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Nitrogen oxides, plant metabolism and forest ecosystem response

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Plant Responses to the Gaseous Environment

Abstract

The environment in both natural and agricultural communities is seldom optimal for plant growth. In fact, most natural environments are continuously suboptimal with respect to one or more environmental parameters (Chapin, 1991). Today, as a result of atmospheric pollution, the forests of the eastern United States are accumulating nitrogen in excess of the growth requirements of subalpine and boreal coniferous forests (Waring, 1987; Aber et al., 1989). Forests, heathlands, and wetlands in Europe, also, are experiencing high nitrogen deposition (Skeffington & Wilson, 1988). Ecosystem response to increasing additions of nitrogen over time is a growth response observable and measurable only if studies were begun at the time that deposition began (Garner, 1991).

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© 1994 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Garner, J.H.B. (1994). Nitrogen oxides, plant metabolism and forest ecosystem response. In: Alscher, R.G., Wellburn, A.R. (eds) Plant Responses to the Gaseous Environment. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1294-9_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1294-9_16

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4565-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-1294-9

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