Glasshouse vs field experiments: do they yield ecologically similar results for assessing N impacts on peat mosses?

• Peat bogs have accumulated more atmospheric carbon (C) than any other terrestrial ecosystem today. Most of this C is associated with peat moss (Sphagnum) litter. Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition can decrease Sphagnum production, compromising the C sequestration capacity of peat bogs. The mechanisms underlying the reduced production are uncertain, necessitating multifactorial experiments. • We investigated whether glasshouse experiments are reliable proxies for field experiments for assessing interactions between N deposition and environment as controls on Sphagnum N concentration and production. We performed a meta-analysis over 115 glasshouse experiments and 107 field experiments. • We found that glasshouse and field experiments gave similar qualitative and quantitative estimates of changes in Sphagnum N concentration in response to N application. However, glasshouse-based estimates of changes in production--even qualitative assessments-- diverged from field experiments owing to a stronger N effect on production response in absence of vascular plants in the glasshouse, and a weaker N effect on production response in presence of vascular plants compared to field experiments. • Thus, although we need glasshouse experiments to study how interacting environmental factors affect the response of Sphagnum to increased N deposition, we need field experiments to properly quantify these effects.

Climatic modifiers of the response to nitrogen deposition in peat-forming Sphagnum mosses: a meta-analysis.

Peatlands in the northern hemisphere have accumulated more atmospheric carbon (C) during the Holocene than any other terrestrial ecosystem, making peatlands long-term C sinks of global importance. Projected increases in nitrogen (N) deposition and temperature make future accumulation rates uncertain. Here, we assessed the impact of N deposition on peatland C sequestration potential by investigating the effects of experimental N addition on Sphagnum moss. We employed meta-regressions to the results of 107 field experiments, accounting for sampling dependence in the data. We found that high N loading (comprising N application rate, experiment duration, background N deposition) depressed Sphagnum production relative to untreated controls. The interactive effects of presence of competitive vascular plants and high tissue N concentrations indicated intensified biotic interactions and altered nutrient stochiometry as mechanisms underlying the detrimental N effects. Importantly, a higher summer temperature (mean for July) and increased annual precipitation intensified the negative effects of N. The temperature effect was comparable to an experimental application of almost 4 g N m(-2) yr(-1) for each 1°C increase. Our results indicate that current rates of N deposition in a warmer environment will strongly inhibit C sequestration by Sphagnum-dominated vegetation.

Response of phosphomonoesterase activity in the lichen Cladonia portentosa to nitrogen and phosphorus enrichment in a field manipulation experiment.

*Effects of nitrogen (N) enrichment on the heathland lichen Cladonia portentosa were quantified to test the hypothesis that modified N : phosphorus (P) relationships observed in this species in N-polluted natural environments are a direct effect of increased N deposition, and to evaluate potential confounding effects of N form and P availability. *Cladonia portentosa was harvested from experimental plots in lichen-rich peatland vegetation (background total N deposition of 8 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1)) treated for 4 yr with additional wet N deposition at 0, 8, 24 and 56 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1) as either NH(4)(+) or NO(3)(-), and with or without P added at either 0.6 or 4 kg P ha(-1) yr(-1). *Nitrogen enrichment increased thallus N concentration, N : P mass ratio and phosphomonoesterase (PME) activity by factors of up to 1.3, 1.4 and 1.7, respectively, effects being independent of N form. Phosphomonoesterase activity was tightly related to thallus N : P ratio with additions of P at 4 kg ha(-1) yr(-1) depressing PME activity by a factor of 0.4. *Nitrogen enrichment induces P-limitation in C. portentosa with attendant changes in chemical and physiological characteristics that could be used as sensitive biomarkers with which to detect low levels of N pollution.

δ15N of lichens reflects the isotopic signature of ammonia source.

