Diagnosis of ambient air pollution injury to red maple leaves
Ramets of red maple, Acer rubrum L. (cv 'Scarlet Sentinel') were grown under ambient field conditions for 5 months (May-Sept) in either clean air (i.e. minimum background of ozone (O/sub 3/) and sulfur dioxide (SO/sub 2/)) or were grown in polluted air containing phytotoxic combinations of O/sub 3/ and SO/sub 2/. At the end of the growing season leaf samples from each site were fixed in glutaraldehyde, washed in buffer (3X) post-fixed in O/sub s/O/sub 4/, dehydrated in ethanol and critically-point-dried. Samples were fractured with a razor blade, mounted either abaxially or adaxially or in cross-section, and sputter-coated with Au. While plants from either site failed to exhibit macroscopic air pollutant-induced symptoms, SEM examination revealed significant microscopic differences between prepared samples from different sites. Epidermal cells of leaves grown in clean air were uniformly turgid with fluffy epicuticular wax. Leaf samples from ramets that were grown in polluted air exhibited collapsed epidermal cells and lacked fluffy epicuticular wax. Cross-sections revealed increased vesicular activity in leaf mesophyll cells of plants exposed to high ambient pollution while cells of plants grown in clean air appeared normal. 10 references, 6 figures.
- Research Organization:
- USDA, Delaware, OH
- OSTI ID:
- 6847022
- Journal Information:
- Scanning Electron Microsc.; (United States), Vol. 3
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
OZONE
TOXICITY
SULFUR DIOXIDE
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
CYTOLOGY
EPIDERMIS
LEAVES
MAPLES
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ANIMAL TISSUES
BIOLOGY
BODY
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMISTRY
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
EPITHELIUM
MICROSCOPY
ORGANS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
POLLUTION
SKIN
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR OXIDES
TISSUES
TREES
560303* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology- Plants- (-1987)
500200 - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)