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Globally, the emission of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) by plants represents the dominant source of volatile organic compounds emitted to the atmosphere. Monoterpenes, as the major BVOC group, can contribute to forming secondary organic aerosols and influence cloud properties. In this study, we developed a process‐based monoterpene module in the Vegetation Integrative SImulator for Trace gases (VISIT) model by considering the production, storage, and emission of monoterpene as three main processes. We further evaluated the modeled monoterpene emissions against the ecosystem‐level observation data at a half‐hour scale at a Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi) forest site on Mt. Fuji, Japan. The VISIT model performed with relatively higher accuracy with a Willmott's index of agreement at 0.61, a mean bias error (MBE) at 0.29, and a root mean squared error (RMSE) at 0.43, comparable to that of Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature model with a Willmott's index of agreement at 0.63, a MBE at 0.40, and a RMSE at 0.54. In a long‐term simulation under high CO2 emission scenarios, the ratio between monoterpene emission and gross primary production exhibited a stronger correlation with CO2 concentration than temperature. Our study provides a process‐based modeling approach for more accurately simulating monoterpene emissions from Japanese larch. Plain Language Summary: This study focuses on constructing the process and improving the accuracy of simulating emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC), specifically monoterpenes, from a Japanese larch forest using the Vegetation Integrative SImulator for Trace gases model. By incorporating a process‐based monoterpene module, the model demonstrated better performance compared to the widely‐used Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature model. The simulated results showed temperature acting as the dominant factor in determining the proportion between gross primary production and monoterpene emission in the short term. In future projections, the analysis emphasized the significant role of long‐term increases in CO2 concentration in determining this proportion. This study provides a valuable tool for simulating site‐based BVOC emissions, contributing to our understanding of the complex interactions between vegetation and the atmosphere. Key Points: The process‐based ecosystem model shows better performance than empirical model in modeling monoterpene emission from a Japanese larchHigh emission of CO2 in future will significantly influence the proportion between gross primary production and monoterpene emission [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change will determine a sharp increase in carbon dioxide in the following years. To study the influence of elevated carbon dioxide on plants, we grew 13 different species and varieties from the Brassicaceae family at three carbon dioxide concentrations: 400, 800, and 1200 ppmv. The photosynthetic parameters (assimilation rate and stomatal conductance to water vapor) increase for all species. The emission of monoterpenes increases for plants grown at elevated carbon dioxide while the total polyphenols and flavonoids content decrease. The chlorophyll content is affected only for some species (such as Lipidium sativum), while the β-carotene concentrations in the leaves were not affected by carbon dioxide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change will determine a sharp increase in carbon dioxide in the following years. To study the influence of elevated carbon dioxide on plants, we grew 13 different species and varieties from the Brassicaceae family at three carbon dioxide concentrations: 400, 800, and 1200 ppmv. The photosynthetic parameters (assimilation rate and stomatal conductance to water vapor) increase for all species. The emission of monoterpenes increases for plants grown at elevated carbon dioxide while the total polyphenols and flavonoids content decrease. The chlorophyll content is affected only for some species (such as Lipidium sativum), while the β-carotene concentrations in the leaves were not affected by carbon dioxide.

