The effect of air pollution on leaf anatomical characteristics in selected ornamental woody species

Onečišćenje izazvano tvarima koje u atmosferu otpuštaju motorna vozila predstavlja ozbiljan problem u svim visoko urbaniziranim sredinama. Izloženost onečišćujućim tvarima može kod biljaka izazvati različite metaboličke i anatomske promjene, a pri visokim koncentracijama i vidljiva oštećenja. U ovome radu istražena je anatomska građa listova tri ukrasne drvenaste vrste (Berberis thunbergii, Lonicera pileata i Pyracantha cocccinea) izložene onečišćenom zraku uz vrlo opterećene prometnice u gradu Zagrebu. Kod niti jedne istraživane vrste na biljkama izloženim onečišćenom zraku nisu bila vidljiva oštećenja listova. Međutim, svjetlosno-mikroskopskom analizom su kod sve tri vrste utvrđene promjene u anatomskim karakteristikama tkiva listova te broju i/ili veličini puči. Ove promjene vjerojatno imaju važnu ulogu u toleranciji biljaka na visoku razinu onečišćujućih tvari u zraku.Motor vehicle pollution is a major problem in all highly urbanized environments. Exposure to pollutants can cause various metabolic and anatomical changes in plants, and at high concentrations, visible damage. This thesis investigates the anatomy of leaves in three ornamental woody species (Berberis thunbergii, Lonicera pileata and Pyracantha coccinea) exposed to polluted air along heavily loaded roads in the City of Zagreb. Leaf damage was not observed on leaves exposed to polluted air in none of the species studied. However, light microscopic analyzes have shown that exposure to polluted air, in all three species, led to changes in the anatomical characteristics of leaf tissue and in the number and/or size of stomata. These changes likely play an important role in plant tolerance to high levels of airborne pollutants