Elevated Tropospheric Ozone Concentrations Research Articles

Cultivar-specific regulation of antioxidant enzyme activity and stomatal closure confer tolerance of wheat to elevated ozone: A two-year open-field study with five cultivars

Elevated concentrations of tropospheric ozone (O3) pose a significant threat to food production in many regions of the world. We conducted a two-year experiment with five winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars, Yangmai16 (Y16), Yangmai23 (Y23), Zhenmai12 (Z12), Yangmai29 (Y29), and Yangmai30 (Y30), to assess photosynthetic traits, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant systems under ambient (A-O3) or elevated (E-O3; 1.5 times A-O3) O3 in a Free-Air O3Concentration Enrichment system (FACE). E-O3 accelerated leaf senescence, manifested by marked reductions in photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, total antioxidant capacity, and photosynthetic pigment content, accompanied by altered antioxidant enzyme activity and a significant increase in malondialdehyde content (an indicator of lipid peroxidation). Most parameters showed significant inter-cultivar differences, as well as interactions between O3 and cultivar. The response of the antioxidant system in wheat flag leaves was influenced by O3 exposure levels. The response of antioxidant enzymes at the grain filling stage and the timely closure of stomata conferred tolerance to O3. This tolerance was associated with higher antioxidant enzyme activity at the anthesis stage but was not related to the size of stomata. This study provides a crucial theoretical foundation for further breeding O3-tolerant cultivars.

Opinion: Establishing a science-into-policy process for tropospheric ozone assessment

Abstract. Elevated tropospheric ozone concentrations driven by anthropogenic precursor emissions are an environmental hazard scientifically similar to the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer and global climate change; however, the tropospheric ozone issue lacks the generally accepted, international assessment efforts that have greatly informed our understanding of the other two. Here, we briefly review those successful science-into-policy approaches and outline the elements required to conduct a similar process for tropospheric ozone. Particular emphasis is placed on the need to establish a conceptual model to fully understand the underpinning science, useful policy metrics, and motivating international policy forums for regulating anthropogenic ozone production over the hemispheric and global scales, thereby expanding beyond the traditional regional, air basin approach that has dominated air quality regulatory philosophy to date.

Elevated Tropospheric Ozone Concentration Alters Soil CO2 Emission: A Meta-Analysis

Elevated tropospheric ozone (O3) concentration may substantially influence the below-ground processes of terrestrial ecosystems. Nevertheless, a comprehensive and quantitative understanding of O3 impacts on soil CO2 emission remains elusive, making the future sources or sinks of soil C uncertain. In this study, 77 pairs of observations (i.e., elevated O3 concentration treatment versus control) extracted from 16 peer-reviewed studies were synthesized using meta-analysis. The results depicted that soil CO2 efflux was significantly reduced under short-term O3 exposure (≤1 year, p < 0.05), while it was increased under extended duration (>1 year, p < 0.05). Particularly, soil CO2 emission was stimulated in nonagricultural ecosystems, in the free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiment, and in the soils of lower pH. The effect sizes of soil CO2 efflux were significantly positively correlated with experimental duration and were significantly negatively correlated with soil pH, respectively. The ozone effect on soil CO2 efflux would be enhanced at warm temperatures and high precipitation. The duration of O3 exposure was the fundamental factor in analyzing O3 impacts on soil CO2 emission.

Bioenergy sorghum maintains photosynthetic capacity in elevated ozone concentrations.

