Abstract
Ttllandsia recurvata was used as a biomonitor to ographics. estimate the trace element atmospheric deposition in a tropical dry forest of the Pacific coast of Jalisco, in western Mexico. The plant samples were initially collected gem a population at Las Moras, near Zacoalco in central Jalisco. They were deployed it: January (1993) and subsequently retrieved in June (1993), at three locations: at the Chamela Biology Station on the coast, along a transect at increasing distances from the sea, and in Guadalajara, a large, industrial city. Both plants and surface soil samples were chemically analyzed using Neuron Activation Analysis. Also, Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectroscopy was performed on plant samples. Concentrations of most elements in T. recurvata samples at the Chamela reserve (i.e., Ce, Co, Cr, Fe, Hf, La, Pb, Sc, Th, and Zn) were among the lowest when compared with values reviewed for epiphytes in the literature. They were also lower than the concentrations of the plants deployed in Guadalajara. This identifies Chamela as unpolluted and useful as a baseline. Conversely, elemental concentrations of Br, Ca, and Na were higher in Chiels than in the other studies, evidencing a strong marine influence. A marine source was found for B (in part), Bt, Ca, Mg, Na, S, and Sr. A soil origin was found for A1, Ba, Ce, Co, Eu, Fe, Hf, La, Sc, Sm, and Th, and an anthropogenic origin was concluded for B (in part), Cr, Cs, Cu, K, Mn, Pb, Rb, V, and Zn. A north-south deposition pattern was found for most elements, with altitude and tree cover influencing atmospheric deposition at Chamela.
Sahagun Godinez, Eduardo (1998). Estimation of atmospheric deposition in coastal Jalisco, western Mexico, using an epiphytic plant (Tillandsia recurvata L. Bromeliaceae). Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1998 -THESIS -S24.