The Simulated Effects of Iron Dust and Acidity During the Early Stages of Establishment of Two Coastal Plant Species K. N. Kuki & M. A. Oliva & A. C. Costa Received: 27 February 2008 / Accepted: 9 June 2008 / Published online: 9 July 2008 # Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2008 Abstract In Brazil’ s littoral, many iron ore industries are located in areas of restinga, a type of coastal ecosystem; such industries represent stationary sour- ces of iron and acid particulates. The industrial sector is under expansion, threatening the already fragile ecosystem. In the present study, the simulated impact of these emissions was studied on the early establish- ment stages of two native plant species, Sophora tomentosa and Schinus terebinthifolius. The results indicate that S. tomentosa display deficient germina- tion and low root tolerance when exposed to iron dust and acidity. Toxic iron concentrations were found to accumulate only in the roots of S. tomentosa plants exposed to increasing doses of iron dust. In these plants, initial growth was reduced, leading to the conclusion that S. tomentosa was unable to regulate, and, thus, to overcome, the effects of the iron dust in the substrate. In contrast, the germination, root tolerance index, and initial growth of S. terebinthifo- lius were not affected by iron dust and acidity, revealing the species’ resistance to these pollutants. We propose that under similar field conditions, S. tomentosa would be adversely affected, whereas S. terebinthifolius would thrive. On a long-term basis, this imbalance is likely to interfere in the vegetational composition and dynamics of the affected ecosystem. Keywords Acidic deposition . Atmospheric pollution . Ecological risk . Iron particulate matter 1 Introduction Brazil is the world’ s largest producer of iron ore products, such as pellets, powder and sinter (UNCTAD 2006). The demand for metal goods is increasing worldwide; this consequently compels ore industries to expand their activities, which, in turn, can exacerbate pre-existent ecological problems caused by the sector. The industries constitute a source of geographic and environmental disturbance due to mining and the emission of iron dust and sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) (Wong and Tam 1977; Lopes et al. 2000; Paling et al. 2001). The iron dust, or iron ore particulate matter, represents the major pollutant released by these industries, during both the process- ing and storage of final products in open stock yards. These pollutants can be deposited either near the source or carried away, depending on the particle size, Water Air Soil Pollut (2009) 196:287–295 DOI 10.1007/s11270-008-9776-y K. N. Kuki : M. A. Oliva : A. C. Costa Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Avenida PH Rolfs, Campus, Viçosa, Minas Gerais 36570-000, Brazil K. N. Kuki (*) UCP, Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Avenida PH Rolfs, Campus, Viçosa, Minas Gerais 36570-000, Brazil e-mail: naomikuki@hotmail.com