The effect of sulfur dioxide upon the metabolic level of adenosine triphosphate

Abstract

The ATP content of lodgepole – jack pine (Pinus contorta × banksiana) hybrids in the cordillerean–boreal transition zone was monitored during sulfur dioxide fumigations. Foliage was stabilized for analysis during the course of sulfur dioxide fumigations originating from a sour gas processing plant located in west-central Alberta. Controlled sulfur dioxide fumigations of seedlings were conducted in the laboratory to measure their effect upon ATP content. Field studies demonstrated that ATP concentrations of needle cells declined as sulfur dioxide concentration increased in the ambient air. An inverse linear relationship was found between ATP content and the measured sulfur dioxide concentration. The effect could be repeated in the laboratory with growth chamber cultured seedlings only in exceptional cases. It was repeated with detached branches from the field site exposed to sulfur dioxide under laboratory conditions. The results illustrate the fundamental differences between foliage preadapted to low-level sulfur dioxide fumigations and foliage grown under optimal conditions in a growth chamber.