Monoterpenes emitted from plants contribute to the formation of secondary pollution and affect the climate system. Monoterpene emission rates may be affected by environmental changes such as increasing CO 2 concentration caused by fossil fuel burning and drought stress induced by climate change. We measured monoterpene emissions from Cryptomeria japonica clone saplings grown under different CO 2 concentrations (control: ambient CO 2 level, elevated CO 2 : 1000 μmol mol −1 ). The saplings were planted in the ground and we did not artificially control the SWC. The relationship between the monoterpene emissions and naturally varying SWC was investigated. The dominant monoterpene was α-pinene, followed by sabinene. The monoterpene emission rates were exponentially correlated with temperature for all measurements and normalized (35 °C) for each measurement day. The daily normalized monoterpene emission rates ( E s0.10 ) were positively and linearly correlated with SWC under both control and elevated CO 2 conditions (control: r 2 = 0.55, elevated CO 2 : r 2 = 0.89). The slope of the regression line of E s0.10 against SWC was significantly higher under elevated CO 2 than under control conditions (ANCOVA: P < 0.01), indicating that the effect of CO 2 concentration on monoterpene emission rates differed by soil water status. The monoterpene emission rates estimated by considering temperature and SWC (Improved G93 algorithm) better agreed with the measured monoterpene emission rates, when compared with the emission rates estimated by considering temperature alone (G93 algorithm). Our results demonstrated that the combined effects of SWC and CO 2 concentration are important for controlling the monoterpene emissions from C. japonica clone saplings. If these relationships can be applied to the other coniferous tree species, our results may be useful to improve accuracy of monoterpene emission estimates from the coniferous forests as affected by climate change in the present and foreseeable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both ozone and wounding constitute two key abiotic stress factors, but their interactive effects on plant constitutive and stress-elicited volatile (VOC) emissions are poorly understood. Furthermore, the information on time-dependent modifications in VOC release during recovery from a combined stress is very limited. We studied the modifications in photosynthetic characteristics and constitutive and stress-induced volatile emissions in response to single and combined applications of acute ozone (4, 5, and 6 ppm) and wounding treatments through recovery (0.5–75 h) in a constitutive isoprene and mono- and sesquiterpene emitter Eucalyptus globulus . Overall, the photosynthetic characteristics were surprisingly resistant to all ozone and wounding treatments. Constitutive isoprene emissions were strongly upregulated by ozone and combined ozone and wounding treatments and remained high through recovery phase, but wounding applied alone reduced isoprene emission. All stress treatments enhanced emissions of lipoxygenase pathway volatiles (LOX), mono- and sesquiterpenes, saturated aldehydes (C7-C10), benzenoids, and geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGDP) pathway volatiles. Once elicited, GGDP volatile, saturated aldehyde and benzenoid emissions remained high through the recovery period. In contrast, LOX emissions, and total mono- and sesquiterpene emissions decreased through recovery period. However, secondary rises in total sesquiterpene emissions at 75 h and in total monoterpenes at 25–50 h were observed. Overall, acute ozone and wounding treatments synergistically altered gas exchange characteristics and stress volatile emissions. Through the treatments and recovery period, stomatal ozone uptake rate and volatile emission rates were poorly correlated, reflecting possible ozone-scavenging effect of volatiles and thus, reduction of effective ozone dose and elicitation of induced defense by the acute ozone concentrations applied. These results underscore the important role of interactive stresses on both constitutive and induced volatile emission responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gypsy moth ( Lymantria dispar L., Lymantriinae) is a major pest of pedunculate oak ( Quercus robur ) forests in Europe, but how its infections scale with foliage physiological characteristics, in particular with photosynthesis rates and emissions of volatile organic compounds has not been studied. Differently from the majority of insect herbivores, large larvae of L. dispar rapidly consume leaf area, and can also bite through tough tissues, including secondary and primary leaf veins. Given the rapid and devastating feeding responses, we hypothesized that infection of Q. robur leaves by L. dispar leads to disproportionate scaling of leaf photosynthesis and constitutive isoprene emissions with damaged leaf area, and to less prominent enhancements of induced volatile release. Leaves with 0% (control) to 50% of leaf area removed by larvae were studied. Across this range of infection severity, all physiological characteristics were quantitatively correlated with the degree of damage, but all these traits changed disproportionately with the degree of damage. The net assimilation rate was reduced by almost 10-fold and constitutive isoprene emissions by more than 7-fold, whereas the emissions of green leaf volatiles, monoterpenes, methyl salicylate and the homoterpene (3 E )-4,8-dimethy-1,3,7-nonatriene scaled negatively and almost linearly with net assimilation rate through damage treatments. This study demonstrates that feeding by large insect herbivores