Antioxidant Response of Three Tillandsia Species Transplanted to Urban, Agricultural, and Industrial Areas

To evaluate the physiological response of Tillandsia capillaris Ruiz & Pav. f . capillaris, T. recurvata L., and T. tricholepis Baker to different air pollution sources, epiphyte samples were collected from a noncontaminated area in the province of Córdoba (Argentina) and transplanted to a control site as well as three areas categorized according to the presence of agricultural, urban, and industrial (metallurgical and metal-mechanical) emission sources. A foliar damage index (FDI) was calculated with the physiological parameters chlorophyll a , chlorophyll b , malondialdehyde (MDA), hydroperoxyconjugated dienes, sulfur (S) content, and dry weight-to-fresh weight ratio. In addition, electrical conductivity (E-cond), relative water content (RWC), dehydration kinetics (Kin-H 2 O), total phenols (T-phen), soluble proteins (S-prot), and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase were determined. The parameters E-cond, FDI, SOD, RWC, and Kin-H 2 O can serve as suitable indicators of agricultural air pollution for T. tricholepis and T. capillaris , and CAT, Kin-H 2 O, and SOD can do the same for T. recurvata . In addition, MDA, T-phen, and S-prot proved to be appropriate indicators of urban pollution for T. recurvata . Moreover, FDI, E-cond, and SOD for T. recurvata and MDA for T. tricholepis , respectively, could be used to detect deleterious effects of industrial air pollution.