A study of the ciliar tracheal epithelium on passerine birds and small mammals subjected to air pollution: Ultrastructural study
✍ Scribed by A. Gorriz; S. Llacuna; M. Durfort; J. Nadal
- Publisher
- Springer
- Year
- 1994
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 812 KB
- Volume
- 27
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0090-4341
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✦ Synopsis
A study was made of the ciliar tracheal epithelium on passerine birds and small mammals subjected to NOx, SO2 emissions and particulates from a coal-fired power plant. The results were compared to those of a non-polluted area, very similar in vegetation, relief, and climatology. We studied Carduelis carduelis (goldfinch), Emberiza cia (rock bunting), Parus major (great tit), Turdus merula (blackbird), and Apodemus sylvaticus (wood mouse). All animals were captured in the wild. We also used goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) captured in the wild and mice (Mus musculus) from our laboratory. These species were placed in protected cages near the source of pollution for 5 and 12 months. The images of the tracheal epithelium surface and the observation of tracheal sections at transmission and scanning electron microscopy showed a variation in the percentage of ciliated and non-ciliated cells, and a variation in the organization, orientation, and morphology of the cilia in animals from the polluted zone.
The effects on the ciliar tracheal epithelium of various gases (SO2 and NOx) and particulates from a coal-fired power plant were studied for some species of passerine birds and small mammals (Llacuna et al. 1993). Llacuna et al. (1993) reported a major alteration in the tracheal epithelium, shortening of the cilia, increase in the number of secretory cells, and, consequently, an increase of mucus as a result of exposure. The species used to evaluate those effects were Emberiza cia, Carduelis carduelis, Parus major, Apodemus sylvaticus captured in the wild, and Carduelis carduelis and Mus musculus placed in cages near the emissions.
To extend these results, we performed a study of the ciliar tracheal epithelium on some passerine birds and small mammals captured in Cercs (northeast Spain), the polluted zone, and compared them with animals captured in St. Jaume de Correspondence to: J. Nadal Frontanya (northeast Spain), the non-polluted zone, at 40 km from Cercs to the east using image analysis. We also analyzed formation of fuzz, position, and orientation of cilia, which is determined by the central microtubules, and association of cilia surrounded by a single membrane.