Urban trees: A Sustainable and Phyto-monitoring Tool for Cities and Societies

Urban trees: A Sustainable and Phyto-monitoring Tool for Cities and Societies | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Urban trees: A Sustainable and Phyto-monitoring Tool for Cities and Societies Rushikesh Kadam, Arun Kumar, Indra Jeet Chaudhary This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8496949/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Air pollution is a serious global threat that adversely affects both human and plant health. Once pollutants enter the environment, plants serve as natural filters, capable of absorbing, accumulating, and detoxifying them in various forms. The urban trees play a significant role in mitigating air pollution by capturing and dispersing dust. A present study was conducted to assess the dust accumulation potential on the foliar surfaces of plants and its effects on their tolerance towards pollution ( i.e. , APTI). In addition, the morphological responses of trees and their efficiency in dust retention and dispersion were also evaluated. Results indicated that dust deposition was seen higher at sites, including SE1 > NW1 > W1 and N1 across all selected tree species. Seasonal variation was higher in winter than in summer and monsoon. Among the studied species, B. papyrifera had maximum dust accumulation (0.102 ± 0.08 g). The overall dust accumulation trend was B. papyrifera > F. religiosa > P. longifolia > S. siamea > A . indica during all seasons and sites. While higher dust-capturing capacity was detected in S. siamea , followed by A. indica , and lowest in plant B. papyrifera . Accumulated dust negatively affects plant morphological and physiological characteristics, altering antioxidative properties, resulting in higher ascorbic acid content in plants with elevated APTI values. Chronologically, we found that F. religiosa had higher APTI values than B. papyrifera > P. longifolia > S. siamea > and A. indica . API evaluation was also higher in F. religiosa (81.25%), which emerged as the most suitable species for green belt development. Therefore, the findings suggest that the selected species can serve as effective bio-tools for developing sustainable urban ecosystems The study further provides valuable insights for future predictive models for managing urban dust pollution and selecting optimal plant species for ecological restoration in polluted environments. Urban trees foliar features urban dust API green belt development and APTI Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Suplementarymaterials.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 30 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 27 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 21 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 09 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 08 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 16 Jan, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 16 Jan, 2026 First submitted to journal 01 Jan, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8496949","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":604628945,"identity":"f317a08c-a1f5-4b40-aacb-592a28aa578f","order_by":0,"name":"Rushikesh Kadam","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Wildlife Institute of India","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Rushikesh","middleName":"","lastName":"Kadam","suffix":""},{"id":604628946,"identity":"db439cf5-c8fb-4917-959e-43b28a53eb3e","order_by":1,"name":"Arun Kumar","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Lucknow","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Arun","middleName":"","lastName":"Kumar","suffix":""},{"id":604628947,"identity":"042adca4-863c-41cf-afd6-d15bc980a2e4","order_by":2,"name":"Indra Jeet Chaudhary","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA/ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACNgYGAwYGHhi3AoiZmRuI0wLRdQakhRG/FgawFgaoFsY2MIlfC59087YPP2Rs5OwZmJ9Jfp1XG83fDtTyo2IbbofJHCue2cOTZszDwGYmLbvteO6Mw4wNjD1nbuPWIpFjzMDDczixh4GHTVpy27HcBqAWZsY2/FoY//D8r4domXMsdz4xWph5eA4k8AC1SH5sqMndQFhLWjGzDE+yYc9hNmNrhmMHcjcCtRzE5xf5GcmbGd/22Mmztzc/vPmjpi533vnDBx/8qMCtBQwYe4AEMxDxMBwGCxzArx4EfkC1/mCoI6x4FIyCUTAKRhwAAAnBTydI6l+oAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Savitribai Phule Pune University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Indra","middleName":"Jeet","lastName":"Chaudhary","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-01-01 20:08:17","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8496949/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8496949/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":104780769,"identity":"a8a82d2e-aed3-47a6-9c01-174ceaac3b2b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-17 07:53:53","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":955211,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Dustmanuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8496949/v1_covered_8a8c19b7-f8b0-45bb-950e-8a2ff1718ea4.pdf"},{"id":104469176,"identity":"c7fc7d19-df2c-4783-82a7-417c1c0104e1","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-12 07:01:53","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":2586399,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Suplementarymaterials.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8496949/v1/f81ec1e9f27428ad85ec480a.