Both CO2 and ozone increased the diseased leaf area of clone V5952 in Exp. 1 in the year 2000. The size of spots increased most under ozone fumigation, and the number of spots under ozone and CO2 + O3 fumigations. In clone K1659 all fumigation treatments decreased or had no effect on the DLA, or the number and size of the leaf spots. Also the number of fallen leaves under fumigation treatments was higher in clone V5952 than in clone K1659. Analysis of the year 2001 monitoring results is currently going on

The biological effects of both elevated CO2 and N deposition on model ecosystem were investigated in the Birmensdorf open-top chamber facility. Each of the 16 chambers was divided into two compartments with a ground area of 3 msub2 and filled with natural unfertilized forest soils from two sites (one acidic, the other calcareous). Elevated CO2 significantly increased O and Zn concentrations in beech leaves and those of Zn in spruce needles on the calcareous soils. Enhanced N deposition also led to a dilution of nutrients and increased N contents

Pollution problems in forest ecosystems resulting from 100 year long operation of three smelter complexes in Central Spis are reviewed. Original data are presented with respect to temporal and spatial trends of nitrogen, sulphur and heavy metal pollution, and elemental composition of individual aerosols on leaf surface. Spruce stands in Central Spis are loaded by pollutants 1.7 times more than are critical values and the highest concentrations of As, Fe, Hg, and N were found in this region. Low Tatra National Park was the cleanest region where no element maxima were found

Foliage of three trembling aspen clones differing in O3 tolerance from Rhinelander, Kenosha and Kalamazoo were examined for 24 elements in the year 2001 and they were analyzed by INAA at reactor IBR-2, by AAS Varian 400 and by elemental analyzer LECO SC 132 and SP 228. In the fofliage of trembling aspen we found no statistically significant difference in the concentration of 22 elements except for K and Ni between clones. For the concentrations of elements between localities we found statistically significant difference for Al, Ba, Ca, Cd, Cl, Co, Cu, La, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, Sm, Sr and Zn

Significant correlations (p0.05) were found between the concentration of elements in the c needles and the distance of the sites from nitrogen ferilizer factory (NFF): the amounts of C, K, Mg, Zn, and Rb in the c+1 needles were increasing, whereas concentrations of N, P, Al, Mn, Cu, Ni, Sr and Cd were decreasing alongside the transect from NFF. Statistical analyses performed on logarithms and estimation of components of variance by maximum likelihood has shown that the age of the needles and the sites were the most important, while year of sampling was much smaller source of variance. Only a few significant differences were found comparing the amount of elements in Scots pine needles collected in four-year space

We studied the effects of elevated CO2 and elevated temperature on photosynthesis and composition of Scots pine needles during three years of treatments, started in August 1996. CO2 and temperature were elevated day- and year- round in closed-top chambers, which were constructed around naturally regenerated Scots pine trees growing at a nitrogen poor site. Our aim was to study, whether there is photosynthetic acclimation during three years of growth at elevated CO2 and elevated temperature in Scots pine, and whether acclimation response is connected to the aging of the needles

We aim to differentiate the various visible leaf symptoms in the field survey with microscopical methods, and to better know, how the leaf, tissue and cell response differs between injury from ozone, heavy metals (both oxidative stress) and biotic infections

Yellowing of trees with current year needle-class remaining green shows typical symptoms of magnesium deficiency. The chemical analysis proved severe deficiency of magnesium and mild deficiency of calcium in needles and forest soils indeed. This corresponds to the new forest decline as observed in the 1970s and the 1980s in some regions in Germany and France. Other contributing factor breaking out yellowing at that extent at particularly short time is not known. The problem is even increasing, because yellowing has recently appeared also in other mountain localities in Central Europe even though in smaller scale

There is still limited amount of information about the long-term and interactive effects of increased CO2 and O3 levels on larger forest trees growing under natural or semi-natural conditions. Elevated CO2 and O3 might affect the quality and quantity of leaf litter produced and thus change litter decomposition rates and nutrient cycling in the forest ecosystems severely. In this long-term field experiment we studied the effects of realistically increased CO2 and O3 levels on fine root and mycorrhiza growth in ozone-tolerant and ozone-sensitive silver birch clones by root ingrowth core method. We measured rhizosphere soil CO2 efflux plus assessed the total fungal biomass of fine roots and soil by ergosterol analysis

Emissions, especially of SO2 and to a certain degree of NOx have been reduced markedly in Slovakia during the 90s. Problems related to climate change and especially ozone are increasingly growing. The aim was to evaluate the long-term air pollution effect on forest ecosystems in mountain area with prevailing distribution of spruce through evaluation of spruce needle surface structure in relation to mineral nutrient status of trees. According to strong relationship between the coefficient of epicuticular wax degradation (Q) and accumulation of S and other elements it can be suggested that evaluation of needle surface structure by means of Q well reflects the surface status of needles