Concentrations and depositions of SO2, SO4 2− etc. in a Chongqing suburban forested area

During the period from 25 May 1991 to 30 May 1992 the atmospheric concentrations and depositions of oxides of sulfur were continuously measured in a suburban masson pine forest which is currently experiencing severe dieback, in Chongqing, China. The annual mean concentrations of SO₂ and particulate SO₄ ^2? were 220 μ g/m³ (77 ppbv) and 32 μ g/m³ respectively. The atmospheric concentrations of these sulfur compounds were high in late autumn and winter. The annual wet and dry depositions of sulfur to the forest as measured by throughfall and stemflow were 93.1 and 46.6 kgSha^?1a^?1 respectively. These depositions are among the highest level ever reported in the world. Althogh the cause of the dieback of the masson pine trees has not been unequivocally determined, it is probable that the direct impact of SO₂ is more likely the cause than acid deposition.     

Phenological Disorder Induced by Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition: Original Causes of Pine Forest Decline over Japan. Part I. Phenological Disorder,Cold Death of Apical Shoots of Red Pine Subjected to Combined Exposures of Simulated Acid Rain and Soil Acidification,and Implications for Forest Decline

Seeds of red pine (Pinus densiflora Sieb. and Zucc.) were sown in red-yellow soil artificially adjusted to pH (H₂O) 4.10, 4.60 or 5.90 by adding H₂SO₄ solution to the soil (pH 5.90), and the three-month seedlings were exposed to simulated acid rain at pH 2.0, 3.0 or 5.6 for 10 minutes once, 3 times a week, for 12 months from 4 August 1994 to 3 August 1995 alone or in combination. Significant interactive effects between acid rain and soil acidification on growth and whole-plant net photosynthetic rate, and cold death ratio of new apical shoots following a cold snap were observed in a quadratic response pattern. The simulated acid rain increased budburst, new needle spread and elongation, and new apical shoot death percentage following a cold snap, but did not induce visible injury. In the highest soil acidity treatment at a soil pH 4.1, whole-plant net photosynthetic rate and seedling height exhibited a quadratic responses with increasing rain acidities. On the other hand, soil acidification caused leaf yellowing. The death percentage of new apical shoot of seedlings exposed to rain pH 2.0 following a cold snap was linearly enlarged with increasing soil acidities. With increasing soil acidity, height and whole-plant net photosynthesis of the seedlings exposed to rain pH 3.0 exhibited a linear increase response, while height of seedlings exposed to control rain exhibited a quadratic response. It is suggested that the results provide experimental evidency for phenological disturbances and an enhancement of frost risk by direct acid rain and indirect longterm soil acidification which may be significant in forest decline.     

5-caffeoylquinic acid and caffeic acid down-regulate the oxidative stress- and TNF-alpha-induced secretion of interleukin-8 from Caco-2 cells

Although chlorogenic acid (CHA) easily reaches a millimolar level in the gastrointestinal tract because of its high concentration in coffee and fruits, its effects on intestinal epithelial cells have been little reported. We investigated in this study the down-regulative effects of 5-caffeoylquinic acid (CQA), the predominant isomer of CHA, on the H(2)O(2-) or TNF-alpha-induced secretion of interleukin (IL)-8, a central pro-inflammatory chemokine involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases, in human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells. After the cells had been pre- and simultaneously treated with CQA, the oversecretion of IL-8 and overexpression of its mRNA induced by H(2)O(2) were significantly suppressed in a dose-dependent manner in the range of 0.25-2.00 mmol/L. We further found that a metabolite of CQA, caffeic acid (CA), but not quinic acid, significantly inhibited the H(2)O(2)-induced IL-8 secretion and its mRNA expression in the same dose-dependent manner. Both CQA and CA suppressed the TNF-alpha-induced IL-8 secretion as well. Caffeic acid at 2.00 mmol/l was able to absolutely block the H(2)O(2)- or TNF-alpha-induced oversecretion of IL-8 in Caco-2 cells. However, CQA and CA did not suppress the TNF-alpha-induced increase in the IL-8 mRNA expression, indicating that the suppressive mechanisms are different between TNF-alpha-induced and H(2)O(2)-induced IL-8 production models. These results suggest that the habit of drinking coffee and/or eating fruits with a high CHA content may be beneficial to humans in preventing the genesis of inflammatory bowel diseases.     

Abstracts of Nippon Dojohiryogaku Zassui

The effects of NO₂ and O₃ exposure alone or in combination were investigated with respect to the amino acid content and composition in kidney bean. The short-term exposure (up to 8 h) to NO₂ at a concentration of 4.0 ppm alone or in combination with O₃ at a concentration of 0.4 ppm induced a rapid increase in the total amino acid content among which glutamine accounted for most of the part. Total amino acid content was also increased by O₃ exposure at 0.4 ppm after 2 hours’ lag period. Ammonium level became higher in the case of combined exposure to NO₂ and O₃, while it remained constant in the case of exposure to NO₂ and O₃ alone.