disproportionately alters photosynthetic rate and constitutive isoprene emissions. Furthermore, the leaves have a surprisingly large capacity for enhancement of induced emissions even when foliage photosynthetic function is severely impaired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main conclusion : Explicit proof for de novo origin of a rare post-illumination monoterpene burst and its consistency under low O , shows interaction of photorespiration, photosynthesis, and isoprenoid biosynthesis during light-dark transitions. Quercus ilex L (holm oak) constitutively emits foliar monoterpenes in an isoprene-like fashion via the methyl erythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway located in chloroplasts. Isoprene-emitting plants are known to exhibit post-illumination isoprene burst, a transient emission of isoprene in darkness. An analogous post-illumination monoterpene burst (PiMB) had remained elusive and is reported here for the first time in Q. ilex. Using CO labelling, we show that PiMB is made from freshly fixed carbon. PiMB is rare at ambient (20%) O, absent at high (50%) O, and becomes consistent in leaves exposed to low (2%) O. PiMB is stronger and occurs earlier at higher temperatures. We also show that primary and secondary post-illumination CO bursts (PiCOB) are sensitive to O in Q. ilex. The primary photorespiratory PiCOB is absent under both ambient and low O, but is induced under high (>50%) O, while the secondary PiCOB (of unknown origin) is absent under ambient, but present at low and high O. We propose that post-illumination recycling of photorespired CO competes with the MEP pathway for photosynthetic carbon and energy, making PiMB rare under ambient O and absent at high O. PiMB becomes consistent when photorespiration is suppressed in Q. ilex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We measured monoterpene emissions from needles of hybrid larch F 1 ( Larix gmelinii var. japonica × Larix kaempferi ) to evaluate the response of monoterpene emission rates and their composition to elevated CO 2 (600 μmol mol −1 ) and O 3 (60 nmol mol −1 ) conditions. The dominant monoterpenes were α-pinene and β-pinene. The emission rate of total monoterpenes significantly decreased under elevated CO 2 conditions ( P < 0.05). The ratio of carbon emission in the form of monoterpenes to photosynthetically fixed carbon also significantly decreased under elevated CO 2 conditions. By contrast, elevated O 3 did not significantly affect the emission rate of total monoterpenes. The ratios of α-pinene/β-pinene, limonene/β-pinene, and myrcene/β-pinene were all significantly decreased by O 3 exposure ( P < 0.05). High reactivity of α-pinene, limonene, and myrcene when combining with O 3 may be able to mitigate oxidative damage inside the larch needles. No significant combined effects of elevated CO 2 and O 3 on individual or total monoterpene emissions were detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants frequently experience heat ramps of various severities, but how and to what degree plant metabolic activity recovers from mild and severe heat stress is poorly understood. In this study, we exposed the constitutive terpene emitter, Solanum. lycopersicum leaves to mild (37 and 41 °C), moderate (46 °C) and severe (49 °C) heat ramps of 5 min and monitored foliage photosynthetic activity, lipoxygenase pathway volatile (LOX), and mono- and sesquiterpene emissions and expression of two terpene synthase genes, β-phellandrene synthase and ( E )-β-caryophyllene/α-humulene synthase, through a 24 h recovery period upon return to pre-stress conditions. Leaf monoterpene emissions were dominated by β-phellandrene and sesquiterpene emissions by ( E )-β-caryophyllene, and thus, these two terpene synthase genes were representative for the two volatile terpene classes. Photosynthetic characteristics partly recovered under moderate heat stress, and very limited recovery was observed under severe stress. All stress treatments resulted in elicitation of LOX emissions that declined during recovery. Enhanced mono- and sesquiterpene emissions were observed immediately after the heat treatment, but the emissions decreased even to below the control treatment during recovery between 2 and 10 h, and raised again by 24 h. The expression of β-phellandrene and ( E )-β-caryophyllene synthase genes decreased between 2 and 10 h after heat stress, and recovered to pre-stress level in mild heat stress treatment by 24 h. Overall, this study demonstrates a highly sensitive heat response of terpenoid synthesis that is mainly controlled by gene level responses under mild stress, while severe stress leads to non-recoverable declines in foliage physiological and gene expression activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floral scent is thought to be an important characteristic to evaluate ornamental flowers, playing a key role in plant ecophysiology. Monoterpenes are an important category