Environmental bioindication of sulfur in tree rings of Masson pine (<italic>Pinus massoniana</italic> L.) in the Pearl River Delta of China

doi:10.1007/s11461-009-0003-9

Front Fore Chin

2009, Vol. 4

Issue (1) : 1-6 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11461-009-0003-9

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Environmental bioindication of sulfur in tree rings of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana L.) in the Pearl River Delta of China

Yuanwen KUANG, Guoyi ZHOU, Dazhi WEN(

)

Institute of Ecology, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China

Download: PDF(156 KB) HTML
Export: BibTeX | EndNote | Reference Manager | ProCite | RefWorks

Abstract

In order to identify the potential of sulfur (S) content in the rings of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) in the Pearl River Delta as a bio-indicator of regional history of atmospheric pollution, dendrochemistry was used to determine the temporal distribution of S content in the xylem of Masson pines from Zhaoqing Dinghushan and Nanhai Xiqiaoshan, Guangdong Province, southern China. The results indicated that contents of xylem S increased temporally and peaked in the rings formed in the most recent years at both sites. In the rings formed during the same period before the 1980s, S contents were not significantly different between the two sites, while in the rings formed at the same period after the 1980s, S content at Xiqiaoshan were significantly higher than those at Dinghushan. The chronosequences of the S indices at both sites could be easily marked as three periods: before 1970, during 1971–1985, and during 1986–2002. Based on the temporal changes of the xylem S contents and certain social-economic indices after the 1980s in the Delta, the history of atmospheric pollution at the study sites could be reconstructed as follows: 1) before 1970, a period in which the air was relatively clear, 2) 1971–1985, a period in which the air was gradually polluted, and 3) 1986–2002, a period in which the air was most severely polluted in the Delta.

Keywords Pearl River Delta Pinus massoniana dendrochemistry sulfur environmental bioindication

Corresponding Author(s): WEN Dazhi,Email:dzwen@scbg.ac.cn

Issue Date: 05 March 2009

Cite this article:

Guoyi ZHOU,Dazhi WEN,Yuanwen KUANG. Environmental bioindication of sulfur in tree rings of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana L.) in the Pearl River Delta of China[J]. Front Fore Chin, 2009, 4(1): 1-6.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/ffc/EN/10.1007/s11461-009-0003-9
https://academic.hep.com.cn/ffc/EN/Y2009/V4/I1/1

Tab.1 Content of S (mg·kg) in the tree rings formed at different periods of . from Dinghushan and Xiqiaoshan

Fig.1 Chrono-sequences index of S in the rings formed during1941–2000 of . from Dinghushan (a) and formed during 1956–2002 from Xiqiaoshan (b)

Fig.2 Comparisons of the chrono-sequences index of S in the same period from Dinghushan and Xiqiaoshan

Tab.2 Comparisons of the amount of industrial fuel consumption and of atmospheric emission between Foshan and Zhaoqing cities in 1995

Fig.3 Amount of energy consumption in Guangdong Province during 1980–2002. The units are ten thousands tons and a hundred million kW·h B for the coal, oil and power, respectively.

