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RESPONSES OF WETLAND PLANTS TO THE INCREASING ATMOSPHERIC NITROGEN DEPOSITION

Objective

TO GENERATE SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION NEEDED TO ELUCIDATE THE INTERFERENCE BETWEEN AIR POLLUTION AND KEY PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES IN PLANTS.

THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ARE :
(I) TO CHARACTERISE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL RESPONSES TO INCREASING NITROGEN DEPOSITION WHICH MAY BE USED AS MARKERS OF THIS INCREASING DEPOSITION LOADING.
(II) TO STUDY INTERACTIONS BETWEEN NITROGEN AND SULPHUR DEPOSITION IN THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL RESPONSES OF PLANTS, SINCE SULPHUR POLLUTANTS, ALTHOUGH OF DECLINING IMPORTANCE ARE STILL MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS. (MOST STUDIES STILL NEGLECT INTERACTIONS BETWEEN POLLUTANTS).
(III) TO STUDY IN SITU THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL RESPONSES OF PLANTS TO REAL ATMOSPHERIC DEPOSITION EVENTS, BOTH POLLUTED AND "UNPOLLUTED".
(IV) TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE BREAKDOWN IN ATMOSPHERIC ELEMENT PARTITIONING OCCURS IN THESE ECOSYSTEMS IN RESPONSE TO INCREASED ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION, AND WHAT EFFECT THIS HAS ON HIGHER PLANT COMPONENTS OF THESE MIRES.
THESE OBJECTIVES WILL BE MET THROUGH A SERIES OF INTEGRAD LABORATORY AND FIELD INVESTIGATIONS. LABORATORY INVESTIGATIONS WILL BE DESIGNED TO STUDY THE RESPONSE TO WET DEPOSITION EVENTS SINCE IN MANY MIRES WET PLUS OCCULT DEPOSITION PROVIDES THE MAJOR ELEMENT INPUT. THESE STUDIES WILL EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF NO3 AND NH4 ON GROWTH, PHYSIOLOGY AND METABOLISM OF SPHAGNUM SPECIES AND HOW THESE ARE MODIFIED IN THE PRESENCE OF HIGH AND LOW CONCENTRATIONS OF HSO3 AND SO4. RESPONSES OF NITROGEN AND SULPHUR UPTAKE AND METABOLISM IN "UNPOLLUTED" PRECIPITATION EVENTS WILL BE CHARACTERISED AND COMPARED WITH RESPONSES TO ARTIFICIAL POLLUTION EPISODES. STUDIES WILL IDENTIFY HOW NORMAL NITROGEN AND SULPHUR ASSIMILATION PROCESSES ARE MODIFIED BY POLLUTION EVENTS UNDER CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT CONDITIONS. ATTENTION WILL BE GIVEN TO IDENTIFYING EARLY EFFECTS OF POLLUTANTS ON PHOTOSYNTHESIS INCLUDING CHANGES IN THE PHOTOCHEMICAL APPARATUS AND GAS EXCHANGE CHARACTERISTICS. SIMILAR STUDIES ON HIGHER PLANTS WILL BE CONCENTRATED ON THOSE SPECIES KNOWN TO HAVE BECOME SCARCE IN POLLUTED MIRES.

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Call for proposal

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Coordinator

UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER
EU contribution
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Address
Oxford Road
M13 9PL MANCHESTER
United Kingdom

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