The influence of bioactive mobile telephony radiation at the level of a plant community – Possible mechanisms and indicators of the effects

Abstract

Environmental exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) from mobile telephony has rapidly increased in the last two decades and this trend is expected to continue. The effects of this exposure at plant community level are unknown and difficult to assess in a scientifically appropriate manner. Such an assessment can be scientifically adequate if a studied plant community is completely new and control-impact radiation treatment is used. In this review we aimed to predict ecological effects and identify indicators of the impact of bioactive RF-EMFs at the mobile telephony frequency range on plant communities. We considered the scenario where a plant community was exposed to radiation generated by a base transmitting station antenna mounted on a nearby mast. This plant community can be represented by mesic meadow, ruderal or arable weed community, or other herbaceous, moderately productive vegetation type. We concentrated primarily on radiation effects that can be recorded for a year since the exposure started. To predict them we used physical theories of radiowave propagation in vegetation and the knowledge on plants physiological responses to RF-EMF. Our indicators can be used for the detection of the impact of RF-EMFs on vegetation in a control-impact experiment. The identified indicators can be classified into the following groups: (1) canopy parameters; (2) plant characteristics to be measured in the field or laboratory in a number of individuals that represent the populations of selected species; (3) community weighted means/medians (CWMs) of plant traits and strategies; (4) the abundance of other organisms that interact with plants and can influence their fitness or population size. The group of canopy parameters includes mean height, vertical vegetation structure and dry weight of above-ground standing phytomass. Plant characteristics requiring biometric sampling in the field are plant height, the number of fruits and seeds, as well as seed viability. The group of plant traits that are calculated as CWMs covers seed releasing height, seed dispersal mode, SLA, leaf orientation, month of germination and flowering, Ellenberg's light indicator value, and the proportion of individuals in the classes of competitors and stress tolerators according to Grime's CSR strategy scheme. The group of "non-plant" indicators includes primarily the frequency of flower visits by beetles, wasps, hoverflies, and bees that have their nests over ground. To detect ecological responses that occur for the first year since a herbaceous community has been exposed to potentially bioactive RF-EMF, the first two indicators groups should be used.

Electromagnetic Irradiation Evokes Physiological and Molecular Alterations in Rice

“…Moreover, the observed differences in plant responses such as seed germination rate and selected gene expressions at 1837.50 MHz, 2.75 W/m 2 EM irradiation level with respect to the sham‐exposure power density level of 0.07 W/m 2 , is in fact novel. In most of the earlier cases, plant responses were reported at power density levels either below or at a comparable value near 0.07 W/m 2 [Vian et al, 2006; Roux et al, 2006, 2008b; Beaubois et al, 2007; Sharma et al, 2009; Singh et al, 2012; Pesnya and Romanovsky, 2013; Halgamuge et al 2015; Grémiaux et al, 2016; Waldmann‐Selsam et al, 2016; Stefi et al, 2017; Czerwinski et al, 2020]. Hence, the observations in this study along with reported data in literature altogether indicate dose‐dependent (frequency of irradiation, EM power density level, exposure time, plant age, etc.)…”

“…In addition, immediate molecular responses in Satabdi were also studied following short-duration instantaneous EM irradiation (2 h 30 min) to extend the investigations performed by Roux et al [2006Roux et al [ , 2008b and Vian et al [2006Vian et al [ , 2016. It should be noted that the present investigation was performed at 1837.50 MHz, 2.75 W/m 2 treatment level (comparable with international EM guidelines [Cleveland et al, 1997;ICNIRP, 2020]), and this exposure level was different from EM stimulations reported earlier [Roux et al, 2006[Roux et al, , 2008bVian et al, 2006;Beaubois et al, 2007;Sharma et al, 2009;Singh et al, 2012;Pesnya and Romanovsky, 2013;Halgamuge et al, 2015;Grémiaux et al, 2016;Waldmann-Selsam et al, 2016;Stefi et al, 2017;Czerwinski et al, 2020]. Altogether, this investigation has a direct link with human food habits, farmers, and the agricultural economy of several countries.…”

“…Two sections inside the EM reverberation chamber were partitioned with a dense metallic mesh for EM isolation; a very low power density of 0.07 W/m 2 (40 times down) was observed inside the sham‐exposure section while target plants were exposed to EMR in the other section of the reverberation chamber. However, some studies reported plant responses even below 0.07 W/m 2 at different frequencies [Beaubois et al, 2007; Roux et al, 2008b; Sharma et al, 2009; Singh et al, 2012; Pesnya and Romanovsky, 2013; Halgamuge et al, 2015; Grémiaux et al, 2016; Waldmann‐Selsam et al, 2016; Stefi et al, 2017; Czerwinski et al, 2020].…”

One‐time Electromagnetic Irradiation Modifies Stress‐sensitive Gene Expressions in Rice Plant

“…1837.50 MHz, 2.75 mW/m 2 was far below the international EM regulations [Cleveland et al, 1997;ICNIRP, 2020]. Moreover, the same was somewhat different from most of the previously reported EM stimulation levels except recent one in 2021 [Roux et al, 2006[Roux et al, , 2008aVian et al, 2006;Beaubois et al, 2007;Sharma et al, 2009;Singh et al, 2012;Pesnya and Romanovsky, 2013;Halgamuge et al, 2015;Grémiaux et al, 2016;Waldmann-Selsam et al, 2016;Stefi et al, 2017;Czerwinski et al, 2020;Kundu et al, 2021b,c].…”

The Characteristics of Phytoplankton Community Based on Ecological Simulation

“…; mineralization library refers to debris and nutrients related to research objects Substance parameters, most of which will not change with the change of the research object. Therefore, the parameters involved in the AQUATOX model cover many aspects, with a large number, reaching hundreds of [16][17].…”