1	Binlder R, Renberg I, Klaminder J, Emteryd O (2003). Tree rings as Pb pollution archives? A comparison of ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb isotope ratios in pine and other environmental media. Sci Total Environ , 319(1/3): 173–183
2	Bureau of Statistics of Guangdong(1995–2001). Guangdong Statistical Yearbook. Beijing: China Statistics Press (in Chinese)
3	Cappellato R, Peters N E, Meyers T P (1998). Above-ground sulfur cycling in adjacent coniferous and deciduous forests and watershed sulfur retention in the Georgia piedmont, USA. Water Air Soil Pollut , 103: 151–171
4	Chen C H, Yan L Y (1987). Monitoring of the SO₂ concentration in the Guangzhou atmosphere by the sulfur content of plants. Environ Pollut Contr , 9: 10–14 (in Chinese)
5	Edmands J D, Daniel J, Brabander D, Coleman D S (2001). Uptake and mobility of uranium in black oaks: implications for biomonitoring depleted uranium-contaminated groundwater. Chemosphere , 44: 789–795
6	Eklund M (1995). Cadmium and lead deposition around a Swedish battery plant as recorded in oak tree rings. J Environ Qual , 24(1): 126–131
7	Freedman B (1995). Environmental Ecology: The Ecological Effects of Pollution, Disturbance, and Other Stresses. New York: Academic Press
8	Guan G C (2001). The present situation of acid precipitation in Foshan City and its prevention. J Foshan Univ , 19(1): 45–48 (in Chinese)
9	Hou A M, Peng S L, Zhou G Y (2002). Tree-ring chemical changes and possible impacts of acid precipitation in Dinghushan, South China. Acta Ecol Sin , 22(9): 1553–1558 (in Chinese)
10	Huang M H (2003). Environmental Pollution and Ecological Restoration. Beijing: Science Press, 25–43 (in Chinese)
11	Jiang G M (1994). The application of Pinus tabulaeformis tree rings in revealing the pollution history of Chengde City. Acta Phytoecol Sin , 18(4): 314–321 (in Chinese)
12	Jiang G M (1995). The dynamics of sulfur and heavy metal content in the needles of Pinus tabulaeformis Carr. and the relation between needles sulfur and air SO₂. Acta Ecol Sin , 15(4): 407–412 (in Chinese)
13	Johnson D W, Lindberg S E (1992). Atmospheric Deposition and Forest Nutrient Cycling. New York: Springer-Verlag
14	Kuang Y W, Wen D Z, Zhou G Y, Liu S Z (2007a). Distribution of elements in needles of Pinus massoniana(Lamb.) was uneven and affected by needle age. Environ Pollut , 145: 146–153
15	Kuang Y W, Zhou G Y, Wen D Z, Chen S W, Li X G (2007b). Historical changes in heavy metals in tree-rings of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) in the Pearl River Delta, south China. J Trop Subtrop Bot , 15(5): 383–389 (in Chinese)
16	Kuang Y W, Zhou G Y, Wen D Z, Liu S Z (2006). Acidity and conductivity of Pinus massoniana bark as indicators to atmospheric acid deposition in Guangdong, China. J Environ Sci , 18(5): 916–920
17	Lepp N W (1975). The potential of tree-ring analysis for monitoring heavy metal pollution patterns. Environ Pollut , 9: 49–61
18	Mai B X, Qi S H, Zeng E Y, Yang Q S, Zhang G, Fu J M, Sheng G Y, Peng P A, Wang A S (2003). Distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the coastal region off Macoo, China: Assessment of input sources and transport pathways using compositional analysis. Environ Sci Technol , 37: 4855–4863
19	Nie R L, Luo J H, Zhao C Y, Li J L (2001). Tree ring analysis of the dynamic variation of air pollution in Beijing. Environ Monit China , 17(4): 20–24 (in Chinese)
20	Qian J L, Ke X K, Wang M Z, Ke S Z, Chen Y J (1998). The chemical element contents in tree rings and the dynamic changes of the surroundings. J Nanjing For Univ , 22(1): 22–26 (in Chinese)
21	Ren Q, Yang L, Hu Y J, Chen H J, Jin Y J, Li Z Y (2006). Change of ABA content inside the damaged Pinus massoniana needles. J Beijing For Univ , 28(5): 99–101 (in Chinese)
22	Watmough S A (1997). An evaluation of the use of dendrochemical analyses in environmental monitoring. Environ Rev , 5: 181–201
23	Watmough S A, Hutchinson T C (2002). Historical changes in lead concentrations in tree-rings of sycamore, oak and Scots pine in north-west England. Sci Total Environ , 293: 85–96
24	Watmough S A, Hutchinson T C, Sager E P S (1998). Changes in tree ring chemistry in sugar maple (Acer saccharum) along an urban–rural gradient in southern Ontario. Environ Pollut , 101: 381–390
25	Wen D Z, Kuang Y W, Zhang D Q, Liu S Z, Lu Y D, Li J L (2006). Evidences and implications of vegetation damage from ceramic industrial emission on a rural site in the Pearl River Delta of China. J For Res , 17(1): 7–12
26	Wen D Z, Kuang Y W, Zhou G Y, Zhong C W (2004). Progress on the applications of dendroanalysis in environmental monitoring. Guangxi Sci , 11(2): 134–142 (in Chinese)
27	Wong S C, Li X D, Zhang G, Qi S H, Min Y S (2002). Heavy metals in agricultural soils of the Pearl River Delta, South China. Environ Pollut , 119: 33–34
28	Wu Z M, Gao J, Huang C L, Hong S Y (2005). Dynamic characters of sulphur and heavy metals concentrations in Pinus taiwanensis growth rings. Chin J Appl Ecol , 16 (5): 820–824 (in Chinese)
29	Xie W Z, Du G Y, Zhong C Q (1998). Study on SO₂ pollution of group of power plants and treatment, countermeasures in the Pearl Delta. Shanghai Environ Sci , 17(4): 25–29 (in Chinese)
30	Yan W, Chi X S, Gu S C, Tang Z X, Chen Z (2000). Characteristics and prevention countermeasures of heavy metal in industrial areas of the Pearl River Delta. Soil Environ , 9(3): 177–182 (in Chinese)
31	Yang S H (1999). Influence of urbanization on ecological environment of the Pearl River Delta and countermeasures for the sustainable development. J South China Normal Univ , 3: 74–81 (in Chinese)
32	Yu B, Huang H Y. Variation of tree-ring in urban environment and its relation to industrial development. Acta Ecol Sin , 1994, 5(11): 72–77 (in Chinese)
33	Yu C Z, Wen D Z, Peng C L (2005). Sensitivity and resistance of three woody species to acid rain pollution. Ecol Environ , 14(1): 86–90 (in Chinese)
34	Yu S W (1993). The Bio-Monitoring Methods of Air Pollution. Guangzhou: Sun Yat-Sen University Press, 12–17 (in Chinese)
35	Zhang Y D (1999). Simple analysis of acid rain pollution in the Pearl River Delta Region. Res Environ Sci , 12(3): 31–34 (in Chinese)
36	Zhu B Q, Chen Y W, Peng J H (2001). Pb isotopic geochemistry of urban environment in Pearl River Delta. Appl Geochem , 16(4): 409–417

[1]	Guoqing JIN, Guofeng QIN, Weihong LIU, Deyu CHU, Suzhou HONG, Zhichun ZHOU. Genetic analysis of crossing effects for growth traits of Pinus massoniana and selection of cross combinations[J]. Front Fore Chin, 2009, 4(1): 101-106.

Viewed

Full text

Abstract

Cited

Shared

Discussed