Air Pollution, Photosynthesis and Forest Decline: Interactions and Consequences
293
are either sequestered as counterions of sulfate or viability is decreased
under the influence of ozone. Agricultural productivity may remain high
owing to high detoxification capacities of crop plants and high nutrient
availability in agricultural used soils where nearby forests decline under the
influence of air pollution in soils which are poor or depleted of essential
nutrients. For SOlo calculations based on known physiological parameters of
spruce (Slovik et al. 1992a,b) suggest that legal tolerance limits are too high
and must be reduced. Depending on growth conditions, tolerance limits
between 2 and 5 ppb are recommended for spruce (annual average) . No
similar calculations of tolerance limits which are based on physiological data
are available for ozone. Nevertheless, direct observations show that ambient
levels of ozone decrease plant productivity (Matyssek et al. 1992). Concentrations only 50% higher than frequently observed peak concentrations
of ozone cause dramatic oxidative damage in spinach within 2 days (Luwe et
al. 1993). Only in the case of N02 do measured concentrations in the
atmosphere appear to be too low for plant damage since plants possess
considerable detoxification capacity for this oxidant. However, emissions of
NOx and NH3 may stimulate growth, thereby increasing the cation demand.
This may feed back on the sensitivity to other pollutants (Schulze 1989).
Acknowledgments. Experiments leading to the conclusions presented in this chapter have
been performed within the research efforts of the Sonderforschungsbereich 251 of the
University of Wiirzburg. We are grateful to the Bavarian Ministry for Development and
Environmental Problems for support within the Projektgruppe Bayern zur Erforschung
der Wirkung von Umweltschadstoffen (PBWU).
References
Asada K, Takahashi M (1987) Production and scavenging of active oxygen in photosynthesis. In: Kyle DJ, Osmond CB, Arntzen CJ (eds) Photoinhibition. Elsevier,
Amsterdam, pp 227-288
Davison A W, Bailey IF (1982) SOz pollution reduces the freezing resistance of ryegrass.
Nature 297: 400-402
Dittrich A, Pfanz H, Heber U (1992) Oxidation and reduction of S02 by chloroplasts
and formation of sulfite addition compounds. Plant Physiol 98: 738-744
Elstner EF (1984) Schadstoffe die iiber die Luft zugefiihrt werden. In: Hock B, Elstner
EF (eds) Pfianzentoxikologie. B.I. Wissenschaftsverlag, Mannheim, pp 67-94
Elstner EF (1990) Der Sauerstoff. B.I. Wissenschaftsverlag, Mannheim
Hallgren JE (1978) Physiological and biochemical effects of sulfur dioxide on plants. In:
Nriagu 10 (ed) Sulfur in the environment. Part II. Ecological impacts. Wiley, New
York, pp 163-209
Halliwell B (1978) The Chloroplast at work. A review of modern developments in our
understanding of chloroplast metabolism. Prog Biophys Mol Bioi 33: 1-54
Halliwell B, Foyer CH (1978) Properties and physiological function of a glutathione
reductase purified from spinach leaves by affinity chromatography. Planta 139: 9-17
Hampp R, Ziegler I (1977) Sulfate and sulfite translocation via the phosphate translocator
of the inner envelope membrane of chloroplasts. Planta 137: 309-312
293
are either sequestered as counterions of sulfate or viability is decreased
under the influence of ozone. Agricultural productivity may remain high
owing to high detoxification capacities of crop plants and high nutrient
availability in agricultural used soils where nearby forests decline under the
influence of air pollution in soils which are poor or depleted of essential
nutrients. For SOlo calculations based on known physiological parameters of
spruce (Slovik et al. 1992a,b) suggest that legal tolerance limits are too high
and must be reduced. Depending on growth conditions, tolerance limits
between 2 and 5 ppb are recommended for spruce (annual average) . No
similar calculations of tolerance limits which are based on physiological data
are available for ozone. Nevertheless, direct observations show that ambient
levels of ozone decrease plant productivity (Matyssek et al. 1992). Concentrations only 50% higher than frequently observed peak concentrations
of ozone cause dramatic oxidative damage in spinach within 2 days (Luwe et
al. 1993). Only in the case of N02 do measured concentrations in the
atmosphere appear to be too low for plant damage since plants possess
considerable detoxification capacity for this oxidant. However, emissions of
NOx and NH3 may stimulate growth, thereby increasing the cation demand.
This may feed back on the sensitivity to other pollutants (Schulze 1989).
Acknowledgments. Experiments leading to the conclusions presented in this chapter have
been performed within the research efforts of the Sonderforschungsbereich 251 of the
University of Wiirzburg. We are grateful to the Bavarian Ministry for Development and
Environmental Problems for support within the Projektgruppe Bayern zur Erforschung
der Wirkung von Umweltschadstoffen (PBWU).
References
Asada K, Takahashi M (1987) Production and scavenging of active oxygen in photosynthesis. In: Kyle DJ, Osmond CB, Arntzen CJ (eds) Photoinhibition. Elsevier,
Amsterdam, pp 227-288
Davison A W, Bailey IF (1982) SOz pollution reduces the freezing resistance of ryegrass.
Nature 297: 400-402
Dittrich A, Pfanz H, Heber U (1992) Oxidation and reduction of S02 by chloroplasts
and formation of sulfite addition compounds. Plant Physiol 98: 738-744
Elstner EF (1984) Schadstoffe die iiber die Luft zugefiihrt werden. In: Hock B, Elstner
EF (eds) Pfianzentoxikologie. B.I. Wissenschaftsverlag, Mannheim, pp 67-94
Elstner EF (1990) Der Sauerstoff. B.I. Wissenschaftsverlag, Mannheim
Hallgren JE (1978) Physiological and biochemical effects of sulfur dioxide on plants. In:
Nriagu 10 (ed) Sulfur in the environment. Part II. Ecological impacts. Wiley, New
York, pp 163-209
Halliwell B (1978) The Chloroplast at work. A review of modern developments in our
understanding of chloroplast metabolism. Prog Biophys Mol Bioi 33: 1-54
Halliwell B, Foyer CH (1978) Properties and physiological function of a glutathione
reductase purified from spinach leaves by affinity chromatography. Planta 139: 9-17
Hampp R, Ziegler I (1977) Sulfate and sulfite translocation via the phosphate translocator
of the inner envelope membrane of chloroplasts. Planta 137: 309-312