A Gas-Exchange System for Assessing Plant Performance in Response to Environmental Stress

摘要

Anthropogenic stresses are increasingly common as environmental factors affecting the performance of plants in both natural and agro-ecosystems. There is a need to determine how these stresses may influence vital physiological processes in plants. This report documents the design, construction and performance of a whole-plant, gas-exchange system that can accurately monitor gas flux (e.g., carbon dioxide, water vapor, pollutants) between plants and the atmospheric environment. From these data, rates of key physiological processes--photosynthesis, transpiration, gaseous uptake and emission--can be assessed. Example studies are reported on the uptake of sulfur dioxide by plants and emissions of monoterpenes from plants.