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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

The role of air pollution and climate on the growth of urban trees

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Author(s):
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Locosselli, Giuliano Maselli [1, 2] ; de Camargo, Evelyn Pereira [1, 2] ; Lopes Moreira, Tiana Carla [3] ; Todesco, Enzo [4] ; Andrade, Maria de Fatima [4] ; Saldiva de Andre, Carmen Diva [5] ; de Andre, Paulo Afonso [3] ; Singer, Julio M. [5] ; Ferreira, Luciana Schwandner [6] ; Nascimento Saldiva, Paulo Hilario [3, 2] ; Buckeridge, Marcos Silveira [1, 2]
Total Authors: 11
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Sao Paulo - Brazil
[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Estudos Avancados, Sao Paulo - Brazil
[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med, Sao Paulo - Brazil
[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Astron & Geofis, Sao Paulo - Brazil
[5] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Matemat & Estat, Sao Paulo - Brazil
[6] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Arquitetura & Urbanismo, Sao Paulo - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 6
Document type: Journal article
Source: Science of The Total Environment; v. 666, p. 652-661, MAY 20 2019.
Web of Science Citations: 4
Abstract

The urban environment features poor air quality and harsher climate conditions that affect the life in the cities. Citizens are especially vulnerable to climate change, because heat island and impervious exacerbates extreme climate events. Urban trees are important tools for mitigation and adaptation of cities to climate change because they provide ecosystem services that increase while trees grow. Nonetheless, the growth of trees may be affected by the harsher conditions found in the urban environment. We assessed the impact of air pollution and climate on the spatial/temporal variability of tree growth in Sao Paulo, Brazil, one of the largest urban conglomerates in the world. For this purpose, we sampled 41 trees of the Tipuana tipu species in a region that includes industrial areas. We built a tree-ring chronology using standard dendrochronological methods. Spatial analyses show that trees grow faster in the warmer parts of the city and under higher concentrations of airborne P, whereas growth is reduced under higher concentrations of Al, Ba, Zn. Particulate matter (PM10) from the industrial cluster also reduce average growth rate of trees, up to 37% in all diameter classes. Similar results were obtained via temporal analyses, suggesting that the annual growth rate is positively associated with temperature, which explain 16% of interannual growth variability. Precipitation, on the other hand, has no association with tree growth. The average concentration of PM10 explains 41% of interannual growth variability, and higher concentrations during the driest months reduce growth rate. Despite heat island effect and water limitation in the soil of the city, this species takes advantage of warmer conditions and it is not limited by water availability as measured by precipitation. On the other hand, air pollution directly impacts the growth of these trees being a major limiting growth factor. (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 15/25511-3 - Climate and pollution reconstruction based on urban tree-rings growth records
Grantee:Giuliano Maselli Locosselli
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
FAPESP's process: 17/10544-9 - Dendrochronology of Cedrela fissilis from an urban park in São Paulo
Grantee:Evelyn Pereira de Camargo
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
FAPESP's process: 08/57908-6 - National Institute of Science and Technology of Bioethanol
Grantee:Marcos Silveira Buckeridge
Support Opportunities: Program for Research on Bioenergy (BIOEN) - Thematic Grants
FAPESP's process: 13/21728-2 - The use of modern autopsy techniques to investigate human diseases (MODAU)
Grantee:Paulo Hilário Nascimento Saldiva
Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants