Ozone risk assessment with free-air controlled exposure (FACE) experiments: A critical revisit

Yasutomo Hoshika ¹, Evgenios Agathokleous ², Barbara Baesso Moura ¹

⁰Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Via Madonna del Piano, I-50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, 90133, Italy.

Environmental Research +

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May 23, 2024

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

A new method refines ozone (O3) risk assessments for agriculture and forestry by using biomass data to define relative risks (RRs). This approach accounts for species sensitivity and uncertainties, improving accuracy in Free-Air Controlled Exposure (FACE) studies.

Area Of Science

Environmental Science
Plant Science
Agricultural Science

Background

Tropospheric ozone (O3) poses significant risks to agriculture and forestry.
Current risk assessments often rely on stomatal flux-based approaches in Free-Air Controlled Exposure (FACE) facilities.
Estimating reference biomass/yield at zero O3 dose is challenging due to lack of O3-clean-air treatments and extrapolation biases.

Purpose Of The Study

To review current O3 risk assessment methodologies in FACE facilities.
To present a modified Paoletti's approach for defining relative risks (RRs) using biomass or yield data.
To incorporate uncertainty by hypothesizing scenarios using 95% credible intervals (CI).

Main Methods

Reviewed existing O3 risk assessment methodologies in FACE facilities.
Developed a modified Paoletti's approach to define RRs using biomass/yield data.
Utilized 95% credible intervals (CI) to define optimistic, best-fit, and worst-case scenarios.

Main Results

O3-sensitive species exhibited a narrow range between optimistic and worst-case scenarios.
O3-resistant species showed a wider response range, indicating varied plasticity.
Non-linear dose-response relationships were observed in moderately sensitive/resistant species, suggesting hormesis.

Conclusions

The modified Paoletti's approach provides a more comprehensive understanding of O3 risks and uncertainties.
Flexible functional forms are needed to accurately model complex plant responses to O3 stress.
Supporting tools like ethylenediurea treatments and mechanistic plant models can strengthen RR assessments.

Keywords:

Dose-response EDU Effect range Environmental hormesis Non-linear functions