of floral scent compounds. In this study, the monoterpene emission from the Lilium 'siberia' flowers was investigated using the automated thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (ATD-GC/MS) technique. It was found that monoterpenes were the dominant components of floral scent, and showed a significantly developmental emission. The release amounts of monoterpenes first increased and then decreased during the developmental stages, peaking at the full opening stage. In the following study, the first monoterpene gene in Lilium, named Li-mTPS, was cloned. Due to the presence of conserved DDxxD motif and RRx8W motif, the deduced Li-mTPS was classified into TPS-b monoterpene synthase subfamily. The tissue-specific expression of Li-mTPS revealed the highest level in the outer petals. Li-mTPS expression showed similar pattern with monoterpene emission except that the peaking time was earlier than monoterpene emission. It was concluded that the Li-mTPS expression played a key role in monoterpene emission from Lilium 'siberia' flowers. But other regulatory mechanisms also may contribute to the production and emission, which needs to be investigated in the future study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds ( BVOC) by boreal evergreen trees have strong seasonality, with low emission rates during photosynthetically inactive winter and increasing rates towards summer. Yet, the regulation of this seasonality remains unclear. We measured in situ monoterpene emissions from Scots pine shoots during several spring periods and analysed their dynamics in connection with the spring recovery of photosynthesis. We found high emission peaks caused by enhanced monoterpene synthesis consistently during every spring period (monoterpene emission bursts, MEB). The timing of the MEBs varied relatively little between the spring periods. The timing of the MEBs showed good agreement with the photosynthetic spring recovery, which was studied with simultaneous measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence, CO2 exchange and a simple, temperature history-based proxy for state of photosynthetic acclimation, S. We conclude that the MEBs were related to the early stages of photosynthetic recovery, when the efficiency of photosynthetic carbon reactions is still low whereas the light harvesting machinery actively absorbs light energy. This suggests that the MEBs may serve a protective functional role for the foliage during this critical transitory state and that these high emission peaks may contribute to atmospheric chemistry in the boreal forest in springtime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oak powdery mildew (Erysiphe alphitoides) is a major foliar pathogen of Quercus robur often infecting entire tree stands. In this study, foliage photosynthetic characteristics and constitutive and induced volatile emissions were studied in Q. robur leaves, in order to determine whether the changes in foliage physiological traits are quantitatively associated with the degree of leaf infection, and whether infection changes the light responses of physiological traits. Infection by E. alphitoides reduced net assimilation rate by 3.5-fold and isoprene emission rate by 2.4-fold, and increased stomatal conductance by 1.6-fold in leaves with the largest degree of infection of ∼60%. These alterations in physiological activity were quantitatively associated with the fraction of leaf area infected. In addition, light saturation of net assimilation and isoprene emission was reached at lower light intensity in infected leaves, and infection also reduced the initial quantum yield of isoprene emission. Infection-induced emissions of lipoxygenase pathway volatiles and monoterpenes were light-dependent and scaled positively with the degree of infection. Overall, this study indicates that the reduction of foliage photosynthetic activity and constitutive emissions and the onset of stress volatile emissions scale with the degree of infection, but also that the infection modifies the light responses of foliage physiological activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Extensive worldwide use of antibiotics has resulted in significant diffuse pollution of antibiotics in environment, but understanding the effects of many important antibiotics on plant physiological activity is still limited, especially at realistic environmental concentrations of antibiotics. To gain insight into influences of different antibiotics on plant performance and identify the most promising traits for fast assessment of toxicity, we studied impacts of nine antibiotics (amoxicillin, ampicillin, penicillin G, ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, tetracycline, doxycycline, ciprofloxacin and erythromycin) on foliage photosynthesis, photosynthetic pigment content and emissions of secondary volatile metabolites in wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. “Lovrin”). The antibiotics