Although it is generally accepted that δ15N in lichen reflects predominating N isotope sources in the environment, confirmation of the direct correlation between lichen δ15N and atmospheric δ15N is still missing, especially under field conditions with most confounding factors controlled. To fill this gap and investigate the response of lichens with different tolerance to atmospheric N deposition, thalli of the sensitive Evernia prunastri and the tolerant Xanthoria parietina were exposed for ten weeks to different forms and doses of N in a field manipulation experiment where confounding factors were minimized. During this period, several parameters, namely total N, δ15N and chlorophyll a fluorescence, were measured. Under the experimental conditions, δ15N in lichens quantitatively responded to the δ15N of released gaseous ammonia (NH3). Although a high correlation between the isotopic signatures in lichen tissue and supplied N was found both in tolerant and sensitive species, chlorophyll a fluorescence indicated that the sensitive species very soon lost its photosynthetic functionality with increasing N availability. The most damaging response to the different N chemical forms was observed with dry deposition of NH3, although wet deposition of ammonium ions had a significant observable physiological impact. Conversely, there was no significant effect of nitrate ions on chlorophyll a fluorescence, implying differential sensitivity to dry deposition versus wet deposition and to ammonium versus nitrate in wet deposition. Evernia prunastri was most sensitive to NH3, then NH4+, with lowest sensitivity to NO3-. Moreover, these results confirm that lichen δ15N can be used to indicate the δ15N of atmospheric ammonia, providing a suitable tool for the interpretation of the spatial distribution of NH3 sources in relation to their δ15N signal.

Nitrogen deposition does not enhance Sphagnum decomposition.

Long-term additions of nitrogen (N) to peatlands have altered bryophyte growth, species dominance, N content in peat and peat water, and often resulted in enhanced Sphagnum decomposition rate. However, these results have mainly been derived from experiments in which N was applied as ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), neglecting the fact that in polluted areas, wet deposition may be dominated either by NO3(-) or NH4(+). We studied effects of elevated wet deposition of NO3(-) vs. NH4(+) alone (8 or 56kgNha(-1)yr(-1) over and above the background of 8kgNha(-1)yr(-1) for 5 to 11years) or combined with phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) on Sphagnum quality for decomposers, mass loss, and associated changes in hummock pore water in an ombrotrophic bog (Whim). Adding N, especially as NH4(+), increased N concentration in Sphagnum, but did not enhance mass loss from Sphagnum. Mass loss seemed to depend mainly on moss species and climatic factors. Only high applications of N affected hummock pore water chemistry, which varied considerably over time. Overall, C and N cycling in this N treated bog appeared to be decoupled. We conclude that moss species, seasonal and annual variation in climatic factors, direct negative effects of N (NH4(+) toxicity) on Sphagnum production, and indirect effects (increase in pH and changes in plant species dominance under elevated NO3(-) alone and with PK) drive Sphagnum decomposition and hummock C and N dynamics at Whim.

Urban distribution of Rhytisma acerinum (Pers.) Fries (tar spot) on sycamore.

This study examined ecological aspects of the distribution of tar spot disease caused by the fungus Rhytisma acerinum (Pers.) Fries on Acer pseudoplatanus L. (sycamore). The host is abundant in Edinburgh and surrounding areas yet no tar spots were found in the city, although they were abundant on sycamore in the surrounding countryside, especially at sheltered sites. The vertical distribution from a localized source of leaf litter from infected sycamore showed an approximately linear relationship between tar spot index of attached leaves (TSI = no. of tar spots per 100 cm2 of leaf) and the log of height of such infected foliage above the ground. The distribution of tar spots was controlled primarily by the presence or absence of overwintered sycamore leaves infected with R. acerinum. In Edinburgh these leaves are actively removed by man and passively by wind, so reducing the potential source of inoculum by the following spring. The presence of SO2 was unimportant in the distribution of R. acerinum. An experiment to study the relative importance of current air concentrations of SO2 on the incidence of infection by R. acerinum showed that the average SO2 concentration of < 50 µg m-3 hail no effect. The observed distribution of tar spot throughout the city and surrounding countryside could be explained entirely by distance from the nearest source of inoculum without involving a role for air pollutants.

Influence of acidic mist on frost hardiness and nutrient concentrations in red spruce seedlings: 1. Exposure of the foliage and the rooting environment.

Two-year-old red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) was grown in replicated open-top chambers supplied with charcoal-filtered air near Edinburgh, Scotland. Between May and November 1989, plants were exposed to four mist treatments, three containing sulphuric acid and ammonium nitrate in equimolar concentrations at 0.005 mol m-3 (pH 5) or 1.0 mol m-3 (pH 27), and a fourth treatment with sulphuric acid alone at 1.0 mol m3 (equivalent to 2 mm precipitation). Two dose rates were used for the pH 2.7 treatment equivalent to 2 and 8 mm of rain per week. Three subtreatments (soil surface exposed to mist, addition of extra sulphuric acid to the soil surface, exclusion of mist from the soil) were included in each chamber. Frost hardiness was assessed by measuring rates of electrolyte leakage after controlled freezing of detached shoots. At the end of October, frost hardiness, expressed as the lethal temperature for 50% of shoots (LT50 ), was decreased by 8 °C in the 8 mm wk-1 treatment at pH 27, compared to pH 5. The 2 mm wk-1 treatment at pH 2.7 had no effect on frost hardiness either when ammonium nitrate was present or absent (i.e. sulphuric acid only). Excluding mist from the soil, and adding extra sulphuric acid, both increased frost hardiness by about 3 °C when compared with uncovered soil. Excluding mist from the soil increased the amount of foliage initiated and produced inside the chambers but neither subtreatment, excluding the mist nor providing additional sulphuric acid to the soil affected foliar nutrient concentrations. Mist of pH 27 as sulphuric acid alone and in combination with ammonium nitrate both enhanced N uptake. Several observations concerning the effect of acidic mist on frost hardiness were confirmed by this study: (i) preventing mist from reaching the soil/roots, improving conditions for root growth can ameliorate the effects of acidic mist on shoot growth and frost hardiness; (ii) the effect was determined by the ion dose but not by the ion concentration in the mist; (iii) the effect was primarily mediated through foliar absorption; (iv) the presence of high foliar nitrogen concentrations did not increase frost hardiness when foliar sulphur concentrations were also high; (v) low N concentrations were more important for frost hardiness than high foliar N concentrations.

Influence of acidic mist on frost hardiness and nutrient concentrations in red spruce seedlings: 2. Effects of misting frequency and rainfall exclusion.

Two-year-old red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) of Pittston provenance and 3-yr-old plants of Chatham provenance were exposed to acid mist in replicated open-top chambers supplied with charcoal-filtered air near Edinburgh, Scotland. Plants of Chatham provenance had already been exposed to acid mist throughout the previous growing season. The plants were exposed to mist, equivalent to 4 mm rainfall per week, containing an equimolar mixture of sulphuric acid and ammonium nitrate at pH 2.5 or pH 5.0 (1.6 or 0.01 mol m3 ) from May to November. This weekly dose was delivered at a low frequency (2 mm twice a week), or high frequency (1 mm on 4 consecutive days each week) to chambers fitted with ceilings to exclude rain. The low frequency dose was also applied to chambers without ceilings, to examine the effect of natural washing by rain. Frost hardiness, estimated by exposing detached shoots to controlled freezing and then measuring rates of electrolyte leakage, was determined during the misting period at the end of October and in December. Foliar nutrient concentrations were measured during the dormant period after treatment had ceased. At the end of October, plants which had received acid mist were less frost hardy than plants receiving mist at pH 5. The temperature causing 50% shoot death (LT50 ) increased by 6 °C for low frequency application, and by 10 °C at high frequency, relative to the plants receiving mist at pH 5. Exclusion of ambient rainfall had no detectable effect on the frost hardiness response to acid mist. In December, 3 wk after the cessation of misting, all plants were more frost hardy than in October. Significant effects of the acid mist treatment could no longer be detected. Differences in nutrient concentrations were small among treatments, although K+ concentrations in the low frequency treatment with acid mist with rain exclusion were 50 % below those in other treatments. Ca concentrations were 50% larger in the acid mist treatment with rain exclusion than without. The data suggested enhanced sulphate uptake resulting from increasing the frequency of exposure, but the increase was not significant. There was no clear relationship between the pattern of frost hardiness and nutrient concentrations except for S, which was 30% smaller in the control plants (pH 5) than in the high frequency pH 2.5 treatments. It is concluded that excluding rainfall, an experimental artifact introduced in evaluating effects of acid mist, does not influence the frost hardiness response of red spruce seedlings. The much greater effect of exposure to the same dose at double the frequency suggests that such experiments may underestimate effects in the field, if those trees are exposed to more frequent episodes of polluted cloud water than experimental plants.

