BVOC emissions from mechanical wounding of leaves and branches of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptus sideroxylon</Emphasis> (red ironbark)

Emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) from mechanical wounding of leaves and branches of plants can contribute to the atmospheric burden of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in both (a) urban airsheds (from urban garden maintenance) and (b) the global atmosphere (from large scale forest harvesting). These emissions of BVOCs are poorly understood and quantified, and their role in urban and global emissions inventories neglected. This paper presents measurements of the magnitude, duration and composition of emissions of BVOCs, carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) from freshly cut leaf mulch and wood chips derived from a common eucalypt tree, Eucalyptus sideroxylon (red ironbark), found in southeastern Australian forests and gardens. The emissions of BVOCs from freshly cut and shredded leaves and wood of E. sideroxylon were found to be 2.3 ± 0.6 and 0.05 ± 0.04 mg g^-1 DM (Dry Mass) from leaf mulch and wood chips respectively and to last typically for 1 day following cutting. Three sampling techniques were used for VOC speciation and the 12 most abundant BVOCs released from the mulch materials were identified. The specific BVOCs emitted in order of decreasing abundance from leaf mulch are: (a) stored plant oils, 1,8-cineole, α–pinene and o-cymene which make up the major part of the emissions, (b) a minor contribution from chemicals associated with environmental stress and wound defence, (Z)–3–hexenyl acetate, (E)-2-hexenal and (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, and (c) a second minor contribution from metabolic products, acetaldehyde and acetone. The observed integrated emissions of BVOCs from leaves following mulching are equivalent to more than half and perhaps all of the likely stored plant oils in the leaves. For the two comparable studies available, one of a plant with stored oils (this study) and one of a plant without stored plant oils, the emissions of leaf wound defence BVOCs are in the same range for both plants. In the plant with stored plant oils, the plant oil emissions are about a factor of 11 larger in emission rate than the plant wound defence BVOCs. A compilation of available leaf wounding BVOC emission studies indicates that for plants with stored plant oils, plant oil emissions dominate, whereas with other plants, leaf wound defence BVOCs dominate the emissions.     

Physiology of Laminaria

Abstract. Dissolved nitrate, nitrite, ammonium and phosphate were monitored for 2.5 years along a coastal eutrophication gradient originating at the St. Andrews sewer outfall. Linear growth rates and tissue composition (phosphorus, various nitrogen fractions and storage carbohydrates) were monitored at the same stations in lamina tissue of Laminaria digitata and L. saccharina. Growth rates were considerably enhanced at the eutrophicated stations both in spring, when exogenous nutrients were at peak values at all stations, and during the summer when exogenous nutrients were very low at all stations. Enhanced summer growth rates were correlated with the increased reserves of N and P accumulated during winter and spring, and particularly with soluble organic nitrogen reserves. Accumulation of storage carbohydrates was inversely correlated with growth rate and tissue N and P reserves, presumably because fixed carbon could be incorporated into new protein and thence new tissue only if internal non-protein N reserves were available.     

Uncertainty, rationality and cooperation in the context of climate change

Climate change represents the largest social dilemma humans have ever faced, where individual actors maximise their personal gain by emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere even though this is detrimental to the collective global good. Cooperation on a global scale is urgently required if we are to overcome this problem. However, this is difficult to achieve because cooperators pay the cost of reducing emissions while any benefits are shared between cooperators and free-riders alike. In a risk-free, rational world cooperative behaviour can be promoted through mechanisms that increase the benefit of cooperating relative to free-riding, such as rewards or sanctions. In reality, however, outcomes are seldom certain and humans rarely behave rationally when confronted with risky prospects. Here, we argue that effective policies to mitigate global climate change should incorporate mechanisms to foster cooperation, but also account for both uncertainty and irrational responses that may inhibit collective action.     

Physiology of Laminaria

Abstract. Sporophytes of Laminaria digitata and L. saccharina were collected from the shore at different times of year. Intact sporophytes of both species, and discs cut from L. digitata lamina tissue were maintained for several weeks in laboratory cultures under various nitrate, phosphate, temperature and daylength regimes. Substrate-saturated uptake rates of approximately 24 μgN g dry weight^-1 h^-1 from 20 μM nitrate and 8 μgP g dry weight^-1 h^-1 from 10 μM phosphate were more than sufficient to account for internal nitrogen and phosphorus accumulation. Other nitrogen sources - nitrite, ammonium and urea - were also taken up, independently of each other, and supported growth. During the late spring decline of ambient nutrient levels, when growth rates on the shore also decline markedly, enrichment with nitrate (15 μM) and phosphate (3μ) together prevented this decline and also maintained peak photosynthetic rates (net photosynthesis = 10.4 μlO₂ cm^-2 h^-1) which otherwise dropped to 4.5 μO₂ cm^-2 h^-1 over 47 days at ambient nutrient levels (0.5 μM nitrate and phosphate). Slow summer growth rates in June/July were enhanced to greater than spring peak values by combined nitrate (7.5 μM) and phosphate (1.8 μM) enrichment; neither was sufficient alone, although the individual nutrients were accumulated internally. A lesser, but significant enhancement was also achieved in September. In midwinter, nutrient enhancement itself (10.5 μM nitrate and 3.0 μM phosphate) had a small effect on growth rates only if summer water temperature (15°C) was used, but the dramatic effect of an increased photoperiod (7.5 to 17.5 h) was in excess of that expected for the increased radiant energy available. This was found to be due, at least in L. digitaia discs, to the re-establishment of a surface meristoderm in the dormant winter tissue; this was particularly active with high phosphate supply. Growth of the new lamina in January on the shore was much reduced if the old lamina was removed, although the time of initiation of new growth remained unchanged. In the laboratory, the old lamina was found to be a source of nitrogen for new lamina but not of fixed carbon or phosphorus. New lamina photosynthesis, manifest as mannitol accumulation, was directly proportional to phosphate supply up to at least 7.5 μM phosphate. Mannitol accumulation was then suppressed by a nitrate supply above 12 um, presumably by diversion of fixed carbon to other biosynthetic pathways.