were applied at concentrations of 0.5mgL−1 or 1.5mgL−1 either by watering for one week (0.5L solution) or for two weeks (1L solution) with given solution. Net assimilation rate was inhibited most strongly by ciprofloxacin and cephalosporins, but the inhibition was mainly due to reductions in stomatal conductance. Photosynthetic electron transport rate was affected by penicillins, cephalosporins and tetracyclines. Contents of photosynthetic pigments, chlorophylls and carotenoids, were most strongly reduced in treatments with tetracyclines, ciprofloxacin and erythromycin. The magnitude of plant photosynthetic and pigment responses generally increased with increasing the antibiotics’ dose, but the overall effects were moderate, 10–20 percent in most cases. Emissions of the lipoxygenase pathway products (LOX, green leaf volatiles) were most sensitive indicators of antibiotic treatments. LOX emissions were increased by five to six fold in response to antibiotic treatments and the emissions were quantitatively associated with the treatment dose. Monoterpene emissions were also strongly enhanced by antibiotic treatments, but the dose dependence was weaker. These data collectively suggest that analysis of leaf volatiles can provide a novel sensitive assay to gauge the toxicity of different antibiotics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: During two measurement campaigns, from August to September 2008 and 2009, we quantified the major ecosystem fluxes in a hemiboreal forest ecosystem in Järvselja, Estonia. The main aim of this study was to separate the ecosystem flux components and gain insight into the performance of a multi-species multi-layered tree stand. Carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes were measured using the eddy covariance method above and below the canopy in conjunction with the microclimate. Leaf and soil contributions were quantified separately by cuvette and chamber measurements, including fluxes of carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrogen oxides, nitrous oxide, methane, ozone, sulfur dioxide, and biogenic volatile organic compounds (isoprene and monoterpenes). The latter have been as well characterized for monoterpenes in detail. Based on measured atmospheric trace gas concentrations, the flux tower site can be characterized as remote and rural with low anthropogenic disturbances. Our results presented here encourage future experimental efforts to be directed towards year round integrated biosphere–atmosphere measurements and development of process-oriented models of forest–atmosphere exchange taking the special case of a multi-layered and multi-species tree stand into account. As climate change likely leads to spatial extension of hemiboreal forest ecosystems a deep understanding of the processes and interactions therein is needed to foster management and mitigation strategies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A mathematical model to study the temporal dynamics of stable isotope 13C incorporation into monoterpene molecules, emitted from Mediterranean evergreen sclerophyll oak Quercus ilex L. leaves, was developed. The box model uses leaf level gas exchange and monoterpene emission data to assess biochemical and diffusional processes of the light-dependent monoterpene biosynthesis and emission within the leaf tissues. We estimated total leaf monoterpene pool exchange half-lifes against these processes. The slowest response took up to 38 h, while the fastest response occurred within 1 h, taking the sum of the lumped processes time constants into account. Separately, the turnover half-lives of the biochemical processes ranged between 26 min up to more than 4 h. The diffusional processes turnover times, driven by the physico-chemical properties of the monoterpene molecule, have been found to range between 32 min and 3 h, depending on the number of 13C-labeled carbon atoms. As a consequence, the steady-state assumption that is used in many larger scale emission models, may not hold in all cases and the application of process-based algorithms is beneficial to overcome such long transient pool dynamics of light-dependent monoterpene emission. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In many ecosystems drought cycles are common during the growing season but their impact on volatile monoterpene emissions is unclear. Therefore, we aimed to develop and evaluate a process-based modelling approach to explore the explanatory power of likely mechanisms. The biochemically based isoprene and monoterpene emission model SIM-BIM2 has been modified and linked to a canopy model and a soil water balance model. Simulations are carried out for Quercus ilex forest sites and results are compared to measured soil water, photosynthesis, terpene-synthase activity, and monoterpene emission rates. Finally, the coupled model system is used to estimate the annual drought impact on photosynthesis and emission. The combined