Publication Date

10-1988

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

Joe Winstead, Frank Toman, Kenneth Nicely

Degree Program

Department of Biology

Degree Type

Master of Science

Abstract

The levels of sulfur present in xylem tissue of Quercus alba (white oak) show a statistically significant increase from 1970 to 1983. This increase was found in trees from three different sites in Kentucky and Tennessee. The levels of sulfur present in Tsuga canadensis (hemlock) show a statistically significant increase from 1955 to 1970. Sensitivity, growth response to the tree's environment, decreased in oaks from 1933 to 1968 but increased slightly in hemlocks during the same time period. The data tend to support a direct relationship between increasing sulfur levels and a reduction in growth. Physiological and ecological studies of the impact of sulfur on trees should be continued to investigate all aspects of sulfur dioxide damage.

Disciplines

Biology | Botany | Life Sciences | Plant Sciences

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