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Effects of acidic fog and ozone on the growth and physiological functions of Fagus crenata saplings

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Journal of Forest Research

Abstract

The effects of simulated acid fog (SAF) and ozone (O3) stress on the growth and physiology of beech (Fagus crenata) saplings were investigated. Three-year-old beech saplings were exposed to SAFs of pH 3 and pH 5 (control) during May 2007 to July 2008. In each SAF treatment group, half of the saplings were exposed to 60 ppb of O3 during September 2007 to July 2008. In comparison to the control saplings, those from the pH 3 treatment had lower total plant biomasses, epicuticular wax amounts, Ca2+ concentrations in their leaves, and lower starch concentrations in their leaves and roots. The effect of O3 was significant only for the starch concentration in the roots, but the O3 exposure also negatively affected the growth and physiology of beech saplings. Results show that acid fog exerts various severe effects, and that both chronic acid fog and O3 exposure suppressed the physiological functions of beech saplings.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported as a “Scientific Frontier Research Project” of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Material and Life Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Kanagawa University, 3-27-1 Rokkakubashi, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama, 221-8686, Japan

    Ado Shigihara, Yuiko Matsumura, Mayuko Kashiwagi & Manabu Igawa

  2. Faculty of Education and Human Sciences, University of Yamanashi, 4-4-37 Takeda, Kofu, 400-8510, Japan

    Kiyoshi Matsumoto

Authors
  1. Ado Shigihara
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  2. Yuiko Matsumura
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  3. Mayuko Kashiwagi
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  4. Kiyoshi Matsumoto
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  5. Manabu Igawa
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Correspondence to Ado Shigihara.

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Shigihara, A., Matsumura, Y., Kashiwagi, M. et al. Effects of acidic fog and ozone on the growth and physiological functions of Fagus crenata saplings. J For Res 14, 394–399 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10310-009-0144-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10310-009-0144-6

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