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Atmospheric depositions affect the growth patterns of Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris L.)—a long-term cause-effect monitoring study using biomarkers

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Abstract

Recording the causes, effects, and effect mechanisms of vegetation health is crucial to understand process-pattern interactions in ecosystem processes. NOX and SOX in the form of air pollution are both triggers and sources of vegetation health that can have an effect on the local or the global level and whose impacts need to be monitored. In this study, the growth patterns in Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris L.) were studied in the context of changing atmospheric depositions in the lowlands of north-eastern Germany. Under the influence of atmospheric sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N) depositions, pine stands showed temporal variations in their normal growth behavior. In such cases, the patterns of normal growth can be suppressed or accelerated. Pine stands which were influenced by high S deposition up until 1990 changed from suppressed growth to accelerated growth by decreasing S, but increasing N depositions between 1990 and 2003. The cause of these changes in pine growth patterns was imbalances in S and N nutrition, in particular, enrichments of sulfate, non-protein nitrogen or arginine, and finally, also imbalances and deficiencies in phosphorus, glucose, and adenosine triphosphate in the needles. Our long-term monitoring study shows that biochemical markers (traits) are crucial bioindicators for the qualitative and quantitative assessment of tree vitality and growth patterns in Scots pines. Furthermore, we were able to show that NOX and SOX depositions need to be monitored locally to be able to assess the local effects of biomolecular markers on the growth patterns in Scots pine stands.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Sigrid Härtling and Renate Rudloff (Department of Soil Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ) for their excellent technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 6120, Halle (Saale), Germany

    Horst Schulz

  2. Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute, Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fischeries, Institute for Forest Ecology Inventory, Alfred-Möller-Strasse 1, 16225, Eberswalde, Germany

    Wolfgang Beck

  3. Department of Computational Landscape Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Permoser Strasse 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany

    Angela Lausch

  4. Department of Geography, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 16, 12489, Berlin, Germany

    Angela Lausch

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  1. Horst Schulz
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Correspondence to Angela Lausch.

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Host Schulz and Wolfgang Beck developed and carried out all experiments, analytical investigations, and evaluations for this study. Horst Schulz and Angela Lausch created the paper, tables, and illustrations.

Highlights

• This paper presents a long-term monitoring study for assessing growth patterns

• The growth patterns of Scots pines show temporal variations depending on deposition changes

• Pine stands were influenced by high sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N) depositions

• Growth was caused by an increase in N uptake, but decreased again due to a surplus of N in the pine needles

• The cause of changes in pine growth patterns were nutrient imbalances in S and N concentrations

• The applied approach presented an important indicator for monitoring and assessing the vitality of Scots pines

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Schulz, H., Beck, W. & Lausch, A. Atmospheric depositions affect the growth patterns of Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris L.)—a long-term cause-effect monitoring study using biomarkers. Environ Monit Assess 191, 159 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-7272-z

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