Effects of Environmental Stress on the Pollen Viability of Ornamental Tree-Species in the City of Granada (South-Eastern Spain)
Metadata
Show full item recordEditorial
MDPI
Materia
Environmental stress Pollen viability Pollen maturity Ultraviolet-B radiation Air pollution
Date
2022-12-12Referencia bibliográfica
Ramírez-Aliaga, P.; Foyo-Moreno, I.; Cariñanos, P. Effects of Environmental Stress on the Pollen Viability of Ornamental Tree-Species in the City of Granada (South-Eastern Spain). Forests 2022, 13, 2131. [https://doi.org/10.3390/f13122131]
Abstract
Atmospheric conditions, as well as pollutants, can induce changes in the viability and
germinability of the pollen grain. This process frequently occurs in cities due to the high rate of
air pollution that can alter the quality of pollen, affecting its biological functions. In this work, the
effect of different environmental stress factors, mainly UV-B radiation and polluting gases (CO, NO2
and SO2), on the viability and maturity of the pollen of four ornamental tree-species present in the
green infrastructure of Granada, namely Acer negundo, Carpinus betulus, Olea europaea and Cupressus
spp. is analyzed. Differential staining techniques were used with fresh pollen collected in areas with
different exposure to environmental stress to detect intact cell membranes (Trypan blue) and the
state of maturity (Pyrogallol red). It was observed that the species from sectors more exposed to
environmental stress registered a low viability and were affected by factors such as UV-B radiation
and atmospheric pollutants. On the contrary, the pollen from tree species growing in peri-urban
forests presented a higher rate of viability and less effect of pollutant factors. Differences were also
observed according to the species/genus and according to the sampling area. This modification in
the morphological and/or organic composition of the pollen wall may cause a loss of quality in the
reproductive processes of plants, and it may be bioindicator of the process of progressive degradation
that plant species can experience in urban environments under conditions of environmental stress,
and prevent the impacts that can affect other species.