Elevated tropospheric ozone concentration (O3) significantly reduces photosynthesis and productivity in several C4 crops including maize, switchgrass and sugarcane. However, it is unknown how O3 affects plant growth, development and productivity in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), an emerging C4 bioenergy crop. Here, we investigated the effects of elevated O3 on photosynthesis, biomass and nutrient composition of a number of sorghum genotypes over two seasons in the field using free‐air concentration enrichment (FACE), and in growth chambers. We also tested if elevated O3 altered the relationship between stomatal conductance and environmental conditions using two common stomatal conductance models. Sorghum genotypes showed significant variability in plant functional traits, including photosynthetic capacity, leaf N content and specific leaf area, but responded similarly to O3. At the FACE experiment, elevated O3 did not alter net CO2 assimilation (A), stomatal conductance (g s), stomatal sensitivity to the environment, chlorophyll fluorescence and plant biomass, but led to reductions in the maximum carboxylation capacity of phosphoenolpyruvate and increased stomatal limitation to A in both years. These findings suggest that bioenergy sorghum is tolerant to O3 and could be used to enhance biomass productivity in O3 polluted regions.

Response of Blackgram Cultivars to Elevated Tropospheric Ozone

As a secondary pollutant, Tropospheric ozone is inadvertently increasing every year, thereby causing severe loss to agricultural crops. The present study aimed at evaluating the response of tropospheric ozone against blackgram varieties. Eight ruling blackgram varieties (V.B.N. 1, V.B.N. 2, V.B.N. 3, V.B.N. 5, V.B.N. 6, V.B.N. 7, V.B.N. 8 and CO 6) were exposed to elevated tropospheric ozone concentration (50 ppb) in an open-top chamber. The exposure was given during 31 days after sowing (D.A.S.) to 40 D.A.S. for seven hours (10.00 h-17.00 h). The changes in physiological, biochemical, growth, and yield traits were observed by comparing them with control (ambient condition). Results indicate that physiological, biochemical, growth, and yield traits significantly differed under ozone stress. Amongst all varieties, the reduction of all observed traits was higher in V.B.N. 3 and least in V.B.N. 8. The reduction of photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and chlorophyll content was higher in V.B.N. 3 (33.57, 29.17 and 35.67 %) and least in V.B.N. 8 (26.23, 22.92 and 31.78 %). In the case of biochemical traits, in V.B.N. 3, the malondialdehyde and proline content increased twice and ascorbic acid declined by 39.85 %. However, in V.B.N. 8, malondialdehyde and proline content increased by 78.26 and 89.01 %; while ascorbic acid decreased by 36.31 % only. Similarly, 100-grain weight reduced in V.B.N. 3 by 8.69 % while it was only 5.37 % in V.B.N. 8. The current investigation revealed that V.B.N. 3 is highly sensitive, while V.B.N. 8 is tolerant to ozone stress.

Physiological and Biochemical Response of Rice Cultivars (Oryza Sativa L.) To Elevated Ozone

ABSTRACT A study was carried out to evaluate the effect of elevated tropospheric ozone concentration on 15 rice cultivars. The cultivars were exposed to a weighted average ozone concentration of 51 ppb ±10% (10:00–17:00 h) for 30 days on its reproductive stage. On an average, elevated ozone significantly affects photosynthetic rate (−19.23%), stomatal conductance (−21.35%) and the contents of chlorophyll (−27.19%), malondialdehyde (+121.43%), proline (+98.38%), and ascorbic acid (−20.99%) over the control. Linear multiregression 3D model significantly fits the leaf traits related to leaf injury percentage which in turn affects all photosynthetic traits. The maximum R2 = 0.85*** was observed between photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content, and leaf injury percentage. Rice cultivars exhibited significant interspecies variation in physiological and biochemical traits under elevated ozone. Among the tested rice cultivars, the multivariate analysis confirmed the Rice CO51, Anna(R)4, CO47, PMK(R)3, and Rice TPS5 were ozone tolerant. For the first time in South India, the study on response of rice cultivars to elevated ozone was done, which might support the rice breeders for selecting suitable donor parents for future climate change scenarios.

