TY - JOUR
T1 - Maintenance of photosynthesis by Betula populifolia in metal contaminated soils
AU - Salisbury, Allyson B.
AU - Gallagher, Frank J.
AU - Caplan, Joshua S.
AU - Grabosky, Jason C.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by two McIntire-Stennis Capacity Grants (numbers 17325 and 17350 ) from the United States Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture .
Funding Information:
Special thanks to Karina Schaffer for input on the study design and equipment loans, as well as to the students who assisted with field work: Isabella Cocuzza, Catherine Dillon, Booker George, Longjun Ju, and Han Yan. We are also grateful to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Parks and Forestry for their continued support of research at Liberty State Park.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017
PY - 2018/6/1
Y1 - 2018/6/1
N2 - Improving our understanding of plant responses to elevated trace metal concentrations under field conditions will enhance restoration and urban greening practices in settings with contaminated soils. This study examined the effects of trace metal pollution on the leaf gas exchange rates of mature, field-grown Betula populifolia Marsh. (gray birch) trees, additionally assessing whether elevated temperature and drought compounded the effects of trace metal contamination. The study compared B. populifolia growing in areas of comparatively high and low trace metal loads (HML and LML, respectively) within a former rail yard at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. Gas exchange parameters were determined monthly from May through September in 2014 and 2015 using a portable photosynthesis system. The effects of drought and high temperature were assessed during a short heat wave in July 2015 and via a manipulative experiment, respectively. During a few of the measurement months, some parameters differed significantly between the LML and HML groups. However, when considered over the entire study period, no significant differences in biophysical parameters were observed between groups. The photosynthetic capacity of B. populifolia thus appears to be fairly robust across this site's steep gradient of trace metal contamination. Nonetheless, leaf mass per unit area was significantly lower in the HML group, indicating that metal loads affected resource allocation within trees. Also, immediately following the heat wave in 2015, intrinsic water use efficiency declined significantly in the HML group, suggesting that extreme climatic conditions can have a disproportionate effect on the physiological performance of plants growing in metal contaminated soils.
AB - Improving our understanding of plant responses to elevated trace metal concentrations under field conditions will enhance restoration and urban greening practices in settings with contaminated soils. This study examined the effects of trace metal pollution on the leaf gas exchange rates of mature, field-grown Betula populifolia Marsh. (gray birch) trees, additionally assessing whether elevated temperature and drought compounded the effects of trace metal contamination. The study compared B. populifolia growing in areas of comparatively high and low trace metal loads (HML and LML, respectively) within a former rail yard at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. Gas exchange parameters were determined monthly from May through September in 2014 and 2015 using a portable photosynthesis system. The effects of drought and high temperature were assessed during a short heat wave in July 2015 and via a manipulative experiment, respectively. During a few of the measurement months, some parameters differed significantly between the LML and HML groups. However, when considered over the entire study period, no significant differences in biophysical parameters were observed between groups. The photosynthetic capacity of B. populifolia thus appears to be fairly robust across this site's steep gradient of trace metal contamination. Nonetheless, leaf mass per unit area was significantly lower in the HML group, indicating that metal loads affected resource allocation within trees. Also, immediately following the heat wave in 2015, intrinsic water use efficiency declined significantly in the HML group, suggesting that extreme climatic conditions can have a disproportionate effect on the physiological performance of plants growing in metal contaminated soils.
KW - Assimilation-intercellular CO (A-C) curve
KW - Dark respiration
KW - Heavy metals
KW - Light response curve
KW - Phytostabilization
KW - Stomatal conductance
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U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.12.279
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.12.279
M3 - Article
C2 - 29996458
AN - SCOPUS:85040378239
SN - 0048-9697
VL - 625
SP - 1615
EP - 1627
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
ER -