ( Pinus mugo ATE) of their O 3 tolerance potential. These results support our hypothesis that Pinaceae species growing in the High Tatras, which are part of the Alpine biogeographical region of Eastern Central Europe, are vulnerable to O 3 concentrations significantly higher than the typical ambient O 3 level in the natural environment.

• Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Abies alba / Air Pollutants - toxicity / Aquatic Pollution / Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution / Carpathian region / Central European region / Chemical composition / Chemical damage / Chromatography / Damage detection / Earth and Environmental Science / Earth science / ecotones / Ecotoxicology / Electrolyte leakage / Electrolytes / Environment / Environmental Chemistry / Environmental conditions / Environmental Health / Environmental science / Foothills / Gas chromatography / gas chromatography-mass spectrometry / geographical distribution / Growing season / hills / Hypothesis testing / Mass spectrometry / Mass spectroscopy / Natural environment / oxidative stability / Oxidative stress / Ozonation / Ozone / Ozone - toxicity / phytotoxicity / Picea abies / Pinaceae / Pinaceae - drug effects / Pine needles / Pine trees / Pinus cembra / Pinus mugo / Pinus sylvestris / Pollution / Research Article / Sensitivity analysis / species / Stomata / Treeline / Vegetation / Waste Water Technology / Water Management / Water Pollution Control