Impacts of tropospheric ozone and climate change on Mexico wheat production

Wheat is an important staple crop sensitive to negative effects from elevated tropospheric ozone (O 3 ) concentrations, but the impacts of future O 3 concentrations on wheat production in Mexico are unknown. To determine these impacts, the O 3 -modified DSSAT-NWheat crop model was used to simulate wheat production in Mexico using a baseline scenario with pre-industrial O 3 concentrations from 1980 to 2010 and five Global Climate Models (GCMs) under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 scenario from 2041 to 2070 paired with future O 3 concentrations from the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) Meteorological Synthesizing Centre–West (MSC-W) model. Thirty-two representative major wheat-producing locations in Mexico were simulated assuming both irrigated and rainfed conditions for two O 3 sensitivity cultivar classifications. The simulations showed large variability (after averaging over 30 years) in yield loss, ranging from 7 to 26% because of O 3 impact, depending on the location, irrigation, and climate change emissions scenario. After upscaling and aggregating the simulations to the country scale based on observed irrigated and rainfed production, national wheat production for Mexico is expected to decline by 12% under the future RCP 8.5 climate change scenario with additional losses of 7 to 18% because of O 3 impact, depending on the cultivar O 3 sensitivity. This yield loss caused by O 3 is comparable with, or even larger than, the impact from projected future climatic change in temperature, rainfall, and atmospheric CO 2 concentration. Therefore, O 3 impacts should be considered in future agricultural impact assessments.

Elevated Ozone Concentration Reduces Photosynthetic Carbon Gain but Does Not Alter Leaf Structural Traits, Nutrient Composition or Biomass in Switchgrass.

Elevated tropospheric ozone concentration (O3) increases oxidative stress in vegetation and threatens the stability of crop production. Current O3 pollution in the United States is estimated to decrease the yields of maize (Zea mays) up to 10%, however, many bioenergy feedstocks including switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) have not been studied for response to O3 stress. Using Free Air Concentration Enrichment (FACE) technology, we investigated the impacts of elevated O3 (~100 nmol mol−1) on leaf photosynthetic traits and capacity, chlorophyll fluorescence, the Ball–Woodrow–Berry (BWB) relationship, respiration, leaf structure, biomass and nutrient composition of switchgrass. Elevated O3 concentration reduced net CO2 assimilation rate (A), stomatal conductance (gs), and maximum CO2 saturated photosynthetic capacity (Vmax), but did not affect other functional and structural traits in switchgrass or the macro- (except potassium) and micronutrient content of leaves. These results suggest that switchgrass exhibits a greater O3 tolerance than maize, and provide important fundamental data for evaluating the yield stability of a bioenergy feedstock crop and for exploring O3 sensitivity among bioenergy feedstocks.

Modeling the effects of tropospheric ozone on wheat growth and yield

Abstract Elevated tropospheric ozone (O3) concentrations can negatively impact wheat growth by reducing photosynthesis and accelerating leaf senescence. Future global O3 concentrations are expected to increase in many regions, which will further limit global wheat production. However, few crop models consider the effects of O3 stress on wheat. We incorporated the effects of O3 stress on photosynthesis and leaf senescence into the DSSAT-NWheat crop model and reproduced an observed experiment and reported yield declines from the literature. Simulated wheat yields decreased as daily O3 concentrations increased above 25 ppb, with yield losses ranging from 0.26% to 0.95% per ppb O3 increase, depending on the cultivar O3 sensitivity. The model reproduced known wheat physiological responses from the combination of O3 stress with water deficit and elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration. Increased water deficit stress and elevated atmospheric CO2 both reduce the negative impact of O3, but yield benefits from elevated CO2 can be lost due to elevated O3 concentrations. The O3-modified NWheat model simulates the effects of O3 stress on wheat growth and yield in interaction with other growth factors and can be used for studies on climate change and O3 impacts.

Elevated ozone concentration decreases whole-plant hydraulic conductance and disturbs water use regulation in soybean plants.

