Open AccessEffects of heavy metal pollution on the microflora of pine needles
Author(s) -
Bewley R. J. F.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
ecography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.973
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1600-0587
pISSN - 0906-7590
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0587.1981.tb01000.x
Subject(s) - cadmium , pollution , phyllosphere , zinc , contamination , environmental chemistry , aureobasidium pullulans , microorganism , pollutant , metal , biology , botany , chemistry , bacteria , environmental science , ecology , food science , genetics , organic chemistry , fermentation
A leaf washing method was used to compare the numbers and species composition of the phylloplane microflora of corsican pine saplings (a) uncontaminated, (b) exposed to zinc, lead and cadmium pollution from a smelter and (c) artificially dosed with zinc, lead and cadmium oxides to simulate the emissions from the smelter without the complicating effects of other pollutants. There was little difference in total numbers of most groups of micro‐organisms isolated from each site, although both sets of metal‐contaminated saplings generally supported a higher percentage of metal tolerant isolates than the uncontaminated plants. Artificially dosed plants also supported greater numbers of Aureobasidium pullulans and orange and pink chromogenic bacteria. These particular organisms were also among the most metal‐tolerant fungi and bacteria in vitro.