Visible foliar injury of red spruce seedlings subjected to simulated acid mist.

Two-year-old red spruce seedlings [Picea rubens Sarg. syn. P. rubra (Du Roi) Link] were subjected to 6 simulated acid mist treatments (pH 2.5, 2.7, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 5.0) in a replicated experiment using open-top chambers. Acid mist solutions containing equimolar (NH4 )2 SO4 , and HNO3 were applied twice weekly for 22 weeks, each application being equivalent to 2 mm of precipitation. Visible symptoms of foliar damage were observed on the 3 most acidic mist treatments (pH 2.5, 2.7, 3.0). The inputs of nitrogen, sulphur and acidity in the most acidic treatment were 55, 42, 1,3 kg ha-1 , respectively, over a 10 week period. The plants subjected to the pH 2.5 treatment were found to be most severely damaged with approximately 40% foliar necrosis after 10 weeks of treatment. On approximately 80% of seedlings, necrosis was confined to current year needles only. These damaged needles were initially light brown or light orange in colour turning a deeper red 3 to 5 weeks after initial necrosis. Percentage foliar damage was linearly related to concentration (of NH4 + , NO3 - , SO4 2- and H+ ) with 62% foliar damage in the pH 2.5 treatment after a 22-week period. Spray application stopped in December 1987. Observations during the following spring showed that the pH 2.5 and pH 3 treatments induced earlier Hushing, requiring 60 day °C less thermal time than the pH 5-0 treatment. In 1988, this decrease in thermal requirement was equivalent to flushing 11 days earlier. There was no evidence of acid mist treatments inducing bud mortality.

Effects of acid mist on the frost hardiness of red spruce seedlings.

Seedlings of red spruce [Picea rubens Sarg. syn. P. rubra (Du Roi) Link] were exposed to mists containing equimolar (NH4 , SO4 and HNO3 at pHs of 2.5, 2.7, 3.0, 35, 4.0 or 5.0. The mists were applied twice each week, amounting to 2 mm precipitation equivalent on each occasion, between July and December, to open-top chambers supplied with charcoal-filtered air. Frost hardiness of shoots excised from seedlings was determined on 6 occasions starting on 21 September, and was found to be strongly influenced by acid mist treatments, seedlings subject to the most acidic mists being the least frost hardy. On 21 September when the first sample was taken the lethal temperature for killing 50% of shoots (LT50 ) was - 11 °C for the least acidic (pH 5.0) mist and - 7 °C for the most acidic (pH 2.5). By 19 October, the LT50 s of pH 5.0 and pH 2.5 mists were -27 and -15 °C respectively. All intermediate treatments ranked according to treatment concentration, with the smaller concentrations causing lower LT.50 values. The treatment at pH 30 provided S and N inputs to the seedlings similar to those experienced by red spruce at elevations of about 1000 m in the southern Appalachians. At pH 3.0, the frost hardiness LT10 during October was typically 8 °C higher than the pH 5.0 treatment, leading to a significant increase in the probability of frost damage at the LT10 level in an average October. The proximity of minimum night temperatures during September to December to the LT10 temperatures of red spruce shoots receiving large inputs of SO4 2- , NO3 - , NH4 + and H+ suggests that decreases in frost hardiness caused by intercepted cloud water containing large concentrations of these ions may play a significant part in the observed decline at mountain-top locations.

The influence of acid mists on growth, dry matter partitioning, nutrient concentrations and mycorrhizal fruiting bodies in red spruce seedlings.