and adjusted vegetation model was able to simulate photosynthesis and monoterpene emission under dry and irrigated conditions with an R2 of 0.74 and 0.52, respectively. We estimated an annual reduction of monoterpene emission of 67% for the extended and severe drought period in 2006 in the investigated Mediterranean ecosystem. It is concluded that process-based ecosystem models can provide a useful tool to investigate the involved mechanisms and to quantify the importance of specific environmental constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term (5 years) effects of elevated CO2 concentration (doubling of ambient CO2 concentration) and temperature (2–6°C elevation) on the monoterpene emission of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) saplings (ca. 20 years old) grown in closed-top environmental chambers. The chamber treatments included: (1) ambient temperature and CO2, (2) ambient temperature and elevated CO2, (3) elevated temperature and ambient CO2, and (4) elevated temperature and elevated CO2. The variability of emissions during and after tree shoot growth was studied, and additionally the total cumulative emission of monoterpenes through a growing period (May–September) was estimated. When compared to the controls, the combination of elevated CO2 and temperature significantly increased normalized monoterpene emission rate for the whole growing period (+23%), whereas elevated CO2 had no significant effect (−4%), and elevated temperature even decreased (−41%) the emission rate. The increasing effect of the combination of elevated CO2 and temperature was strongest during shoot growth (+54%). After shoot growth, no significant differences in emission rate were found among the treatments. Emission modeling showed that the total amount of monoterpenes emitted from May to September was 2.38mggdw −1 in ambient conditions. The total emission in elevated CO2 was 5% greater and in elevated temperature 9% lesser than in ambient conditions. The combination of elevated CO2 and temperature increased the amount of emitted monoterpenes over the growing period by 126% compared to the total emission in ambient conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The combined effect of water stress and ozone (O3) on stomatal O3 flux, damage to photosynthesis, and detoxification by biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) in Quercus ilex leaves was studied. A 4-weeks O3 exposure (250 ppb, 4 h per day) caused a reduction of photosynthesis and stomatal conductance, which was fully recovered 1 week after the end of the treatment, in well-watered and water-stressed plants. Measurements of stomatal O3 flux revealed a low stomatal flux of the pollutant, which became minimal after stomatal closure caused by water stress. An induction of volatile monoterpenes, important compounds in the O3 scavenging system in Q. ilex, and a burst of lipoxygenase compounds (LOX), which are released as gaseous by-products of membrane peroxidation, was observed after 2–3 weeks of O3 fumigation. However, these compounds were also released in control leaves that were exposed to ozone only briefly, to determine stomatal O3 flux. The low stomatal flux that occurred in water stress conditions helped avoiding permanent damage to Q. ilex leaves, although during the O3 treatment photosynthesis was severely limited by stomatal closure. In well-watered plants, O3 fumigation caused a noticeable increase of nocturnal stomatal conductance. If confirmed on adult plants under field conditions, this effect can imply larger flux of O3 at night and possible detrimental effects of O3 on leaf functions in plants exposed to high nocturnal O3 levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have important roles in ecophysiology and atmospheric chemistry at a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Tropical regions are a major global source of VOC emissions and magnitude and chemical speciation of VOC emissions are highly plant-species specific. Therefore it is important to study emissions from dominant species in tropical regions undergoing large-scale land-use change, for example, rubber plantations in South East Asia. Rubber trees ( Hevea brasiliensis) are strong emitters of light-dependent monoterpenes. Measurements of emissions from leaves were made in the dry season in February 2003 and at the beginning of the wet season in May 2005. Major emitted compounds were sabinene, α-pinene and β-pinene, but β-ocimene and linalool also contributed significantly at low temperature and light. Cis-ocimene was emitted with a circadian course independent of photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) and temperature changes with a maximum in the middle of the day. Total isoprenoid VOC emission potential at the beginning of the wet season (94 μg gdw−1 h−1) was almost two orders of magnitude higher than measured in the dry season (2 μg g dw−1 h−1). Composition of total emissions changed