Summary
SO2-fumigation experiments were conducted with plants of pea (Pisum sativum) and corn (Zea mays) recognized to be, respectively, sensitive and tolerant to the gas. Accumulation of inorganic sulfur in the tissues revealed that the pea takes up considerably greater amounts of SO2 than corn. Porometer measurements and transpiration coefficients show that this greater SO2 uptake is partly related to the lower leaf diffusion resistance of peas. Additional internal sinks for SO2 uptake are discussed in order to give a complete explanation of the differential SO2 uptake of the two species.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bell, J.N.B., Mudd, C.H.: Sulphur dioxide resistance in plants: a case study of Lolium perenne. In: Effects of air pollutants on plants (T.A. Mansfield, ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1976
Biscoe, P.V., Unsworth, M.H., Pinckney, H.R.: The effects of low concentrations of sulphur dioxide on stomatal behaviour in Vicia faba. New Phytol. 72, 1299–1306 (1973)
Black, C.C.: Ecological implications of dividing plants into groups with distinct photosynthetic production capacities. Adv. Ecol. Res. 7, 87–114 (1971)
Black, C.C.: Photosynthetic carbon fixation in relation to net CO2 uptake. Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol. 24, 253–286 (1973)
Garsed, S.G., Read, D.J.: The uptake and metabolism of 35SO2 in plants of differing sensitivity to sulphur dioxide. Environm. Poll. 13, 173–187 (1977)
Guderian, R., Haut, van, H.: Nachweis von Schwefeldioxidwirkungen an Pflanzen. Staub-Reinhalt. Luft 30, 17–26 (1970)
Hatch, M.D., Slack, C.R.: Photosynthetic CO2-fixation pathways. Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol. 21, 141–162 (1970)
Jäger, H.-J.: Wirkung von SO2-Begasung auf die Aktivität von Enzymen des Aminosäurstoffwechsels und den Gehalt freier Aminosäuren in unterschiedlich resistenten Pflanzen. Z. Pflanzenkrankh., Pflanzensch. 82, 139–148 (1975)
Jäger, H.-J., Klein, H.: Biochemical and physiological detection of sulfur dioxide injury to pea plants (Pisum sativum). J. Air Poll. Contr. Ass. 27, 464–466 (1977)
Jäger, H.-J., Pahlich, E., Steubing, L.: Wirkung von Schwefeldioxid auf den Aminosäure- und Proteingehalt von Erbsenkeimlingen. Angew. Bot. 46, 199–211 (1972)
Jäger, H.-J., Steubing, L.: Fraktionierte Schwefelbestimmung in Pflanzenmaterial zur Beurteilung einer SO2-Einwirkung. Angew. Bot. 44, 209–221 (1970)
Klein, H., Jäger, H.-J.: Einfluß der Nährstoffversorgung auf die SO2-Empfindlichkeit von Erbsenpflanzen. Z. Pflanzenkrankh., Pflanzensch. 83, 555–568 (1976)
Körner, C., Cernusca, A.: A semi-automatic, recording diffusion porometer and its performance under alpine field conditions. Photosynthetica 10, 172–181 (1976)
Majernik, O., Mansfield, T.A.: Direct effect of SO2 pollution on the degree of opening of stomata. Nature 227, 377–378 (1970)
Malhotra, S.S., Hocking, D.: Biochemical and cytological effects of sulphur dioxide on plant metabolism. New Phytol. 76, 227–237 (1976)
Maximov, N.A.: The plant in relation to water (R.H. Yapp, ed.). London: George Allen, Unwin 1929
Pahlich, E., Jäger, H.-J., Steubing, L.: Beeinflussung der Aktivitäten der Glutamatdehydrogenase und Glutaminsynthetase aus Erbsenkeimlingen durch SO2. Angew. Bot. 46, 183–197 (1972)
Thomas, M.D., Hendricks, R.H., Hill, G.R.: Some chemical reactions of sulfur dioxide after absorption by alfalfa and sugar beets. Pl. Physiol. 19, 212–226 (1944)
Weigl, J., Ziegler, H.: Die räumliche Verteilung von 35S und die Art der markierten Verbindungen in Spinatblättern nach Begasung von 35SO2. Planta (Berl.) 58, 435–447 (1962)
Wentzel, K.F.: Empfindlichkeit und Resistenzunterschiede der Pflanzen gegenüber Luftverunreinigung. Forstarch. 39, 189–194 (1968)
Ziegler, I.: The effect of air-polluting gases on plant metabolism. Environm. Qual. Safety 7, 182–208 (1971)
Ziegler, I.: Effect of sulphite on phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and malate formation in extracts of Zea mays. Phytochem. 12, 1027–1030 (1973)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Klein, H., Jäger, HJ., Domes, W. et al. Mechanisms contributing to differential sensitivities of plants to SO2 . Oecologia 33, 203–208 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00344848
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00344848