BACKGROUND Elevated tropospheric ozone severely affects not only yield but also the morphology, structure and physiological functions of plants. Because of concerns regarding the potential environmental risk of transgenic crops, it is important to monitor changes in transgenic insect-resistant rice under the projected high tropospheric ozone before its commercial release. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPA...

Ozone (O3) is the most phytotoxic air pollutant for global forests, with decreased photosynthesis widely regarded as one of its most common effects. However, controversy exists concerning the mechanism that underlies the depressing effects of O3 on CO2 assimilation. In the present study, seedlings of Cinnamomum camphora, a subtropical evergreen tree species that has rarely been studied, were ex...

This paper summarizes the themes and recommendations that emerge from the papers presented by the Working Group on Tropospheric Ozone. In terms of current knowledge, the following are considered of particular importance: a) lack of clear evidence for a human analogue of the terminal bronchiolar and proximal acinar changes observed in the lungs of ozone-exposed animals; b) lack of evidence for a...

Exposure to elevated tropospheric ozone concentration ([O3 ]) accelerates leaf senescence in many C3 crops. However, the effects of elevated [O3 ] on C4 crops including maize (Zea mays L.) are poorly understood in terms of physiological mechanism and genetic variation in sensitivity. Using free air gas concentration enrichment, we investigated the photosynthetic response of 18 diverse maize inb...

Indoor air purifiers are advertised as safe household products for health-conscious individuals, especially for those suffering from allergies and asthma. However, certain air purifiers produce ozone (O3) during operation, either intentionally or as a byproduct of air ionization. This is a serious concern, because O3 is a criteria air pollutant regulated by health-related federal and state stan...

[1] The global distribution of tropospheric ozone (O3) depends on the emission of precursors, chemistry, and transport. For small perturbations to emissions, the global radiative forcing resulting from changes in O3 can be expressed as a sum of forcings from emission changes in different regions. Tropospheric O3 is considered in present climate policies only through the inclusion of indirect ef...

loides Michx.) clones (216, 271 and 259, classified as high, intermediate and low in O3 tolerance, respectively) were exposed to either diurnal O3 profiles simulating those of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula (episodic treatments), or diurnal square-wave O3 treatments in open-top chambers in northern Michigan, USA. Ozone was dispensed in chambers ventilated with charcoal-filtered (CF) air. In additio...

[1] The impact of climate change between 2000 and 2095 SRES A2 climates on surface ozone (O)3 and on O3 source-receptor (S-R) relationships is quantified using three coupled climate-chemistry models (CCMs). The CCMs exhibit considerable variability in the spatial extent and location of surface O3 increases that occur within parts of high NOx emission source regions (up to 6 ppbv in the annual a...

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of elevated carbon dioxide [CO2] and ozone [O3] and their interaction on wood chemistry and anatomy of five clones of 3-yearold trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.). Wood chemistry was studied also on paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.) and sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) seedling-origin saplings of the same age. Material for the s...

Ozone (O3) is a criteria air pollutant that is associated with numerous adverse health effects, including altered respiratory immune responses. Despite its deleterious health effects, possible epigenetic mechanisms underlying O3-induced health effects remain understudied. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are epigenetic regulators of genomic response to environmental insults and unstudied in relationship to O...