Does Leaf Position within a Canopy Affect Acclimation of Photosynthesis to Elevated CO2? . Analysis of a Wheat Crop under Free-Air CO2 Enrichment

Previous studies of photosynthetic acclimation to elevated CO2 have focused on the most recently expanded, sunlit leaves in the canopy. We examined acclimation in a vertical profile of leaves through a canopy of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The crop was grown at an elevated CO2 partial pressure of 55 Pa within a replicated field experiment using free-air CO2 enrichment. Gas exchange was used to estimate in vivo carboxylation capacity and the maximum rate of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate-limited photosynthesis. Net photosynthetic CO2 uptake was measured for leaves in situ within the canopy. Leaf contents of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), light-harvesting-complex (LHC) proteins, and total N were determined. Elevated CO2 did not affect carboxylation capacity in the most recently expanded leaves but led to a decrease in lower, shaded leaves during grain development. Despite this acclimation, in situ photosynthetic CO2 uptake remained higher under elevated CO2. Acclimation at elevated CO2 was accompanied by decreases in both Rubisco and total leaf N contents and an increase in LHC content. Elevated CO2 led to a larger increase in LHC/Rubisco in lower canopy leaves than in the uppermost leaf. Acclimation of leaf photosynthesis to elevated CO2 therefore depended on both vertical position within the canopy and the developmental stage

Lagrangian evolution of global strings

We establish a method to trace the Lagrangian evolution of extended objects consisting of a multicomponent scalar field in terms of a numerical calculation of field equations in three dimensional Eulerian meshes. We apply our method to the cosmological evolution of global strings and evaluate the energy density, peculiar velocity, Lorentz factor, formation rate of loops, and emission rate of Nambu-Goldstone (NG) bosons. We confirm the scaling behavior with a number of long strings per horizon volume smaller than the case of local strings by a factor of $\sim$ 10. The strategy and the method established here are applicable to a variety of fields in physics.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Aquatics task force on environmental assessment of the Atikokn Power Plant: effects on aquatic organisms

Possible impacts of an 800-MW coal-fired power plant to be built near Atikokan, Ontario were evaluated. It is feared that the emissions of SO/sub 2/ will lead to the deposition of sulfuric acid and result in the acidification of freshwaters in nearby parks and wilderness areas. The most obvious biological effects of acidification are damages to populations of fish. Less conspicuous but no less severe damages also occur to other organisms. It appears that all trophic levels are affected: species numbers are reduced, biomasses are altered, and primary production and decomposition are impaired. Field experiments and laboratory experiments indicate that microbial activity is reduced and that the recycling of materials is greatly impeded at low pH. This may interfere with nutrient supplies to plants and decrease the microbial biomass available to higher trophic levels. Phytoplankton densities decrease in acidified lakes and there is a reduction in some species of macrophytes. On the other hand, Sphagnum and benthic filamentous algae greatly increase in acidified conditions. The total primary productivity of lakes and streams may actually increase because of such dense growths on the bottom. Zooplankton and benthic invertebrate communities become less complex as acidity increases. This may in part be due to reduced food supplies, but direct inhibition by H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ has also been demonstrated. This removal of fish food organisms may exacerbate damage to fisheries, especially in the pH range of 5 to 6. When a lake loses all fish because of low pH, a few species of invertebrates may become very abundant. The salamanders Ambystoma jeffersonium and A. maculatum, sensitive to acidity below pH 7.0 and 5.0 respectively, are being eliminated from small ponds or temporary pools in the region around Ithaca, NY because of the impact of acid precipitation. Species of frogs in some lakes are also being eliminated because of acidification. (ERB