When the exposure period was extended to 2 to 7 days (long-term exposure), the increase in the content of the total amino acids was observed in most of treatments. Roots of the plants exposed to various concentrations of NO₂ and O₃ showed the most remarkable increase in the content of total amino acids. Asparagine, in place of glutamine, became a major amino acid. The percentage of asparagine was especially increased by the mixed exposure to NO₂ and O₃ These results indicate that glutamine which accumulates considerably in the early phase of the gas exposure (short-term exposure) seems to be gradually converted into other amino acids, mainly asparagine.

The correlation between the content of each amino acid, ammonium and total amino acids was calculated using data from the above experiment. Most of the amino acids in the primary and trifoliate leaves showed a high correlation with the total amino acids, suggesting that the changes in the amount of total amino acids caused by the air pollutants may be reflected not only by a particular amino acid, but also by an individual amino acid composing soluble metabolite pool. A high correlation was obtained among amino acids belonging to the serine family such as glYCine, serine, and cysteine.     

The individual and combined effects of ozone and simulated acid rain on chlorophyll contents,carbon allocation and biomass accumulation of armand pine seedlings

The seedlings of armand pine (Pinus armand Franch.) were applied to exposure, alone or in combination, to charcoal filtered air (CF) or ozone (O₃) at 300±15 nl/l(ppb) for 8 h a day, 6 days a week, and simulated rain of pH 6.8, 3.0 or 2.3, six times a week, alone and in combination, for 14 weeks from June 15 to September 20, 1993. No significant interactive effects of O₃ and simulated acid rain were observed on chlorophyll contents, carbon allocation and biomass accumulation of the seedlings in the present study. The O₃ caused reductions in biomass accumulation of whole-plant and below-ground parts, but not that of above-ground parts without an acute visible foliar injury. At the same time, the O₃ reduced R/S ratio, but raised F/C ratio. Therefore, O₃ also altered carbon allocation pattern. On the other hand, chlorophyll contents were increased by simulated acid rain, but other determined parameters were not altered.     

Absorption of atmospheric NO2 by plants and soils

Tomato, sunflower and com plants were grown in culture solution containing three different concentrations of ¹⁵N-Iabelled KNO₃ (260 ppm N, 105 ppm N, and 26 ppm N) as a nitrogen nutrient, and fumigated with 0.3 ppm NO₂ for 2 weeks during their vegetative stages. The amount of NO₂ nitrogen absorbed into the plants was estimated by “difference method” and “¹⁵N method.” “¹⁵N method” was found to give more probable values than “difference method.” According to “¹⁵N method,” the nitrogen derived from NO₃ was about 16% (tomato), 22% (sunflower), and 14% (com) of the increased amount of total nitrogen in the whole plants in the 105 ppm N plot, and these percentages increased in the 26 ppm N plot. Difference in nitrogen concentration of the culture solution resulted in big change in the dryweight increase of the tomato and sunflower plants, but the absorption rate of NO₂ nitrogen based on the dry weight changed slightly. The absorption rate of NO₂ nitrogen was around 0.8 mg (gDW)^-1 day^-1 in tomato and sunflower plants, and 0.3 mg (gDW)^-1 day^-1 in com plant. Leaves were found to be an active sink of NO₂ and the nitrogen of NO₂ seemed to be rapidly transformed into compounds of high molecules in the leaf cells.     

Seasonal and Annual Fluxes of Inorganic Constituents in a Small Catchment of a Japanese Cedar Forest near the Sea of Japan

Fluxes of major ions in rainfall (RF), throughfall plus stemflow (TF + SF), and stream water (SW) were measured for five water years in a small catchment of a Japanese cedar forest near the Sea of Japan. The fluxes of most ions in RF and in TF + SF, including the non-sea-salt constituents, increased from late autumn to midwinter owing to the seasonal westerly wind. The concentrations of most ions in SW showed no obvious seasonal trend during the study period, whereas ${\text{NO}}_3 ^ - $ concentrations were lowest in summer, with a small seasonality. The Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ outputs in SW were approximately 3.7 and 1.8 times the TF + SF inputs of these cations, respectively. The large net outputs of base cations in the catchment may indicate a decrease in the soil's acid-neutralizing capacity. Annual dissolved inorganic nitrogen inputs in RF and in TF + SF were 17.7 and 17.9 kg N ha^?1 year^?1, respectively, which exceeded previously published thresholds in Europe and the U.S. (i.e., the values at which these inputs increased ${\text{NO}}_3 ^ - $ levels in SW) and equaled the highest level of nitrogen deposition previously reported in Japan. The ${\text{NO}}_{\text{3}} ^{\text{ - }} $ concentrations in SW were relatively high even in summer. During high-precipitation events, ${\text{NO}}_{\text{3}} ^{\text{ - }} $ concentrations in SW increased with increasing water discharge, and the pH decreased simultaneously during several events. Nitrogen deposition may contribute to the high ${\text{NO}}_{\text{3}} ^{\text{ - }} $ concentrations in SW and the temporary acidification that occurred during the rain events.