Two-year-old spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) seedlings were exposed to acid mists containing equimolar ammonium sulphate and nitric acid giving treatments of pH 2.5, 3.0 and 5.0. Acid mist treatments were applied twice weekly from late July until early October, 1987, when the plants were harvested. There were no significant differences in biomass accumulation or in height growth between treatments, but marked differences in root morphology were found. Significantly larger amounts of coarse roots were produced in the pH 5.0 acid mist treatment and plants in the pH 3.0 treatment produced significantly greater amounts of fine roots. Plants receiving acid mists of pH 3.0 or less had a greater frequency of fine root branches along their coarse roots. Production of mycorrhizal fruiting bodies of Thelephora terrestris Ehrenb.: Fr. was significantly greater (P < 0.001) at pH 5.0 than in the other treatments. Plants in the pH 2.5 and 3.0 treatments contained larger concentrations of N, 1.54 and 1.12% and S, 0.52 and 0.28% respectively, than those receiving acid mist at pH 5.0, i.e. 1.00 and 0.21% respectively. However, the between treatment differences of tissue nutrient concentrations were small relative to the differences in inputs between treatments. Foliar S exceeded concentrations recommended for nursery stock by 50 and 150% at pH 3.0 and 2.5 respectively.

Skin and gonadal dose reduction during hip radiography of the bull.

Radiology is being used to an increasing extent in the clinical diagnosis of hip lameness in bulls. Consequent gonadal doses may have important implications in later breeding programmes. Skin and gonadal doses were recorded during hip radiography of 18 bulls. An additional 0.13 mm copper filtration reduced skin dose by more than one third, but had no effect on gonadal dose. The average radiation dose to the gonads was approximately halved by completely surrounding the scrotum with lead sheeting 0.95 mm in thickness.

Lignification in beech (Fagus sylvatica) grown at elevated CO2 concentrations: interaction with nutrient availability and leaf maturation.

Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) seedlings were grown in an ambient or elevated CO2 concentration ([CO2]) either in small stands in microcosms for three to four seasons or individually in pots fertilized at different nutrient supply rates. Leaves at different stages of development, as well as stems and roots at the end of the growing season, were used for analysis of structural biomass and lignin. In elevated [CO2], lignification of leaves was slightly retarded compared with structural biomass production and showed a strong correlation with the activities of ionically, cell-wall-bound peroxidases but not with total soluble peroxidases or covalently wall-bound peroxidases. The effect of elevated [CO2] on lignin concentration of mature tissues was dependent on nutrient supply rate. In leaves and roots, elevated [CO2] increased the lignin concentration in dry mass in N-limited plants. In seedlings grown with high nutrient supply, the lignin concentration in dry mass was unaffected or diminished by elevated [CO2]. Because elevated [CO2] enhanced seedling growth in the high nutrient supply treatments, the total amount of lignin produced per seedling was higher in these treatments. We predict that long-term sequestration of carbon will increase as long as biomass production is stimulated by elevated [CO2] and that tissue quality will change depending on developmental stage and nutrient availability.

Exchange of organic solvents between the atmosphere and grass--the use of open top chambers.

Volatile organic compounds (VOC) are of increasing environmental significance as a result of continually increasing volumes of traffic on European roads. An open-top chamber fumigation system has been devised to investigate how these contaminants transfer between the atmosphere and the ground, and how they partition between and within air-plant-soil systems. Variation in chamber temperature, solar radiation in the chamber and chamber flow rate were identified as factors that affected final air concentrations. These were assessed and quantified for all individual chambers used--effectively characterising each chamber. The real-life VOC concentrations generated were stable and readily reproducible. Grass exposed to benzene, toluene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane and tetrachloroethene, respectively, equilibrated in response to a change in air concentration within hours. The rate of equilibration in exposed grass in all cases was independent of air temperature. 1,1,1-Trichloroethane and tetrachloroethene appear to be biologically inert demonstrating a simple physico-chemical approach to equilibrium, however, benzene and toluene do not appear independent of plant metabolic activity. Aqueous solubility can account for all of the toluene and benzene in the fumigated plant material.

Effects of acid mist on needles from mature Sitka spruce grafts. Part II. Influence of developmental stage, age and needle morphology on visible damage.

