Abstract

Overview

Environmental exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) from mobile telephony has rapidly increased in the last two decades and this trend is expected to continue. The effects of this exposure at plant community level are unknown and difficult to assess in a scientifically appropriate manner. Such an assessment can be scientifically adequate if a studied plant community is completely new and control-impact radiation treatment is used.

Findings

• We aimed to predict ecological effects and identify indicators of the impact of bioactive RF-EMFs at the mobile telephony frequency range on plant communities.
• We considered the scenario where a plant community was exposed to radiation generated by a base transmitting station antenna mounted on a nearby mast.
• Our indicators can be used for the detection of the impact of RF-EMFs on vegetation in a control-impact experiment.

Conclusion

The identified indicators include canopy parameters, plant characteristics, community weighted means/medians (CWMs) of plant traits and strategies, and the abundance of other organisms that interact with plants and can influence their fitness or population size.

Furthermore, it's important for our awareness about potential health risks from EMFs, as it underlines ongoing concerns in scientific and health communities about such exposures.