Industrial air pollution and peroxidase activity in Scots pine needles – two case studies

The peroxidase activity (EC 1.11.1.7) in homogenates from Scots pine needles (Pinus sylvestries L.) were studied in relation to needle age and sampling locations around two different sources of industrial air pollution. Increased enzyme activity was associated with both increased needle age and proximity to the emission sources. Fluorine contamination in one of the cases was not correlated with enhanced enzyme activity. Enzyme activity levels were considered in relation to variations between trees and between different parts of the same trees.     

Simulated influence of leaf geometry on sunlight interception and photosynthesis in conifer needles

The light interception capabilities of individual conifer needles are governed by their cross-sectional geometry and their orientation to sunlight. Leaf cross sections typical of conifer tree species were modeled to quantify the interception of direct sunlight over a range of incident light angles. The needle shapes exhibited by Abies nordmanniana Spach, Picea asperata Master, Pinus cembra L., P. monophylla Torr & Frém., and P. sylvestris L. were selected because they are representative of the range of geometric shapes found in conifer tree species. Calculated light interception values were compared to corresponding predictions for a laminar broadleaf. Estimates of carbon gain were derived from computed incident light integrated over the leaf cross section and a representative curve of conifer photosynthetic response to light. Flat leaf cross sections (e.g., Abies nordmanniana) with high surface area to volume ratios (> 6) intercepted more light per unit area at high angles of incidence than thick leaves. Thick leaves (e.g., Pinus cembra) intercepted more light at low angles of incidence than at high angles of incidence. Needles of Pinus monophylla had no angular dependence for light interception because of their circular cross section. Large differences in estimated CO(2) assimilation occurred among the species, especially when CO(2) uptake was expressed on a unit volume basis. A maximum uptake of 67.9 mmol CO(2) m(-3) s(-1) was predicted for A. nordmanniana compared to a minimum of 39.7 mmol m(-3) s(-1) for P. monophylla. A greater angular dependence occurred for estimates of CO(2) uptake than for estimates of light interception.     

Nutrient element and carbohydrate status of Norway spruce at Mt. Kleiner Feldberg in Taunus exposed to air pollution and soil acidification

A 17-year-old Norway-spruce stand at Mt. Kleiner Feldberg (Taunus) was investigated. The mineral soil was found to be in the aluminum buffer range (pH H₂O = 3.5) but the fine and very fine roots of injured and uninjured trees were sufficiently supplied with Ca and Mg. Mg-deficiency, however, was observed in current-year needles where the contents were 30 % and 45 % below standard values in uninjured and injured trees, respectively. In injured trees the severe Mg-losses of current-year needles coincided with a 20 to 60 % loss of the activities of a number of enzymes involved in the carbohydrate metabolism and a significant reduction of the growth of current-year twigs.     

Ultrastructure of mesophyll cells of spruce needles exposed to O3 alone and together with SO2

Mesophyll cells of spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] needles fumigated for two months with O₃ alone and together with SO₂ were studied with electron microscope. The observations showed the specific type of injuries for both pollutants, the dependency of severity of injuries both on the concentration of the pollutant and the duration of daily exposure as well as enhanced effects with combined O₃ and SO₂ in the older needles.     

The effects of nitrogen fertilization on the ultrastructure of mesophyll cells of conifer needles in northern Finland

Cytological injuries in needles of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] were studied at light and electron microscope level in northern Finland. Needle samples were taken from fertilized (mainly with nitrogen) and nonfertilized trees during winter 1980. The results are discussed in relation to the severe climate and growth response of the trees.     

Direct inhibition of maintenance respiration in western hemlock roots exposed to ambient soil carbon dioxide concentrations

Root respiration often exhibits a direct and immediate decline with increasing concentrations of ambient soil carbon dioxide concentration ([CO(2)]), and recent evidence suggests this decline may be attributable to a decline in maintenance respiration within the root. If true, this concept could provide a clue to the biochemical process underlying respiratory inhibition as well as improve our knowledge of the timing and degree to which this inhibition occurs in nature. To test the hypothesis that maintenance respiration exhibits a direct, negative response to increasing [CO(2)], we measured total respiration in intact root systems of western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) seedlings grown at different relative growth rates and exposed to soil [CO(2)]s ranging from 91 to 7008 &mgr;mol mol(-1). Analysis of covariance was used to separate maintenance from total respiration. Total respiration declined exponentially with increasing [CO(2)]. Maintenance respiration, which comprised 85% of total respiration over all treatments, also declined exponentially with increasing [CO(2)]. Growth respiration was not inhibited at any [CO(2)]. These findings may explain why roots of some fast-growing species do not show [CO(2)] inhibition.     

