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Volume 17
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10.3390/f17020218
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Article

Citizen Perception of Air Pollution and the Role of Urban Trees as Biomonitoring Agents of Cadmium and Lead in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, Jalisco, Mexico

by
Paulina Beatriz Gutiérrez-Martínez
1,
Blanca Catalina Ramírez-Hernández
2,*,
Marcela Mariel Maldonado-Villegas
1,
Sara Villanueva-Viramontes
2,3,*,
Hector Leal-Aguayo
2,
Laura Elizabeth Peña-García
2,
Javier García-Velasco
1,
Aurora Rosas-Ramírez
1,
Mónica Reynoso-Silva
4 and
Carlos Alvarez-Moya
4
1
Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Zapopan 45200, Jalisco, Mexico
2
Departamento de Ecología Aplicada, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Zapopan 45200, Jalisco, Mexico
3
Secretaría de Ciencias, Humanidades, Tecnología e Innovación, Mexico City 03940, Mexico
4
Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Zapopan 45200, Jalisco, Mexico
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Forests 2026, 17(2), 218; https://doi.org/10.3390/f17020218
Submission received: 29 December 2025 / Revised: 21 January 2026 / Accepted: 2 February 2026 / Published: 5 February 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest and Human Well-Being)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Heavy metal pollution in urban environments and public understanding of these contaminants pose major challenges for air-quality management. Urban trees have been proposed as tools to mitigate air pollution; however, evidence integrating biophysical assessments and social perception is still limited in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area (AMG), Mexico. This study evaluated Cd and Pb accumulation in the leaves of five common urban tree species and assessed residents’ perceptions of air pollution and the role of urban trees. Significant interspecific differences were found, with Citrus × aurantium L. showing the highest Cd concentration (2.60 mg kg−1) and Bauhinia variegata L. the highest Pb content (7.45 mg kg−1). Socially, 62% of respondents found the AMG to be one of the most polluted metropolitan areas in the country, and >90% acknowledged direct or indirect health impacts associated with air pollution; nevertheless, a marked knowledge gap persisted about specific contaminants such as Cd and Pb. This “perception paradox” highlights an opportunity to strengthen risk communication and environmental education and suggests that urban-tree biomonitoring can provide locally meaningful evidence to support public engagement and policy actions. Taken together, the environmental and social findings provide an interpretive, metropolitan-scale synthesis that informs air quality management and public health protection in the AMG.
Keywords: bioaccumulation; heavy metals; environmental quality; citizen participation bioaccumulation; heavy metals; environmental quality; citizen participation

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MDPI and ACS Style

Gutiérrez-Martínez, P.B.; Ramírez-Hernández, B.C.; Maldonado-Villegas, M.M.; Villanueva-Viramontes, S.; Leal-Aguayo, H.; Peña-García, L.E.; García-Velasco, J.; Rosas-Ramírez, A.; Reynoso-Silva, M.; Alvarez-Moya, C. Citizen Perception of Air Pollution and the Role of Urban Trees as Biomonitoring Agents of Cadmium and Lead in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, Jalisco, Mexico. Forests 2026, 17, 218. https://doi.org/10.3390/f17020218

AMA Style

Gutiérrez-Martínez PB, Ramírez-Hernández BC, Maldonado-Villegas MM, Villanueva-Viramontes S, Leal-Aguayo H, Peña-García LE, García-Velasco J, Rosas-Ramírez A, Reynoso-Silva M, Alvarez-Moya C. Citizen Perception of Air Pollution and the Role of Urban Trees as Biomonitoring Agents of Cadmium and Lead in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, Jalisco, Mexico. Forests. 2026; 17(2):218. https://doi.org/10.3390/f17020218

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gutiérrez-Martínez, Paulina Beatriz, Blanca Catalina Ramírez-Hernández, Marcela Mariel Maldonado-Villegas, Sara Villanueva-Viramontes, Hector Leal-Aguayo, Laura Elizabeth Peña-García, Javier García-Velasco, Aurora Rosas-Ramírez, Mónica Reynoso-Silva, and Carlos Alvarez-Moya. 2026. "Citizen Perception of Air Pollution and the Role of Urban Trees as Biomonitoring Agents of Cadmium and Lead in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, Jalisco, Mexico" Forests 17, no. 2: 218. https://doi.org/10.3390/f17020218

APA Style

Gutiérrez-Martínez, P. B., Ramírez-Hernández, B. C., Maldonado-Villegas, M. M., Villanueva-Viramontes, S., Leal-Aguayo, H., Peña-García, L. E., García-Velasco, J., Rosas-Ramírez, A., Reynoso-Silva, M., & Alvarez-Moya, C. (2026). Citizen Perception of Air Pollution and the Role of Urban Trees as Biomonitoring Agents of Cadmium and Lead in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, Jalisco, Mexico. Forests, 17(2), 218. https://doi.org/10.3390/f17020218

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