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Contenu archivé le 2019-03-15

EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF FOREST DECLINE WITH REFERENCE TO ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTANTS

Objectif

THE AIM OF THIS PROPOSAL IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF PREDICTIVE TESTS WHICH CAN BE USED ROUTINELY TO DETERMINE THE STATUS OF TREES/FOREST ECOSYSTEMS IN ADVANCE OF THE OCCURENCE OF IRREVERSIBLE BLEMISHES, THE TESTS BEING AS FAR AS POSSIBLE INDICATORS OF SPECIFIC POLLUTANTS.

/ IT IS PROPOSED TO STUDY SELECTED PROPERTIES OF A RANGE OF TREES FOR (I) STRUCTURAL, (II) CHEMICAL AND (III) METABOLIC INDICATORS THAT MAY BE USED FOR PREDICTING THE DECLINE SYNDROME. FOR THIS PURPOSE IT IS ESSENTIAL TO WORK WITH MATERIAL FROM A WIDE RANGE OF CONDITIONS IN RELATION TO EFFECTS, EXTENDING AT ONE EXTREME FROM AREAS CONSIDERED TO BE WITHOUT SYMTOMS, TO AREAS AT THE OTHER EXTREME AS IN GERMANY, WHERE TREE INJURY AND FOREST DECLINE IS SEVERE: CANADIAN MATERIAL, LIKE THAT FROM OTHER LOCATIONS IN CONTINENTAL EUROPE WOULD FILL THE MIDDLE-GROUND.

THE STUDY WILL INVOLVE:
(A) RESEARCH ON THE MORE PROMISING DIAGNOSTIC TESTS SUCH AS (I) FREE-RADICAL SCAVENGING OR DISTURBANCE-STRESS ASSOCIATED ISOENZYME PATTERNS, (II) CONCENTRATIONS OF B CAROTENE RELATIVE TO THOSE OF OTHER PIGMENTS, (III) CHANGES IN THE EMISSIONS OF HYDROCARBON FROM FOREST CANOPIES, (IV) AMINO-ACID PATTERN DISRUPTION AND (V) CHANGES IN THE COMPOSITION AND CONFIGURATION OF PLANT CUTICLES.
(B) SURVEYS OF FORESTS IN BRITAIN AND W. GERMANY WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO 'TREE HEALTH' USING CHARACTERISTICS READILY IDENTIFIABLE IN FIELD CONDITIONS. IN THIS WAY IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO INTERRELATE LATENT CHANGES IN (A) WITH VISIBLE DAMAGE. DO THE LATENT CHANGES OCCUR IN TIME TO GIVE ADVANCE WARNING SO ENABLING MANAGEMENT, ABATEMENT PRACTICES TO BE IMPLEMENTED?
ADDITIONAL SUPPORTING LABORATORY WORK WOULD BE DONE ON MATERIAL COLLECTED IN SURVEYS (E.G. WATER DROPLET CONTACT ANGLES ON LEAVES; FRESH WEIGHT, DRY WEIGHT RATIOS AND ASSESSMENTS OF LEAF SURFACE, PHYLLOPLANE, BACTERIAL AND FINGI).

Thème(s)

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Appel à propositions

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Régime de financement

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinateur

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH COUNCIL
Contribution de l’UE
Aucune donnée
Adresse
c/o Bush Estate
EH26 0QB PENICUIK
Royaume-Uni

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Coût total
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