Elevated tropospheric ozone (O3 ) concentration has been shown to affect many aspects of plant performance including detrimental effects on leaf photosynthesis and plant growth. However, it is not known whether such changes are accompanied by concomitant responses in plant hydraulic architecture and water relations, which would have great implications for plant growth and survival in face of unfavorable water conditions. A soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) cultivar commonly used in Northeast China was exposed to non-filtered air (NF, averaged 24.0nl l-1 ) and elevated O3 concentrations (eO3 , 40 nl l-1 supplied with NF air) in six open-top chambers for 50 days. The eO3 treatment resulted in a significant decrease in whole-plant hydraulic conductance that is mainly attributable to the reduced hydraulic conductance of the root system and the leaflets, while stem and leaf petiole hydraulic conductance showed no significant response to eO3 . Stomatal conductance of plants grown under eO3 was lower during mid-morning but significantly higher at midday, which resulted in substantially more negative daily minimum water potentials. Moreover, excised leaves from the eO3 treated plants showed significantly higher rates of water loss, suggesting a lower ability to withhold water when water supply is impeded. Our results indicate that, besides the direct detrimental effects of eO3 on photosynthetic carbon assimilation, its influences on hydraulic architecture and water relations may also negatively affect O3 -sensitive crops by deteriorating the detrimental effects of unfavorable water conditions.

Differential root responses in two cultivars of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to elevated ozone concentration under fully open‐air field conditions

AbstractThe effect of elevated tropospheric ozone concentration [O3] on root processes in wheat systems of different O3 sensitivity is not well understood. Two wheat cultivars (cv. Y15 and YN19) with contrasting O3 tolerance were grown in a fully open‐air O3 enrichment platform for one season. We found that elevated O3 (EO3) (50% above the ambient O3) significantly decreased the total biomass at all key growth stages and the yield of the O3‐sensitive cultivar YN19 but did not affect those of the O3‐tolerant cultivar Y15. EO3 significantly decreased the root biomass of two wheat cultivars at the jointing and grain‐filling stages. EO3 significantly decreased the root length, length density, surface area and volume of the two cultivars at the jointing stage but increased those of YN19 at the grain‐filling stage. EO3 significantly increased the root activities (specific root respiration rates) of Y15 and YN19 at the jointing, heading and grain‐filling stages. EO3 significantly decreased the contribution of fresh root respiration to soil respiration (CRS) of YN19 at the jointing stage but increased it at the heading stage; however, it did not change the CRS of Y15 at any growth stages. This study indicates that the effects of EO3 on root morphology and activity varied among wheat cultivars, and suggest that we can breed O3‐tolerant cultivars to maintain crop yield under higher [O3] scenarios.

Elevated ozone reduces photosynthetic carbon gain by accelerating leaf senescence of inbred and hybrid maize in a genotype-specific manner.

Exposure to elevated tropospheric ozone concentration ([O3 ]) accelerates leaf senescence in many C3 crops. However, the effects of elevated [O3 ] on C4 crops including maize (Zea mays L.) are poorly understood in terms of physiological mechanism and genetic variation in sensitivity. Using free air gas concentration enrichment, we investigated the photosynthetic response of 18 diverse maize inbred and hybrid lines to season-long exposure to elevated [O3 ] (~100nl L-1 ) in the field. Gas exchange was measured on the leaf subtending the ear throughout the grain filling period. On average over the lifetime of the leaf, elevated [O3 ] led to reductions in photosynthetic CO2 assimilation of both inbred (-22%) and hybrid (-33%) genotypes. There was significant variation among both inbred and hybrid lines in the sensitivity of photosynthesis to elevated [O3 ], with some lines showing no change in photosynthesis at elevated [O3 ]. Based on analysis of inbred line B73, the reduced CO2 assimilation at elevated [O3 ] was associated with accelerated senescence decreasing photosynthetic capacity and not altered stomatal limitation. These findings across diverse maize genotypes could advance the development of more O3 tolerant maize and provide experimental data for parameterization and validation of studies modeling how O3 impacts crop performance.

Effects of Elevated Tropospheric Ozone Concentration on the Bacterial Community in the Phyllosphere and Rhizoplane of Rice.

