Effect of ambient ozone at the somma of Lake Mashu on growth and leaf gas exchange in Betula ermanii and Betula platyphylla var. japonica

We examined the effects of ambient ozone, at the somma of Lake Mashu in northern Japan, on the growth and photosynthetic traits of two common birch species in Japan (mountain birch and white birch). Seedlings of the two birch species were grown in open-top chambers and were exposed to charcoal-filtered ambient air (CF) or non-filtered ambient air (NF) at the somma of Lake Mashu during the growing season in 2009. For the mountain birch, ambient ozone significantly increased the ratio of aboveground dry mass to belowground dry mass (T/R ratio), although no difference in the whole-plant biomass was observed between the treatments. For the white birch, in contrast, ozone exposure at ambient level did not decrease in growth and photosynthesis. These results suggest that ambient O3 at the somma of Lake Mashu may shift the allocation of biomass to above-ground rather than below-ground in the mountain birch.

► We examined the effects of ambient ozone on birch at the somma of Lake Mashu in northern Japan.
► Measurements were carried out in a open-top chamber experiment.
► For the mountain birch, the ambient ozone significantly increased the leaf biomass but reduced the root biomass.
► The ambient O3 may shift the allocation of biomass to above-ground rather than below-ground in the mountain birch.