Pollution of the Environment and Pollen: A Review

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Dear author,

very good review paper, with a lot of information well presented.

Small note regards to grammar check in the paper (text and reference), you will find in pdf text attached.

Its been a pleasure for me to review this work.

All the best,

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Dear reviewer, thank you very much for the good words about the review. All your comments in the text and references are taken into account and the article edited according to them.

With best wishes, Professor Natalia Vasilevskaya

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript submitted for review present a review on the studies of the biological reaction of plants to pollution on the base of palynological investigations that allows the assessment of quality of environment. Fresh pollen can provide valuable information about plant phenology, ecophysiology, population dynamics and gene flow. The review discusses the current research focus on pollen used as a biological indicator of the quality of atmospheric air: the morphological  variability of pollen, its fertility and viability under the influence of pollutants, and the possibility of its use as a bioindicator of pollution of urban areas by emissions of vehicle transport and industry were considered.

The manuscript is written and organized according to the requirements of mdpi for the reviews. The main problems of using of pollen as a bioindicator of pollution of urban areas are discussed. Although, there are no the aim and conclusions formulated.

As example for the aim may be: To summarize the results of the research carried out so far on the key points about the relationships between pollen quality and environmental pollution, namely: Correlation between pollen and urban environment; Correlation between pollen morphology and viability under vehicle contamination; Relationship between pollen and the impact of industrial emissions.

The conclusions can emphasize the main findings and the future focus of the research object of the manuscript.

I also have some suggestions for redactions and additions, as:

Lines 330-332: “The experiments on the effects of polluting gases on pollen were conducted in Shang hai, when exhaust gases NO2, SO2, NH3 were mixed in a speciall chamber [81]. Pollen of  Platanus orientalis was treated by this mixture.” My suggestion: “Experiments on the effects of polluting gases on pollen were conducted in Shanghai: pollen of  Platanus orientalis was treated by mixture of exhaust gases NO2, SO2, NH3 [81]..”

Lines 350-351: “The number of fertile and sterile pollen, the percentage of cells with anomalies 350 calculated from the total number of gametes, and sterility index (SI) were under study.” My suggestion: „The number of fertile and sterile pollen, the percentage of cells with anomalies calculated from the total number of gametes, and sterility index (SI) were studied.”

Lines 376-377: “It was found that nitrogen dioxide is an anthropogenic factor that has a statistically significant effect on the viability of pollen.” My suggestion: “It was found that the emission of nitrogen dioxide statistically significant affect the pollen viability”

Lines 514-515: “In addition to conifers, research of the use of pollen for bioindication of pollution of  industrial areas is carried out on other species of different living forms, as …(to be enumerated).”

In conclusion, this manuscript is recommended for publication in “Stresses”, after consideration of the remarks shown.

Author Response

Dear reviewer, thank you for reviewing of the article. I agree with your comments and wishes. All of them have been taken into account and the corresponding corrections and additions have been made to the text.

Sincerely yours, Professor  Natalia Vasilevskaya