Microbes constitute a vital part of the plant holobiont. They establish plant-microbe or microbe-microbe associations, forming a unique microbiota with each plant species and under different environmental conditions. These microbial communities have to adapt to diverse environmental conditions, such as geographical location, climate conditions and soil types, and are subjected to changes in their surrounding environment. Elevated ozone concentration is one of the most important aspects of global change, but its effect on microbial communities living on plant surfaces has barely been investigated. In the current study, we aimed at elucidating the potential effect of elevated ozone concentrations on the phyllosphere (aerial part of the plant) and rhizoplane (surface of the root) microbiota by adopting next-generation 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. A standard japonica rice cultivar Nipponbare and an ozone-tolerant breeding line L81 (Nipponbare background) were pre-grown in a greenhouse for 10 weeks and then exposed to ozone at 85 ppb for 7 h daily for 30 days in open top chambers. Microbial cells were collected from the phyllosphere and rhizoplane separately. The treatment or different genotypes did not affect various diversity indices. On the other hand, the relative abundance of some bacterial taxa were significantly affected in the rhizoplane community of ozone-treated plants. A significant effect of ozone was detected by homogeneity of molecular variance analysis in the phyllosphere, meaning that the community from ozone-treated phyllosphere samples was more variable than those from control plants. In addition, a weak treatment effect was observed by clustering samples based on the Yue and Clayton and weighted UniFrac distance matrices among samples. We therefore conclude that the elevated ozone concentrations affected the bacterial community structure of the phyllosphere and the rhizosplane as a whole, even though this effect was rather weak and did not lead to changes of the function of the communities.

Plant surface reactions: an opportunistic ozone defence mechanism impacting atmospheric chemistry

Abstract. Elevated tropospheric ozone concentrations are considered a toxic threat to plants, responsible for global crop losses with associated economic costs of several billion dollars per year. Plant injuries have been linked to the uptake of ozone through stomatal pores and oxidative damage of the internal leaf tissue. But a striking question remains: can surface reactions limit the stomatal uptake of ozone and therefore reduce its detrimental effects to plants?In this laboratory study we could show that semi-volatile organic compounds exuded by the glandular trichomes of different Nicotiana tabacum varieties are an efficient ozone sink at the plant surface. In our experiments, different diterpenoid compounds were responsible for a strongly variety-dependent ozone uptake of plants under dark conditions, when stomatal pores are almost closed. Surface reactions of ozone were accompanied by a prompt release of oxygenated volatile organic compounds, which could be linked to the corresponding precursor compounds: ozonolysis cis-abienol (C20H34O) – a diterpenoid with two exocyclic double bonds – caused emissions of formaldehyde (HCHO) and methyl vinyl ketone (C4H6O). The ring-structured cembratrien-diols (C20H34O2) with three endocyclic double bonds need at least two ozonolysis steps to form volatile carbonyls such as 4-oxopentanal (C5H8O2), which we could observe in the gas phase, too.Fluid dynamic calculations were used to model ozone distribution in the diffusion-limited leaf boundary layer under daylight conditions. In the case of an ozone-reactive leaf surface, ozone gradients in the vicinity of stomatal pores are changed in such a way that the ozone flux through the open stomata is strongly reduced.Our results show that unsaturated semi-volatile compounds at the plant surface should be considered as a source of oxygenated volatile organic compounds, impacting gas phase chemistry, as well as efficient ozone sink improving the ozone tolerance of plants.

