Chromosomal and molecular indicators: A new insight in biomonitoring programs

Abstract

The rapid rate of urbanization and industrialization leads to an increase in the concentration of atmospheric air pollutants, which are a mixture of various gases (like O3, SO2, NOx, & CO), particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10), liquids, and airborne heavy metals. This mixture of air pollutants is responsible for their adverse effect on human health and other living organisms. Because of their genotoxic nature, they are one of the potential causes of cytological disorders and damages occurring at the molecular level in plants and animals. The common air pollutant-induced cytological disorders observed in plants and animals, at the chromosomal level are chromosomal stickiness, bridges, chromosomal rupture, ring formation, laggards, and micronuclei formation, while the commonly observed DNA damages are fragmentation, double and single-strand breaks, base loss, and transition mutations. The extent of DNA damage in plants depends on various parameters like duration of exposure, pollutant concentration, and sensitivity of plants toward the particular pollutant. The present chapter aims to understand the extent and severity of air pollutant-induced injury at the cytological and molecular levels in plants. The response of these parameters can be utilized in the biomonitoring programs to study the impact of air pollutants in plants. The knowledge gathered in the present chapter will not only help us in determining the consequences of air pollutants on the genetic constitution of the plants, but it will also give us an insight into how the coming generations of plants will adapt and respond to the increasing air pollution load. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.