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Urban trees: A Sustainable and Phyto-monitoring Tool for Cities and Societies","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"urban-ecosystems","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"ueco","sideBox":"Learn more about [Urban Ecosystems](https://www.springer.com/journal/11252)","snPcode":"11252","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/11252/3","title":"Urban Ecosystems","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Urban trees, foliar features, urban dust, API, green belt development and APTI","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8496949/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8496949/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eAir pollution is a serious global threat that adversely affects both human and plant health. Once pollutants enter the environment, plants serve as natural filters, capable of absorbing, accumulating, and detoxifying them in various forms. The urban trees play a significant role in mitigating air pollution by capturing and dispersing dust. A present study was conducted to assess the dust accumulation potential on the foliar surfaces of plants and its effects on their tolerance towards pollution (\u003cem\u003ei.e.\u003c/em\u003e, APTI). In addition, the morphological responses of trees and their efficiency in dust retention and dispersion were also evaluated. Results indicated that dust deposition was seen higher at sites, including SE1\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;NW1\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;W1 and N1 across all selected tree species. Seasonal variation was higher in winter than in summer and monsoon. Among the studied species, \u003cem\u003eB. papyrifera\u003c/em\u003e had maximum dust accumulation (0.102\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.08 g). The overall dust accumulation trend was B. \u003cem\u003epapyrifera\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;\u003cem\u003eF. religiosa\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;\u003cem\u003eP. longifolia\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;\u003cem\u003eS. siamea\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;\u003cem\u003eA\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eindica\u003c/em\u003e during all seasons and sites. While higher dust-capturing capacity was detected in \u003cem\u003eS. siamea\u003c/em\u003e, followed by \u003cem\u003eA. indica\u003c/em\u003e, and lowest in plant \u003cem\u003eB. papyrifera\u003c/em\u003e. Accumulated dust negatively affects plant morphological and physiological characteristics, altering antioxidative properties, resulting in higher ascorbic acid content in plants with elevated APTI values. Chronologically, we found that \u003cem\u003eF. religiosa\u003c/em\u003e had higher APTI values than \u003cem\u003eB. papyrifera\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;\u003cem\u003eP. longifolia\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;\u003cem\u003eS. siamea\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;and \u003cem\u003eA. indica\u003c/em\u003e. API evaluation was also higher in \u003cem\u003eF. religiosa\u003c/em\u003e (81.25%), which emerged as the most suitable species for green belt development. Therefore, the findings suggest that the selected species can serve as effective bio-tools for developing sustainable urban ecosystems The study further provides valuable insights for future predictive models for managing urban dust pollution and selecting optimal plant species for ecological restoration in polluted environments.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Urban trees: A Sustainable and Phyto-monitoring Tool for Cities and Societies","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-03-12 07:01:48","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8496949/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"107053283557845432839524103128267726125","date":"2026-04-30T04:04:12+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"1160114830511876899646483155990862465","date":"2026-04-28T01:22:54+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"159031974354291066286350024859126438838","date":"2026-04-27T00:26:14+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-21T11:36:56+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"18633400818879564879952479142669220126","date":"2026-03-11T04:51:40+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"287854177073210203195097528728829390153","date":"2026-03-10T03:31:50+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-03-09T01:20:37+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-01-17T03:19:24+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-01-16T12:48:18+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Urban Ecosystems","date":"2026-01-01T20:01:06+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"urban-ecosystems","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"ueco","sideBox":"Learn more about [Urban Ecosystems](https://www.springer.com/journal/11252)","snPcode":"11252","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/11252/3","title":"Urban Ecosystems","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"a9a08dd1-0302-4f18-b438-4b077f28b145","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 12th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"107053283557845432839524103128267726125","date":"2026-04-30T04:04:12+00:00","index":38,"fulltext":""}],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-03-12T07:01:49+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-03-12 07:01:48","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8496949","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8496949","identity":"rs-8496949","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}