Ozone reaction with interior building materials: Influence of diurnal ozone variation, temperature and humidity

Abstract Elevated tropospheric ozone concentrations are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Indoor ozone chemistry affects human exposure to ozone and reaction products that also may adversely affect health and comfort. Reactive uptake of ozone has been characterized for many building materials; however, scant information is available on how diurnal variation of ambient ozone influences ozone reaction with indoor surfaces. The primary objective of this study is to investigate ozone-surface reactions in response to a diurnally varying ozone exposure for three common building materials: ceiling tile, painted drywall, and carpet tile. A secondary objective is to examine the effects of air temperature and humidity. A third goal is to explore how conditioning of materials in an occupied office building might influence subsequent ozone-surface reactions. Experiments were performed at bench-scale with inlet ozone concentrations varied to simulate daytime (ozone elevated) and nighttime (ozone-free in these experiments) periods. To simulate office conditions, experiments were conducted at two temperatures (22 °C and 28 °C) and three relative humidity values (25%, 50%, 75%). Effects of indoor surface exposures were examined by placing material samples in an occupied office and repeating bench-scale characterization after exposure periods of 1 and 2 months. Deposition velocities were observed to be highest during the initial hour of ozone exposure with slow decrease in the subsequent hours of simulated daytime conditions. Daily-average ozone reaction probabilities for fresh materials are in the respective ranges of (1.7–2.7) × 10−5, (2.8–4.7) × 10−5, and (3.0–4.5) × 10−5 for ceiling tile, painted drywall, and carpet tile. The reaction probability decreases by 7%–47% across the three test materials after two 8-h periods of ozone exposure. Measurements with the samples from an occupied office reveal that deposition velocity can decrease or increase with time. Influence of temperature and humidity on ozone-surface reactivity was not strong.

Impact of Ozone on Sequestration of Carbon by Swedish Forests under a Changing Climate: A Modeling Study

The annual growth rates in Swedish forests are higher than the annual harvest rates, and this has resulted in high rates of carbon sequestration in the Swedish forestry sector. Any factor that tends to reduce growth rates also has the potential to reduce forest carbon sequestration rates, and ozone may be one such factor. The aim of this study was to estimate to what extent the occurrence of elevated tropospheric ozone concentrations can negatively affect carbon sequestration by Swedish forest ecosystems. The net primary production (NPP) of Swedish forests was simulated, using the 3-PG model, for representative forest stands in six different geographical zones across Sweden, with and without assumed negative impacts of ozone. Ozone impacts were derived from dose-response relationships, calculated from open-top chamber experiments with young trees. The results of the 3-PG simulations showed that the NPP was generally higher in the A2 and B2 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) future climate scenarios, as compared to the current climate, for all tree species and in all geographical zones across Sweden. Biomass production was reduced by 4.3‐15.5% for conifers (Norway spruce (Picea abies L) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L) and by 1.4‐4.3% for birch (Betula pendula Roth and Betula pubescence Ehrh) under ambient ozone conditions as compared to the preindustrial ozone level. The greatest reduction in biomass was found in southern Sweden. Biomass was reduced by similar percentage value in future climate scenarios as that in the current climate.

North American terrestrial CO2 uptake largely offset by CH4 and N2O emissions: toward a full accounting of the greenhouse gas budget.

The terrestrial ecosystems of North America have been identified as a sink of atmospheric CO2 though there is no consensus on the magnitude. However, the emissions of non-CO2 greenhouse gases (CH4 and N2O) may offset or even overturn the climate cooling effect induced by the CO2 sink. Using a coupled biogeochemical model, in this study, we have estimated the combined global warming potentials (GWP) of CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes in North American terrestrial ecosystems and quantified the relative contributions of environmental factors to the GWP changes during 1979–2010. The uncertainty range for contemporary global warming potential has been quantified by synthesizing the existing estimates from inventory, forward modeling, and inverse modeling approaches. Our “best estimate” of net GWP for CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes was −0.50 ± 0.27 Pg CO2 eq/year (1 Pg = 1015 g) in North American terrestrial ecosystems during 2001–2010. The emissions of CH4 and N2O from terrestrial ecosystems had offset about two thirds (73 %±14 %) of the land CO2 sink in the North American continent, showing large differences across the three countries, with offset ratios of 57 % ± 8 % in US, 83 % ± 17 % in Canada and 329 % ± 119 % in Mexico. Climate change and elevated tropospheric ozone concentration have contributed the most to GWP increase, while elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration have contributed the most to GWP reduction. Extreme drought events over certain periods could result in a positive GWP. By integrating the existing estimates, we have found a wide range of uncertainty for the combined GWP. From both climate change science and policy perspectives, it is necessary to integrate ground and satellite observations with models for a more accurate accounting of these three greenhouse gases in North America.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10584-014-1072-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Effects of nitrogen deposition on greenhouse‐gas fluxes for forests and grasslands of North America