Limnological aspects of acid precipitation

Lakes and streams in parts of Norway, Sweden, Canada, and the United States are being severely impacted by acidic precipitation. Scientists meeting at Sagamore, New York, agreed that this is the most serious limnological problem today. The factor responsible for determining the sensitivity of surface waters to acidification is alkalinity derived by weathering of soils and bedrock in the watershed. Acidification, defined as a reduction in alkalinity, can be quantified if preacidification alkalinity data exist, but often they do not. Data on pH and Ca from surface waters in areas not affected by acid precipitation were compared to similar data from areas which receive precipitation with a weighted average hydrogen ion concentration of pH < 4.6. A semiquantitative estimation of surface water acidification can be made for lakes and streams, where earlier chemistry data are lacking, based on this analysis of pH and Ca data. Biological responses to acidification range from a reduction in numbers of species of algae and zooplankton to complete elimination of all fish life. Major biological processes such as primary production and decomposition may be altered leading to an accumulation of plant material and organic debris within lakes and streams. Increased concentrations of aluminum from the ..mu..g/l to mg/l range have been found at levels shown to be toxic to fish. These elevated levels apparently result from the exchange of H/sup +/ and Al in the watershed. There also appears to be a relationship between lake acidification and the accumulation of mercury in fish. Problems of aluminum analysis received detailed attention, and watershed mass balances, comparative watershed studies, whole lake manipulations, synoptic surveys, and the liming of acidified waters were discussed. A priority-rated list of recommendations for research was presented

Proceedings of the international workshop on the effects of acid precipitation on vegetation, soils, and terrestrial ecosystems, Brookhaven National Laboratory, June 12 to 14, 1979

The objectives of the workshop were to determine the levels of current knowledge of the effects of acid precipitation on vegetation, soils, and terrestrial ecosystems; research needed in these areas to understand the environmental impacts of acid rain; and to help coordinate research groups to avoid excessive duplication of research. The workshop was designed so that researchers in the areas of effects of acid precipitation on vegetation, soils, and whole ecosystem approaches could communicate effectively. There was a general consensus that acid rain at extreme ambient levels, or in artificial systems that simulate extreme ambient levels, causes injury to plant tissues. A major area of concern of acid rain injury was thought to be plant reproduction. The overall levels of significance of plant injury among various plant species remain unknown. The most important priorities in the area of effects of acid rain on crops were an evaluation of effects on crop yields and interaction of acid rain in combination with pollutants on various plants. Few participants thought that ambient acid rain loadings have altered soils to such a degree that plants are affected at present, but many thought that acid rain could cause some alterations in soils. The most important research priorities were in the areas of the effects of acid rain on increased leaching of exchangeable plant nutrients and alterations in phosphorous availability. All participants agreed that there are alterations in terrestrial ecosystems from acid precipitation. However, no demonstrated harmful effects were presented from natural ecosystems. Further research on the effects of acid rain on terrestrial ecosystems should be directed mostly toward the interaction of acid rain with toxic elements such as Al, Fe, and Mn and on the effects on nutrient cycling, especially that of nitrogen

Elevated CO{sub 2} in a prototype free-air CO{sub 2} enrichment facility affects photosynthetic nitrogen relations in a maturing pine forest

A maturing loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) forest was exposed to elevated CO{sub 2} in the natural environment in a perturbation study conducted over three seasons using the free-air CO{sub 2} enrichment (FACE) technique. At the time measurements were begun in this study, the pine canopy was comprised entirely of foliage which had developed under elevated CO{sub 2} conditions (atmospheric CO{sub 2} {approx} 550 {micro}mol/mol{sup {minus}1}). Measurements of leaf photosynthetic responses to CO{sub 2} were taken to examine the effects of elevated CO{sub 2} on photosynthetic N nutrition in a pine canopy under elevated CO{sub 2}. Photosynthetic CO{sub 2} response curves (A-c{sub i} curves) were similar in FACE trees under elevated CO{sub 2} compared with counterpart trees in ambient plots for the first foliage cohort produced in the second season of CO{sub 2} exposure, with changes in curve form detected in the foliage cohorts subsequently produced under elevated CO{sub 2}. Differences in the functional relationship between carboxylation rate and N{sub a} suggest that for a given N{sub a} allocated among successive cohorts of foliage in the upper canopy, V{sub c max} was 17% lower in FACE versus Ambient trees. The authors also found that foliar Rubisco content per unit total protein derived from Western blot analysis was lower in late-season foliage in FACE foliage compared with ambient-grown foliage. The results illustrate a potentially important mode of physiological adjustment to growth conditions that may operate in forest canopies. Findings suggest that mature loblolly pine trees growing in the field may have the capacity for shifts in intrinsic nitrogen utilization for photosynthesis under elevated CO{sub 2} that are not dependent on changes in leaf N. Findings suggest a need for continued examination of internal feedbacks at the whole-tree and ecosystem level in forests that may influence long-term photosynthetic responses to elevated CO{sub 2}

ELEVATED CO{sub 2} IN A PROTOTYPE FREE-AIR CO{sub 2} ENRICHMENT FACILITY AFFECTS PHOTOSYNTHETIC NITROGEN RELATIONS IN A MATURING PINE FOREST

