Identification of Bioindicator Species for Ozone and Assessment of the Responses to Ozone of Native Vegetation at Acadia National Park
Kohut R, Laurence J, King P, Raba R. 2000. Identification of Bioindicator Species for Ozone and Assessment of the Responses to Ozone of Native Vegetation at Acadia National Park. Technical report NPS/BSO-RNR/NRTR/00-13. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. New England System Support Office.. Boston, MA
The following taken from the abstract: 'Thirty-two species of plants found in Acadia National Park were used in controlled exposure studies with ozone conducted there. Species injured at ambient levels of ozone were black cherry, quaking aspen, white ash, jack pine, big-leaf aster, and spreading dogbane. There is some indication that red maple, pin cherry, mountain ash, mountain holly, and flat-topped aster may also be injured at ambient levels of ozone. Species that showed foliar injury at levels of ozone 50% greater than ambient were gray birch, small sundrops,and bunchberry. Some species of plants remained uninjured even at twice the current levels of ozone. These species included paper birch, eastern white pine, pitch pine, red spruce, northern white cedar, northern red oak, Canada bluejoint grass, wild radish, and Canada mayflower.' 'Because of their sensitivity to ozone and diagnostic foliar injury symptoms, big-leaf aster, spreading dogbane, quaking aspen, white ash, and black cherry can serve as bioindicators for ozone. Flat-top aster may also be a bioindicator species. These species should comprise the core of any biomonitoring program designed to assess the incidence and extent of ozone injury at Acadia National Park.' 'Reports of ozone-induced injury on foliage of eastern white pine at Acadia National Park provided much of the impetus for the research program. In two consecutive years of assessment, clonal lines of eastern white pine derived from trees in the park considered to be responsive to ambient levels of ozone were not affected by exposure to levels up to three times ambient concentrations. There was no relationship between the type or degree of marking and the treatment of ozone. The lack of a dose-response relationship at treatment levels up to three times ambient raises doubt that ozone is responsible for the foliar injury observed in the field.' /STUDY LOCATIONS:/ /ACADIA NATIONAL PARK/
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Kohut, Robert; Laurence, John; King, Paul; Raba, Richard
- Date of Issue
- 2000-08
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. New England System Support Office.
- Units
- ACAD
- Keywords
- Acadia National Park, Air Quality, Biomonitoring, Indicator Species, Ozone (O3), Vegetation