Human activities have substantially elevated the atmospheric deposition of reactive nitrogen (N) onto terrestrial ecosystems of North America. Some of this N can stimulate carbon (C) storage in terrestrial ecosystems, but the fertilization effect of added N can be diminished by elevated concentrations of tropospheric ozone (O3) and by chronically high N deposition. In this review, we discuss spatial patterns and effects of N deposition and tropospheric O3 on net greenhouse‐gas fluxes in North American forest and grassland ecosystems. While projected rates of ammonia emissions and deposition are expected to remain unchanged, projected declines in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions within the US will likely lead to reductions in total N deposition and O3. The net effect of these changes in N deposition onto forests and grasslands will likely initiate declines in C sequestration attributed to N deposition over the next 40 years.

Boreal peatland ecosystems under enhanced UV-B radiation and elevated tropospheric ozone concentration

Boreal peat-forming wetlands, mires, are globally important sources of methane and sinks for CO2. As peatland vegetation plays a significant role regulating the exchange of these greenhouse gases, we have assessed the responses of the dominant plants and ecosystem functions to increasing tropospheric ozone concentration and enhanced ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation in long-term experiments, the results of which are summarized in this review. The dominant sedge, Eriophorum vaginatum, and especially the Sphagnum mosses common on peatlands, appear fairly tolerant to the future predicted ozone levels. Similarly, UV-B radiation only caused few alterations in the carbohydrates and pigments of the dominant sedge, Eriophorum russeolum, and had no effects on the dominant moss species of the experimental site, Warnstorfia exannulata. Surprisingly, there were alterations in organic acid concentrations in the peat pore water and peat microbial community composition in both experiments. Elevated ozone caused a transient decrease in ecosystem-level gross photosynthesis and methane (CH4) emission, which shifted to a slight increase later on. Enhanced UV-B decreased dark ecosystem respiration and increased CH4 emission in the course of the six measurement years. The emission of isoprene was increased by both ozone and UV-B during warm weather periods, suggesting interactive effects with temperature. All in all, we suggest that ozone and UV-B have limited effects on the carbon cycle in boreal peatlands, because other environmental factors, such as temperature, water level and photosynthetically active radiation more strongly regulate CO2 and CH4 exchange rates.

Investigations on spikelet formation in hybrid rice as affected by elevated tropospheric ozone concentration in China

This study investigated the impact of elevated ozone concentration ([O3]) on grain yield of rice in relation to the changes in spikelet formation, which plays a critical role in securing a sufficient number of spikelets per land area for a higher yield. Using a free air gas concentration enrichment (FACE) facility for O3 fumigation in China, two contrasting rice cultivars were exposed to either ambient (38ppb) or elevated [O3] (47ppb) from tillering stage to final harvest in 2008. A 23% increase in [O3] decreased grain yield of Yangdao6 and Shanyou63 by 6% and 27%, respectively. The yield loss was driven primarily by a decrease in the number of spikelets per panicle, rather than changes in the other yield components. The large reduction observed in panicle size of Shanyou63 under ozone stress resulted from both the inhibition of spikelet differentiation and promotion of spikelet degeneration, which was associated with decreased accumulation of nitrogen and biomass up to the heading stage. The results of this experiment indicated that the yield loss in rice under ozone exposure resulted primarily from negative effects on spikelet formation, and that a better understanding of spikelet formation process is indispensable for the assessment of rice yield response to future higher ground-level [O3].