Effect of Urban Pollutants on Physiological and Biochemical Parameters of Leaves of Hardwood Trees and Shrubs in Urban Green Spaces

Abstract

Trees and shrubs of green spaces can tolerate some physiological parameters. They can adapt to climatic conditions, hence, reduce air pollution and can be used as biological indicators in various researches. The present study aimed to explore the impact of urban air pollution on some parameters such as fresh, dry and turgor weight, amounts of chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments, and electrolyte leakage of 18 ornamental tree and shrub species in marginal and downtown parks of Rasht, Iran. The results revealed significant differences in turgor weight, photosynthetic pigments, and chlorophyll a/b ratio, but insignificant differences in electrolyte leakage between the marginal and downtown sites. The results indicated that all quantitative variables of the leaves differed significantly (p ≤ 0.01) among the species, except for fresh weight.