A maturing loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) forest was exposed to elevated CO{sub 2} in the natural environment in a perturbation study conducted over three seasons using the free-air CO{sub 2} enrichment (FACE) technique. At the time measurements were begun in this study, the pine canopy was comprised entirely of foliage which had developed under elevated CO{sub 2} conditions (atmospheric [CO{sub 2}] {approx} 550 {micro}mol mol{sup {minus}1}). Measurements of leaf photosynthetic responses to CO{sub 2} were taken to examine the effects of elevated CO{sub 2} on photosynthetic N nutrition in a pine canopy under elevated CO{sub 2}. Photosynthetic CO{sub 2} response curves (A-c{sub i} curves) were similar in FACE trees under elevated CO{sub 2} compared with counterpart trees in ambient plots for the first foliage cohort produced in the second season of CO{sub 2} exposure, with changes in curve form detected in the foliage cohorts subsequently produced under elevated CO{sub 2}. Differences in the functional relationship between carboxylation rate and N{sub a} suggest that for a given N{sub a} allocated among successive cohorts of foliage in the upper canopy, V{sub c max} was 17% lower in FACE versus Ambient trees. The authors also found that foliar Rubisco content per unit total protein derived from Western blot analysis was lower in late-season foliage in FACE foliage compared with ambient-grown foliage. The results illustrate a potentially important mode of physiological adjustment to growth conditions that may operate in forest canopies. Their findings suggest that mature loblolly pine trees growing in the field may have the capacity for shifts in intrinsic nitrogen utilization for photosynthesis under elevated CO{sub 2} that are not dependent on changes in leaf N. While carboxylation efficiency per unit N apparently decreased under elevated CO{sub 2}, photosynthetic rates in trees at elevated CO{sub 2} concentrations {approx} 550 pmol mol{sub {minus}1} are still enhanced compared to trees grown and measured at the current ambient CO{sub 2} concentration when compared at a common N status. The findings from this prototype study suggest a need for continued examination of internal feedbacks at the whole-tree and ecosystem level in forests that may influence long-term photosynthetic responses to elevated CO{sub 2}

Efficiencies of free-air gas fumigation devices

One of the key uncertainties relative to future increases in atmospheric CO{sub 2} is the extent to which growth in future emissions will be accommodated by increased uptake by terrestrial vegetation, the so-called fertilization'' effect. Research on this issue is currently pursued by many research groups around the world, using various experimental protocols and devices. These range from leaf cuvettes to various types of enclosures and glass-houses to various types of open-field gas enrichment or fumigation systems. As research priorities move from crops to forests and natural ecosystems, these experimental devices tend to become large and enrichment gas (i.e., CO{sub 2}) requirements and costs become a major factor in experimental design. This paper considers the relative efficiencies of gas usage for different types of systems currently in use. One of these is the Free Air CO{sub 2} Enrichment System (FACE) designed and developed at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). In this paper, we develop some nondimensional groups of parameters for the purpose of characterizing performance, i.e., enrichment gas usage. These nondimensional groups are then used as figures of merit and basically allow the required flow rates of CO{sub 2} to be predicted based on the geometry of the device, wind speed, and the incremental gas concentration desired. The parameters chosen to comprise a useful nondimensional group must not only have the correct dimensions, they must also represent an appropriate physical relationship

Geological and hydrochemical sensitivity of the eastern United States to acid precipitation

A new analysis of bedrock geology maps of the eastern US constitutes a simple model for predicting areas which might be impacted by acid precipitation and it allows much greater resolution for detecting sensitivity than has previously been available for the region. Map accuracy has been verified by examining current alkalinities and pH's of waters in several test states, including Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Virginia and North Carolina. In regions predicted to be highly sensitive, alkalinities in upstream sites were generally low. Many areas of the eastern US are pinpointed in which some of the surface waters, especially upstream reaches, may be sensitive to acidification. Pre-1970 data were compared to post-1975 data, revealing marked declines in both alkalinity and pH of sensitive waters of two states tested, North Carolina, where pH and alkalinity have decreased in 80% of 38 streams and New Hampshire, where pH in 90% of 49 streams and lakes has decreased since 1949. These sites are predicted to be sensitive by the geological map on the basis of their earlier alkalinity values. The map is to be improved by the addition of a soils component