Effects of natural and induced pollution on the leaf wax structure of three cypress species

Abstract

Severe damage was caused to coastal forest vegetation by the Libeccio, a sea wind blowing against the Italian coast from W-SW. The behaviour of common cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), smooth cypress (C. glabra) and Monterez cyjress (C. macrocaypa) in response to the Libeccio aindstorms of 1990 was compared with t at ue to treatments with the surfactant ABS (sodium dDdecylbenzenesulphonate). As re ards both the nature and the intensity of the damage to the leaf waxes, the surge damage cause2 by the windstorms differed little from that produced artificially by ABS sprays.

Ecophysiological responses of Mediterranean pines to simulated sea aerosol polluted with an anionic surfactant: prospects for biomonitoring

“…The symptomatology of stomatal damage was not specific, as it was reminiscent of that induced by other pollutants [50] and by environmental stressors of different origins [7,24]. Several authors have attributed the alterations of epistomatal wax structures to the direct or indirect action exerted by the components of marine aerosol (salt and surfactants), either individually [28,52], or combined [10,12,20,34,35,39,43,44]. Needles sprayed with NaCl displayed some wax coalescence, but the Stomatal Damage Index enabled us to ascertain that these alterations not only did not differ from those induced by de-ionized water but also increased markedly in synergy with the surfactant.…”

“…The damage to coastal flora occurs primarily in coastlands with highly anthropized inland regions, in coastal areas adjacent to river mouths or sewage outlets, and anywhere sea currents and winds concentrate urban and industrial effluents at the sea-surface. The phenomenon is due to the synergic effect of marine salt and surfactants, but also to the direct action of the surfactant itself which attacks cell membranes [25], increases cuticle permeability [46], and dissolves epicuticular and epistomatal waxes [12,19,39,43,44,52], all phenomena that enhance the foliar absorption of salt and surfactant, and thus the phytotoxic effect [48].…”

“…The response of forest species to treatments with surfactants and sea water has been studied examining: chloride ion in foliar tissues [11,23], water potential and gas exchange [8], damage to stomata and epicuticular waxes [12,43,44], foliar anatomy [10][11][12], pollen germination [34,40]. Guidi et al [22] compared chloride accumulation and visible injury in the three typically Mediterranean pines (P. halepensis Mill., P. pinea L., and P. pinaster L.), two months after a single 60 min exposure to 240 mg/L of sodium alchyl sulphonate in synthetic sea water, suggesting the following sensitivity scale: P. pinea > P. halepensis > P. pinaster.…”

The role of marine salt and surfactants in the decline of Tyrrhenian coastal vegetation in Italy

“…In all the areas studied the damage is located near urban zones or near wastewater collector tanks and extends inland for a stretch of a few hundred metres or at most 1 km. After especially violent wind storms the damage can occasionally reach zones that are many kilometres from the coast (Grossoni et al, 1990;Raddi et al, 1992). However damage of this type is always extremely localized.…”

Morphological and Physiological Damage by Surfactant-Polluted Seaspray on Pinus pinea and Pinus halepensis

“…Differences in the epicuticular wax structure can explain the different plant sensitivity in response to sprays containing salt (Townsend, 1989). Alterations in epicuticular and epistomatal waxes have been observed as a consequence of surfactant polluted seaspray both in natural Gellini et al, 1987;Raddi et al, 1992Raddi et al, , 1994 and in controlled conditions (Raddi et al, 1992). Whirlwinds can cause mechanical abrasions of epicuticular wax structures, by making the leaves scrape against each other (Wilson, 1984), although these abrasions differ from the fusions typical of surfactant action.…”