Skip to main content
Log in

Interactions of SO2 with other environmental stresses in influencing leaf gas exchange

  • Original Papers
  • Published:
Oecologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Leaves of two field growing co-occuring perennial shrubs (drought-deciduous Diplacus aurantiacus and the evergreen Heteromeles arbutifolia) from the Californian chaparral were exposed to small doses of SO2. During this exposure the leaf environment was manipulated to determine how the presence of SO2 alters the response of gas exchange to other environmental stresses. The data show that no direct changes in stomatal conductance (g) or net assimilation rate (A) could be attributed to short-term (7 h) SO2 (4.2 μmol m-3, 0.1 μl l-1) exposure. D. aurantiacus leaves possessed features which demonstrate that they were sensitive to changes in environment e.g. light flux and atmospheric relative humidity. The interspecific differences in stomatal sensitivity to water vapour were extremely important, as relative humidity is a major factor influencing carbon fixation and the rate of pollutant absorption. Conditions of high relative humidity and high xylem water potentials are suggested to pre-dispose leaves of D. aurantiacus to greater pollutant doses than the more stomatally-conservative evergreen, H. arbutifolia. In the presence of SO2 there was some indication of increased g for both D. aurantiacus and H. arbutifolia as ΔW became smaller. This SO2-effect was only obvious as increasing atmospheric humidity induced further stomatal opening. The important consequences of an SO2 enhanced g, were a reduction in WUE, which may cause earlier leaf abscission and a concomitant decline in productivity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

A :

net photosynthesis

A max :

maximum rate light saturated photosynthesis

E :

transpiration; g stomatal conductance to water vapour

QY :

apparent incident quantum yield

ΔW :

water vapour mole fraction difference between the leaf and the air

SO2 :

Sulphur dioxide

WUE :

water use efficiency (mol CO2 fixed per mol H2O-1 transpired)

References

  • Atkinson CJ, Winner WE (1987) Gas exchange characteristics of Heteromeles arbutifolia during fumigation with sulphur dioxide. New Phytol 106:423–436

    Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson CJ, Winner WE (1989) Modification of stomatal conductance by sulphur dioxide. J Exp Bot 40:461–467

    Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson CJ, Winner WE, Mooney HA (1986) A field portable gas-exchange system for measuring carbon dioxide and water vapour exchange rates of leaves during fumigation with SO2. Plant Cell Environ 9:711–719

    Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson CJ, Winner WE, Mooney HA (1988) Gas exchange and SO2 fumigation studies with irrigated and unirrigated field grown Diplacus aurantiacus and Heteromeles arbutifolia. Oecologia 75:386–393

    Google Scholar 

  • Black CR, Black VJ (1979) The effects of low concentrations of sulphur dioxide on stomatal conductance and epidermal cell survival in field bean (Vicia faba L.) J Exp Bot 30:291–298

    Google Scholar 

  • Black VJ, Unsworth MH (1980) Stomatal responses to sulphur dioxide and vapour pressure deficit. J Exp Bot 31:667–677

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerald FC, Wheatley PO (1984) Curve-fitting and approximations of functions, Chapter 10. In: Applied Numerical Analysis, 3 ed. Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Massachusetts, pp 530–571

    Google Scholar 

  • Majernik O, Mansfield TA (1970) Direct effects of SO2 pollution on the degree of stomatal opening. Nature 277:377–378

    Google Scholar 

  • Merino J, Field C, Mooney HA (1984) Construction and maintenance costs of mediterranean-climate evergreen and deciduous leaves. II Biochemical pathway analysis. Oecol Plant 5:211–229

    Google Scholar 

  • Mooney HA, Parsons DJ (1973) Structure and function of the Californian chaparral—an example from San Dimas. In: di Castri F, Mooncy HA (eds) Ecological Studies, vol 7. Analysis and Synthesis. Springer, Berlin, pp 83–112

    Google Scholar 

  • Mooney HA, Rundel PW (1979) Nutrient relations of the evergreen shrub, Adenostoma fasiculatum, in the California chaparral. Bot Gaz 140:109–113

    Google Scholar 

  • Mooney HA, Ehrlich PR, Lincoln DE, Williams KS (1980) Environmental controls on the seasonality of a drought deciduous shrub, Diplacus aurantiacus and its predator, the checkerspot butterfly, Euphydryas chalcedona. Oecologia 45:143–146

    Google Scholar 

  • Oechel WC, Lawrence W, Mustafa J, Martinez J (1981) Energy and carbon acquisition. In: Miller PC (ed) Ecological Studies, vol 39. Resource use by Chaparral and Matorral. A comparison of Vegetation Function in two Mediterranean type Ecosystems. Springer, Berlin, pp 151–183

    Google Scholar 

  • Schulze E-D, Hall AE (1982) Stomatal responses, water loss and CO2 assimilation rates of plants in contrasting environments. In: Lange OL, Nobel PS, Osmond CB, Ziegler H (eds) Physiological plant Ecology II, vol 12B. Water Relations and Carbon Assimilation, Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology. Springer, Berlin, pp 181–230

    Google Scholar 

  • Walmsley L, Ashmore MR, Bell JNB (1980) Adaptation of radish Raphanus sativus L. in response to continuous exposure to ozone. Environ. Poll., Ser. A 23:165–177

    Google Scholar 

  • Winner WE, Mooney HA (1980a) Ecology of SO2 resistance. I. Effects of fumigations on gas exchange of decidous and evergreen shrubs. Oecologia 44:290–295

    Google Scholar 

  • Winner WE, Mooney HA (1980b) Ecology of SO2 resistance. II. Photosynthetic changes of shrubs in relation to SO2 absorption and stomatal behaviour. Oecologia 44:296–302

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Atkinson, C.J., Winner, W.E. Interactions of SO2 with other environmental stresses in influencing leaf gas exchange. Oecologia 84, 500–505 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00328166

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00328166

Key words

Navigation