Applicability of stand structural characteristics to stemflow modeling

A stemflow (SF) estimation model, based on the correlation between coefficients (a andb) of the regression equation (SF=aP _g −b, whereP _g is gross rainfall) obtained from sample tree and their diameter at breast height (DBH), is presented. Estimation by the model forSF from two deciduous broad-leaved forests shows favorable agreement with the measurement. Once the equations for regression coefficients are determined, the model has the potential to easily estimateSF from an entire stand through sampling of some representative trees. However, the model is site-specific. In order to mitigate the weakness of this model, the combination of previous results provided generalized equations for the coefficients. The generalized equation adequately estimatedSF of some forests while its estimation was biased for other forests, which indicates thatSF variation between forests is closely related to structural differences. Actually, theSF frequency distribution of two forest stands was significantly different. So, influence of structural factors onSF was also studied using funneling ratio (FR) that integrates the efficiency of trunk and canopy characteristics toSF. Comparison ofFR showed thatSF was significantly correlated to crown-projection area (CPA) and basal area at breast height (BA). Parameters (β ₁ andβ ₂) within the model were significantly correlated to respective stand density and leaf area index (LAI). Part of this study was supported by Aichi Prefecture Collaboration of Regional Entities for the Advancement of Technological Excellence, Japan Science and Technology Corporation.     

试论植物在控制居室空气污染中的作用

从分析室内空气污染的主要来源入手,论述绿色植物在控制居室空气污染方面的重要作用。     

Influence of foliar N on foliar soluble sugars and starch of red spruce saplings exposed to ambient and elevated ozone

Red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) trees growing at high elevation in the northeastern United States have experienced decline in recent years but seedlings have proved to be relatively tolerant of a wide range of environmental stresses in controlled studies. One possible reason for the wide tolerance to stress in seedlings is their inherently large pool of carbohydrate reserves, which is available for maintenance during and regrowth after periods of stress. We tested for the effects of foliar N and exposure to ozone on foliar carbohydrate reserves of 20-year-old naturally regenerated saplings. The trees were maintained in native soil in 360-l containers for 5 years before the experiment. The year before the experiment, trees were fertilized with N,P,K to provide a population of trees from N deficient to N sufficient. As foliar N decreased below 0.9%, length of current-year shoots and specific needle area of current-year needles declined. Foliar N concentration was correlated with foliar sugar and starch concentrations, but relationships varied with time of year. Before bud break, foliar carbohydrates and N, in general, were positively correlated, and date of bud break was delayed in N-deficient trees. During active growth, foliar soluble sugars and N were positively correlated, but starch concentrations were negatively correlated with N. By late September, neither starch nor sugar concentration was correlated with N concentration. Ozone and foliar N concentrations did not interact to change foliar carbohydrate concentrations or shoot and needle growth in this relatively short-term study.     

Epicuticular waxes,peroxidase activity and contents of chlorophyll,phaeophytin and carotenoids of needles from Pinus syivestris and picea abies as indicators of air pollution in the region of Stockholm

To trace any possible effects of air pollution stress and injuries on trees around a city centre, needles of Scots pine (Pinus Syivestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) from sites of different distances and directions from Stockholm were analysed. Comparisons were made between needles of different ages, a half to three and a half years old (C ‐ C + 3) for pine up to six and a half years old (C ‐ C + 6) for spruce. Epicuticular waxes, studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), showed age‐dependent but site‐independent changes. Different age‐patterns were found in the pine and spruce needles but no dust coverings or lesions were detected, irrespective of the sites. A proportionally increasing peroxidase activity (EC 1.11.1.7) with increasing needle‐age up to the third year was observed in both species. No certain indication of site‐effects, expressed by an unproportional increase of the enzyme activity with increasing needle‐age could be found. Chlorophyll a and b, phaeophytin a and b and carotenoid analyses on the corresponding materials only indicated disturbances in trees from some scattered sampling plots. Thus, neither could the pigment analyses reveal any signs of a general pollution stress in pine and spruce trees from the area in question.     

