Objective
ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTS OF ACID DEPOSITION ON PLANTS.
THE RESEARCH PROGRAMME INCLUDES TWO PARTS :
1. CHARACTERIZATION OF THE EVOLUTION OF PLANT DAMAGES BY ACID DEPOSITION
FOLLOWING THE PROCEDURE RECOMMENDED BY KNABE (1983) AND IMPROVED IN NORTHRHINE-WESTPHALIA THE WET AND DRY DEPOSITION WILL BE MEASURED ON FOUR PLOTS OF 2500 M2 IN DAMAGED PICEA ABIES KARST STANDS OF SAME AGE STRUCTURE.
IN PARTICULAR THE FOLLOWING PARAMETERS WILL BE DETERMINED: PH AND CONDUCTIVITY OF RAIN WATER, INPUT OF F, CL, NO3H, SO4, PB, CD, ZN AND CU.
THE STEM FLOW WATER WILL BE ANALYSED SEPARATELY FOR THE SAME PARAMETERS.
INVESTIGATIONS ON SOIL WILL INCLUDE:
- DESCRIPTION OF THE SOIL PROFILE
- PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF THE UPPER SOIL HORIZONS (ACIDITY, CATIONS AND ANIONS IN SOIL SOLUTION, HEAVY METAL CONTENT)
INVESTIGATIONS ON ECOLOGICAL PARAMETERS WILL INCLUDE:
- ASSESSMENT OF NEEDLE RETENTION OF NORWAY SPRUCE (CRITERION FOR VITALITY)
- ASSESSMENT OF LICHEN DISTRIBUTION ON THE STEM
- INTRODUCTION OF A BIOMONITORING SYSTEM USING PHANEROGAMIC PLANTS
- CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF 1 YEAR AND 2 YEAR OLD NEEDLES AND TISSUES OF INTRODUCED PLANTS
2. IDENTIFICATION OF FACTORS AFFECTING FOREST DECLINE
FOR AN IMPROVEMENT OF POSSIBLE SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS OF GASEOUS POLLUTANTS (MAINLY SO2 AND HF) WITH HEAVY METALS (PB, ZN, CD, CU) A SET OF CROSSCULTURE PATTERNS WILL BE INVESTIGATED ON THE FOUR PLOTS AND IN SIMULATION CHAMBERS INCLUDING COMBINATIONS OF POLLUTED OR UNPOLLUTED SOILS WITH OR WITHOUT ACIDIC ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS.
STANDARDIZED CULTURES OF LOLIUM MULTIFLORUM L. VAR. OPTIMA (ITALIAN RYE GRASS) AND TWO YEARS OLD SEEDLINGS OF PICEA ABIES KARST WILL BE USED FOR THESE EXPERIMENTS.
TRANSFER RATES OF HEAVY METALS FROM AIR TO PLANTS AND FROM SOIL TO PLANTS WILL BE MEASURED AND RESULTS WILL BE COMPARED TO MEASURED HEAVY METAL CONTENTS IN PLANT TISSUES.
FINALLY; FACTORS AFFECTING THE UPTAKE OF NUTRIENTS AND HEAVY METALS FROM THE SOIL, E.G. MOBILIZATION AND LEACHING PROCESSES WILL BE EVALUATED