with increasing temperature or PAR ramps imposed throughout a day. As well as light and temperature, there was evidence that assimilation rate was also a factor contributing to seasonal regulating emission potential of monoterpenes from rubber trees. Results presented here contribute to a better understanding of an important source of biogenic VOC associated with land-use change in tropical South East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper investigates the dependence of monoterpene emissions at the canopy scale on total leaf area and leaf distribution. Simulations were carried out for a range of hypothetical but realistic forest canopies of the evergreen Quercus ilex (holm oak). • Two emission models were applied that either did (SIM-BIM2) or did not (G93) account for cumulative responses to temperature and light. Both were embedded into a canopy model that considered spatial and temporal variations of foliage properties. This canopy model was coupled to a canopy climate model (CANOAK) to determine the micrometeorological conditions at the leaf scale. • Structural properties considerably impacted monoterpene emission. The sensitivities to changes in total leaf area and to leaf area distribution were found to be of similar magnitude. The two different models performed similarly on a whole-year basis but showed clear differences during certain episodes. • The analysis showed that structural indices have to be carefully evaluated for proper scaling of emission from leaves to canopy. Further research is encouraged on seasonal dynamics of emission potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions by vegetation present in the Mediterranean area are not well known. They may contribute with anthropogenic VOC emissions to the tropospheric ozone formation that reaches important level in the European Mediterranean region. The present work, carried out as part of the European ESCOMPTE project «fiEld experimentS to COnstrain Models of atmospheric Pollution and Transport of Emissions», adds a new contribution to the inventory of the main natural hydrocarbons sources likely to participate in the ozone production. The corresponding measurement campaign was conducted in La Barben, a site close to Marseilles (France), with the aim to quantify the terpenic emission pattern and the behaviour of Pinus halepensis, an important Mediterranean species slightly studied. The determination of biogenic emissions from P. halepensis was done by the enclosure of an intact branch in a Teflon cuvette. Main emitted monoterpenes were β trans-ocimene and linalool. The total monoterpenic emission rates thus recorded were found to reach maximum values around 30 μg gdry weight −1 h−1. The normalized emission rates calculated at 30 °C and 1000 μmol m−2 s−1 with Guenther''s algorithm was 14.76, 8.65 and 4.05 μg gdry weight −1 h−1, respectively, for the total monoterpenes, β trans-ocimene and linalool. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract Monoterpene emissions, monoterpene synthase activities, photosynthesis, fluorescence yield in the dark and drought stress indicators (stomatal conductance and mid-day water potential) were concurrently measured under similar temperature and illumination in current-year leaves of Quercus ilex L. of plants grown in open-top chambers at ambient (350 ppm) and elevated (700 ppm) CO2. The study was undertaken to understand the effect of CO2 on monoterpene biosynthesis, and to predict and parameterize the biogenic emissions at growing CO2 concentrations. The results of the 1998 and 1999 studies show that at elevated CO2, and in the absence of persistent environmental stresses, photosynthesis was stimulated with respect to ambient CO2, but that the emission of the three most abundantly emitted monoterpenes (α-pinene, sabinene and β-pinene) was inhibited by approximately 68%. The enzyme activities of the monoterpene synthases catalysing the formation of the three monoterpenes were also inhibited at elevated CO2 and an excellent relationship was found between monoterpene emission and activity of the corresponding enzyme both at ambient and elevated CO2. Interestingly, however, limonene emission was enhanced in conditions of elevated CO2 as it was also the corresponding synthase. The ratio between enzyme activity and emission of the three main monoterpenes was high (above 20) at ambient CO2 but it was below 10 at elevated CO2 and, for limonene, on both treatments. Our results indicate that the overall emission of monoterpenes at elevated CO2 will be inhibited because of a concurrent, strong down-regulation of monoterpene synthase activities. When the enzyme activity does not change, as for limonene, the high photosynthetic carbon availability at elevated CO2 conditions may even stimulate emission. The results of the 1997... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaves of the monoterpene emitter Quercus ilex were exposed to a temperature ramp with 5 °C steps from 30 to 55 °C while maintained under conditions in which endogenous emission of monoterpenes was allowed or suppressed, or under fumigation with selected exogenous monoterpenes. Fumigation with monoterpenes reduced the decline of photosynthesis, photorespiration and monoterpene emission found in non-fumigated leaves exposed to high temperatures. It also substantially increased respiration when photosynthesis and photorespiration were inhibited by low O2 and CO2-free air. These results indicate that, as previously reported for isoprene, monoterpenes may help plants cope with heat stress. Monoterpenes may enhance membrane stability, thus providing a rather non-specific protection of photosynthetic and respiratory processes. Monoterpene emission was maximal at a temperature of 35 °C and was inhibited at higher temperatures. This is likely to be the result of the temperature dependency of the enzymes involved in monoterpene synthesis. In contrast to other monoterpenes, cis- and trans-β-ocimene did not respond to exposure to high temperatures. Cis-β-ocimene also did not respond to low O2 or to fumigation. These results indicate that cis and trans-β-ocimene may have a different pathway of formation that probably does not involve enzymatic synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effects of a short period of water stress on monoterpene emissions from Quercus ilex, a common oak species of the Mediterranean vegetation and a strong emitter of monoterpenes. The experiment was carried out on two young saplings with a branch enclosure system under semi-controlled conditions. Under unstressed conditions, small qualitative (cis-β-ocimene, trans-β-ocimene, β-caryophyllene and 1,8-cineol) and large quantitative (as much as 40% for the main compounds emitted) differences were observed between the two apparently similar trees. Nevertheless these differences did not affect the short-and long-term responses to temperature and water stress. Daily courses of emissions and gas exchanges were similar before and after the stress. During the most severe stress, emissions were reduced by a factor of two orders of magnitude and the log-linear relationship between emissions and temperature no longer existed. Photosynthesis and transpiration rates decreased as soon as the soil started to dry, whereas monoterpene emissions slightly increased for few days and then dropped when the daily CO balance approached zero. We concluded that under water stress monoterpene emissions were highly limited by monoterpene synthesis resulting from a lack of carbon substrate and/or ATP. After rewatering, both emissions and gas exchanges recovered immediately, but to a level lower than the pre-stress level. These results have many implications for monoterpene emission modelling in the Mediterranean area, since the dry period generally extends from May to August. If our results are confirmed by field experiments, water stress could lead to a large overestimation of the emissions under summer conditions, when the algorithms based on light and temperature would give high emission rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persian walnut (Juglans regia L., Juglandaceae), one of the essential nut crops, is affected by different diseases, including mite attacks which result in gall and erineum formation. As the proportion of leaf area covered by mite galls or erineum is typically relatively low, the impact on tree photosynthetic productivity is often considered minor, and no pest control management is usually suggested. However, the effect of erineum-forming mites on walnut photosynthesis might be disproportionately larger than can be predicted from the leaf area impacted. In the present study, we studied how the foliage photosynthetic characteristics, pigment contents, and stress-induced volatile organic compounds scaled with the severity of infection varied from 0% (control trees) to 9.9%, by erineum-forming mite Aceria erinea in J. regia. Both leaf net assimilation rate (up to 75% reduction) and stomatal conductance (up to 82%) decreased disproportionately, increasing infection severity. Leaf total chlorophyll and β-carotene contents also decreased with infection severity, although the reduction was less than for photosynthetic characteristics (28% for chlorophyll and 25% for β-carotene). The infection induced significant emissions of green leaves volatiles ((Z)-3-hexenol, (E)-2-hexenal, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate and 1-hexanol), monoterpenes and the homoterpene 3-(E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene, and these emissions scaled positively with the percentage of leaf area infected. These results collectively indicate that erineum-forming mite infection of walnut leaves results in profound modifications in foliage physiological characteristics that can significantly impact tree photosynthetic productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]