赤霉酸对3种针叶树幼苗生长及生理特性的影响

研究了用浓度分别为0，10，50，100，500mg／L的赤霉酸（GA3）溶液浸种对3种针叶树幼苗生长和一些生理指标的影响。试验结果表明，GA3能促进樟子松、鱼鳞云杉、红皮云杉幼苗的生长，株高（PH）、根系体积（RV）和干物质积累（DW）明显增加。同时，GA3能调节3种针叶树幼苗的代谢，提高脱氢酶（阴G）和硝酸还原酶（NR）的活性，增加可溶性糖（SS）、可溶性蛋白（SP）、自由氨基酸（FAA）的含量。GA3最适宜的处理浓度是50—1130ms／L的水溶液。     

Combined air pollution and pine ring structure observed xylochronologically1

Ring characteristics of pine trees grown in polluted air showed up distinctly as a decrease in newly devised synthetic indicators such as product of W (relative ring width) and DD (relative difference between maximum and minimum density within a ring) or product of W and MD (relative mean density). Intensity of combined air pollution was estimated by the total of daily maximum concentration of SO₂, ozone, NO₂, and NO₂. Since synthetic indicators show a significant correlation, at the over 98% confidence level, with the intensity of combined air pollution, phytotoxicity of air to pine growth must be attributable at least in part to combined effect of air pollutants.     

人造板与室内空气污染及治理

人造板具有淳朴自然、纹理美观、易于加工等优点,是室内装修、家具制造的主要材料。但在制板和使用过程中,所释放出的甲醛对室内空气造成污染,必须引起重视。作者提出了改善人造板环保性能和消除空气中甲醛污染的几点建议。     

Susceptibility of four conifer species to Gremmeniella abietina

G. abietina causes severe dieback in pole-stage stands of Scots pine in Britain. The susceptibility of ll provenances of Scots pine and of three other conifer species was tested by inoculations. Significant differences in susceptibility were found amongst Scots pine provenances, with those originating from a native Scottish pinewood at Loch Maree showing the highest levels of disease. Corsican pine was shown to be the most susceptible species tested although sporulation was greatest on Scots pine. Norway spruce was also shown to be susceptible when inoculated late in the growing season. Infection in lodgepole pine was negligible. High levels of β-phellandrene were tentatively linked with resistance among trees in a single stand of Scots pine.     

Influence of air pollution on seed quality of Picea obovata

The status of Siberian spruce seeds along a transect near the Monchegorsk nickel smelter (Kola Peninsula, Russia) was evaluated using the X-ray method. The viability of seeds was significantly reduced under severe deposition of sulphur dioxide and heavy metals.     

长春市大气污染防治对策

本文对长春市的大气污染、污染物进行了调查分析，提出了大气污染的防治对策。     

长春市空气污染特征的分析与防治对策

利用长春市6个环境空气质量监测国控点位的数据,研究长春市最近5 a在平稳快速建设与发展的环境下城市空气污染的特征。结果表明:空气环境中PM10经常为长春市首要污染物,5 a年均值高于国家二级标准,呈逐年攀升态势;SO2浓度年均值远低于国家二级标准,呈平稳上升态势;NO2浓度年均值为国家一级标准,采暖期浓度值略高于非采暖期,呈稳中有升态势。污染主要源于燃煤增加、机动车增加、气象条件不利等因素。针对长春市空气污染的特征提出了防治建议与对策。     

Presence of fungi in Scots pine needles found to correlate with air quality as measured by bioindicators in northern Spain

Atmospheric pollution has increased worldwide during the last decades affecting forest ecosystems. Thermal power plants give off high levels of contaminants, which can damage forest health. Bioindicators can be helpful tools used for evaluating environment changes by giving an accurate measure of the extent of pollution. The focus of this study was to analyse fungal mycoflora in Pinus sylvestris stands near a thermal power plant and the possible correlation between the presence of the fungi and the air quality as measured by lichens and mosses. Fungi associated with pine needles were selected as subjects of this study because of their phytopathological importance and association with the pine trees' decline. Samples for this study were selected from eight plots in close proximity to a thermal power station in northern Spain. Symptoms of decline were previously observed in all the plots before sampling was performed. Lichens were used as bioindicators of environmental quality in two ways, first using the Index of Atmospheric Purity and second through categorization of lichen species based on their sensitivity. In addition, botanical quality was measured regarding the presence or absence of mosses. With two seasonal samplings (autumn and spring) and the use of four types of pine needle plant material (green needles, dried needles, half–green, half‐dried needles and fallen needles), both endophytes and epiphytes present in the needles were isolated and observed. Thirty fungal species in total were identified of the 1095 isolates obtained. Furthermore, significant differences in fungal isolates were observed between seasons and among the different plant material. Results showed that both environmental air quality and botanical quality were negatively correlated with the relative isolation frequency of fungi. The higher number of isolates was attributed to a possible infection produced by fungi, which could be a leading factor in the trees' decline.