Mature grafts of five Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) clones were exposed to simulated acid mist comprising an equimolar mixture of H(2)SO(4) and NH(4)NO(3) (1.6 and 0.01 mol m(-3)) at pH 2.5 and 5.0. Mist was applied to potted plants growing in open-top chambers on consecutive days, four times a week, at a precipitation equivalent of 1 mm per day. The total exposure to polluted mist was equivalent to three times that measured at an upland forest in SE Scotland. The aim of the experiment was to characterize the response of juvenile foliage produced by physiologically mature grafts (on seedling root stock) and compare it with the behaviour of juvenile foliage on seedlings. Development of visible foliar damage was followed through the growing season. Measurements of needle length, diameter, weight, surface area, surface was weight and wettability were made on current year needles to determine whether particular foliar characteristics increased susceptibility to injury. Significant amounts (> 10%) of visible needle damage was observed on only one of the five clones. Damage was most severe on the clone with the most horizontal branch and needle habit, but over the five clones there was no relationship between angle of branch display and damage. Likewise no combination of needle characteristics (length, width, area, amount of wax) was indicative of potential susceptibility. A comparison with previous acid misting experiments using seedlings suggests that juvenile foliage on physiologically mature trees is equally susceptible to visible injury as juvenile seedling foliage. Data of budburst differed among clones, and in this experiment exerted the over-riding influence on development of injury symptoms. Foliage exposed to a combination of strong acidity and high sulphate concentrations over the few weeks immediately following budburst suffered most visible injury. The absence of significant amounts of visible damage in UK forests probably reflects the general low susceptibility to visible injury of Sitka spruce exposed to acid mist.

Effects of acid mist on mature grafts of Sitka spruce. Part I. Frost hardiness and foliar nutrient concentrations.

Mature grafts of five clones of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis Bong. Sarg.) were exposed to simulated acid mist composed of an equimolar mixture of sulphuric acid and ammonium nitrate at pH 2.5 and pH 5.0 in open-top chambers from May to November 1991. Treatments were applied on consecutive days, four times a week. The pH 2.5 treatment provided an overall dose three times higher than that received by forests in upland areas of Britain. Frost hardiness was assessed in November by freezing detached current year shoots at a range of temperatures and assessing the rate of electrolyte leakage Foliar nutrient concentrations were determined on the same shoots. Acid mist at pH 2.5 significantly reduced frost hardiness in four of the five clones; the temperature causing 50% shoot death (LT50) was increased by 0 to 7 degrees C. The clones varied in their level of hardiness, one clone being exceptionally frost sensitive. The frost hardiness of the frost sensitive clone was found to be less perturbed by acid mist than the hardiness of the more frost resistant clones. Mature grafts showed a smaller reduction in hardiness at an equivalent dose than that found previously with Sitka spruce seedlings. Compared with seedlings, grafts had lower absolute concentrations of foliar sulphur. Exposure to acid mist at pH 2.5 increased %S in current year foliage by <0.05% compared with absolute increases of more than 0.10% in current year foliage of seedlings. We conclude that the effect of acid mist on frost hardiness is likely to be less on mature trees than on seedlings and that the increased frost risk to mature trees of Sitka spruce from occult deposition alone is small.

Can the foliar nitrogen concentration of upland vegetation be used for predicting atmospheric nitrogen deposition? Evidence from field surveys.

The deposition of atmospheric nitrogen can be enhanced at high altitude sites as a consequence of cloud droplet deposition and orographic enhancement of wet deposition on hills. The degree to which the increased deposition of nitrogen influences foliar nitrogen concentration in a range of upland plant species was studied in a series of field surveys in northern Britain. A range of upland plant species sampled along altitudinal transects at sites of known atmospheric nitrogen deposition showed marked increases in foliar nitrogen concentration with increasing nitrogen deposition and altitude (and hence with decreasing temperature). For Nardus stricta L., Deschampsia flexuosa (L.) Trin., Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull, Erica cinerea L. and Hylocomium splendens (Hedw.) Br. Eur. on an unpolluted hill, foliar nitrogen increased by 0.07, 0.12, 0.15, 0.08 and 0.04% dry weight respectively for each 1 kg ha(-1) year(-1) increase in nitrogen deposition. Most species showed an approximately linear relationship between foliar nitrogen concentration and altitude but no trend with altitude for foliar phosphorus concentration. This provided evidence that the tissue nutrient status of upland plants reflects nutrient availability rather than the direct effects of climate on growth. However, differences in the relationship between foliar nitrogen concentration and atmospheric nitrogen deposition for N. stricta sampled on hills in contrasting pollution climates show that the possibility of temperature-mediated growth effects on foliar nitrogen concentration should not be ignored. Thus, there is potential to use upland plant species as biomonitors of nitrogen deposition, but the response of different species to nitrogen addition, in combination with climatic effects on growth, must be well characterised.

