Sensitivity of typical European roadside plants to atmospheric particulate matter

•Sensitivity of 13 roadside plant taxa to atmospheric particulate matter was assessed.•App. 30% of the tested species proved tolerant.•Ecotoxicological end-points showed strong species-dependent sensitivity. Roadside plant communities are especially exposed to air pollution, including a diverse cocktail of potentially toxic compounds transported by particulates. Some groups of these compounds, heavy metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons influence plants through reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Bioindication studies have reported different ecological responses elucidated by these compounds, however, very few comparative studies exist on herbaceous plant species. In our study, the No. 227 OECD GUIDELINE FOR THE TESTING OF CHEMICALS: Terrestrial Plant Test: Vegetative Vigour Test was followed to assess the effect of water soluble components of aerosol on typical members of roadside community. Potential phytotoxicity was assessed based on the following end-points: biomass, chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids and peroxidase (POD) activity. While species-specific sensitivity was experienced of these end-points, considerable ratio (30%) of the test species did not show statistically significant response to the treatment, indicating the relative robustness of roadside communities.