Environmental Pollution Effects on Trees and Plants

Air Pollution

• Acid rain can kill trees, destroy the leaves of plants, can infiltrate soil by making it unsuitable for purposes of nutrition and habitation
• Ozone holes in the upper atmosphere can allow excessive ultraviolet radiation from the sun to enter the Earth causing damage to trees and plants
• Ozone in the lower atmosphere can prevent plant respiration by blocking stomata (openings in leaves) and negatively affecting plants’ photosynthesis rates which will stunt plant growth; ozone can also decay plant cells directly by entering stomata

Water Pollution

• May disrupt photosynthesis in aquatic plants and thus affecting ecosystems that depend on these plants
• Terrestrial and aquatic plants may absorb pollutants from water and pass them up the food chain to consumer animals and humans
• Plants may be killed by too much sodium chloride in water 
• Plants may be killed by mud from construction sites as well as bits of wood and leaves, clay and other similar materials
• Plants may be killed by herbicides in water; herbicides are chemicals which are most harmful to plants

Soil Pollution

• May alter plant metabolism and reduce crop yields
• Trees and plants may absorb soil contaminants and pass them up the food chain