Effects of VOCs on herbaceous plants in an open-top chamber experiment.

A selection of herbaceous plants representing the ground flora around a typical chemical installation in the UK was exposed continuously for 7 weeks to a mixture of six VOCs (acetone, acetonitrile, dichloromethane, ethanol, methyl t-butyl ether and toluene) in open-top chambers. Exposure concentrations were based on predictions of atmospheric dispersion from a single source, at a distance of approximately 2 km. The effects of continuous exposure, representing a worst-case, were measured in terms of uncontrolled water loss from leaves, leaf wettability, chlorophyll content and fluorescence, dry matter production and detailed observations of changes in plant growth and phenology. There were significant effects of VOC exposure on seed production, leaf water content and photosynthetic efficiency in some plant species. Such effects may be detectable in vegetation close to major industrial point sources of VOCs, or as a result of an accidental release of material during manufacture or transport. Some of the species tested e.g. birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) seem to be promising as potential bioindicators for VOCs, but there may be other even more sensitive species waiting to be discovered. However, the most obvious and conveniently measured response to VOCexposure in the birdsfoot trefoil (premature senescence i.e. advanced timing of seed pod production) could easily be confused in the field with climatic influences. It is also uncertain at this stage whether any of the effects observed would lead to longer term ecological changes in natural plant communities, through biased competition between sensitive and more tolerant species.

Bioindicators of enhanced nitrogen deposition.

Increased deposition of atmospheric N largely from intensive agriculture is affecting biodiversity and the composition of natural and semi-natural vegetation in Europe. The value of species based bioindicators such as the Ellenberg N index and measurements of total tissue N and free amino acids in key plant species, is described with reference to a mixed woodland downwind of a livestock farm in the Scottish Borders, operated for over 20 years with a measured spatial gradient of ammonia concentration (29-1.5 microg m(-3)). All the indicators examined showed a relationship with N deposition and provided some indication of vegetation change. Total tissue N and arginine concentrations were most closely linked with ammonia concentrations and N deposition, with r(2) values of >0.97 and >0.78 respectively.

Effects of air filtration at small SO2 and NO2 concentrations on the yield of barley.

Two cultivars of Igri and Gerbel winter barley Horteum vulgare L. were grown in open-top chambers in filtered and unfiltered air at a site with approximately 10 nl litre(-1) SO2 and 12 nl litre(-1) NO2 (seasonal mean). The experiment ran for three consecutive seasons 1982-1983, 1983-1984, 1984-1985, and significant effects of filtration were observed for each crop. In years 1982-1983 and 1984-1985, the crops in unfiltered air yielded larger grain dry matter, 9% in 1982-1983, and 8% in 1984-1985. For both crops, the differences were statistically significant at the 5% level. Differences were also observed for the remaining above-ground dry matter, and these were consistent in direction in each year but statistically significant only in 1984-1985. In both growing seasons (1982-1983 and 1984-1985), there were no major pest infestations and no long-term water stress or photochemical ozone episodes. In the remaining experiment (1983-1984) similar air concentrations of SO2 and NO2 produced effects of the opposite sign to those observed in 1982-1983 and 1984-1985. Significant reductions in grain yield (13%) were obtained in unfiltered air. The only major environmental difference for the 1983-1984 crop was a notable dry period in May and June 1984 with marked water stress in the crop, requiring irrigation. These results suggest that the relationship between yield and pollutant concentration may be confounded by additional stresses, many of which are a common component of the growing season for major crops.