Limitations and perspectives about scaling ozone impacts in trees

T. E. Kolb, R. Matyssek

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

142 Scopus citations

Abstract

We review the need for scaling effects of ozone (O3) from juvenile to mature forest trees, identify the knowledge presently available, and discuss limitations in scaling efforts. Recent findings on O3/soil nutrient and O3/CO2 interactions from controlled experiments suggest consistent scaling patterns for physiological responses of individual leaves to whole-plant growth, carbon allocation, and water use efficiency of juvenile trees. These findings on juvenile trees are used to develop hypotheses that are relevant to scaling O3 effects to mature trees, and these hypotheses are examined with respect to existing research on differences in response to O3 between juvenile and mature trees. Scaling patterns of leaf-level physiological response to O3 have not been consistent in previous comparisons between juvenile and mature trees. We review and synthesize current understanding of factors that may cause such inconsistent scaling patterns, including tree-size related changes in environment, stomatal conductance, O3 uptake and exposure, carbon allocation to defense, repair, and compensation mechanisms, and leaf production phenology. These factors should be considered in efforts to scale O3 responses during tree ontogeny. Free-air O3 fumigation experiments of forest canopies allow direct assessments of O3 impacts on physiological processes of mature trees, and provide the opportunity to test current hypotheses about ontogenetic variation in O3 sensitivity by comparing O3 responses across tree-internal scales and ontogeny.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)373-393
Number of pages21
JournalEnvironmental Pollution
Volume115
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2001

Keywords

  • CO
  • Maturation
  • Nutrients
  • Nutrition
  • O
  • Scaling
  • Tree ontogeny

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Toxicology
  • Pollution
  • Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Limitations and perspectives about scaling ozone impacts in trees'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this