Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2026

A Method for Quantifying Foliage-Dwelling Arthropods
Published on: October 20, 2019
Effects of SO2, NO2, and O3 on population development and morphological and physiological parameters of native herb
L Steubing1, A Fangmeier, R Both
1Institut für Pflanzenökologie, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 38, D-6300 Giessen, FRG.
Abstract:
The native ground vegetation of a beech forest was fumigated with moderate doses of SO(2), NO(2), and O(3) in open-top chambers. The effects of fumigants on growth and above-ground development were dependent on species. The treatments caused early senescence in several of the species present. The epicuticular waxes were attacked by fumigation, which was shown by higher wettability of the leaf surfaces and by leaching of ions. Interspecific differences were observed in the responses of transpiration and photosynthesis to fumigation. Similar patterns of effects on transpiration and photosynthesis, however, were found in the same species. Carbohydrate metabolism was altered by fumigation, leading to starch accumulation in the leaves. Besides effects on higher plants, fumigations also resulted in alterations of the soil microflora. The bacteria/fungi ratio was depressed at the fumigation plots.
Related Concept Videos
Oxygen Requirements and Growth Patterns
Threats to Biodiversity
Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift
Ecological Succession
Conservation of Declining Populations

