Abstract
The vegetation is a source of various compounds in the gas phase and particulate phase (“bioaerosols”). Global emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are largely dominated by biogenic sources. Due to the high vegetation biodiversity and favorable climatic conditions, the Mediterranean area has been identified as a huge potential source of biogenic VOCs (BVOCs), which are precursors of tropospheric ozone and secondary organic aerosols. Therefore, this chapter is mainly dedicated to BVOCs although emissions of bioaerosols are briefly reviewed. First, we present shortly the processes leading to BVOC emissions by terrestrial vegetation. Then we focus on BVOC speciation, emissions, and fluxes, from the branch to the canopy level and larger scales. A review of emissions from typical Mediterranean plant species follows, as well as a synthesis of the mean BVOC fluxes measured by micrometeorological techniques in the Mediterranean area. Factors controlling BVOCs and their evolution in the Mediterranean context are then examined from a modelling perspective. Finally, we present a brief overview of measurements and studies of bioaerosols (pollens, fungal spores, etc.) in the Mediterranean basin.