Abstract
Japanese fir (Abies firma) forests on the urban-facing side ofMt. Oyama, eastern Japan are frequently exposed to acidic depositions. These forests have been declining more severely than those on the mountain-facing side. Chlorophyll, N, Mg, K, Ca, P and Al contents were determined for current, one- and two-year-old needles collected from the crown surfaces of Japanese fir tree forming the forest canopy (ca. 30 m height) on both sides of Mt. Oyama. Needle dry mass per needle area on the urban-facing side was significantly smaller than that on the mountain-facing sides for each needle age class. This result suggests that the development of internal tissues of fir needles on the urban-facing side is defective. N and Chl contents per needle area on the urban-facing side were smaller than those on the mountain-facing sides, indicating that photosynthetic activity per needle area is suppressed in the needles from the urban-facing side. For each needle age class, both area- and mass-based Mg contents were smaller on the urban-facing side than on the mountain-facing side, but mass-based Al contents were greater on the urban-facing side. These results suggest that acidic depositions cause nutritional disorders, which, in turn, leads to decreased needle productivity in the fir trees on the urban-facing side.
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Nakatani, N., Kume, A., Kobayashi, T. et al. Needle Morphology Related to Chemical Contents in the Needles of Japanese Fir (Abies Firma) Trees Subjected to Acidic Depositions at Mt. Oyama, Eastern Japan. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 152, 97–110 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:WATE.0000015343.24509.19
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:WATE.0000015343.24509.19