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Air pollution and forests. Interactions between air contaminants and forest ecosystems
410
The bibliography is divided into six main parts: economic development; rural development; constraints on rural development; food; country-specific studies for the various countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America; and resources such as statistical sources and additional bibliographies. The main parts are divided into sections and the sections into subsections. Each section has a critical introduction followed by a list of important books, followed in turn by a list of articles. The bibliography includes a fair representation o f Third World authors, particularly in the country-specific studies. The b o o k is a useful compilation, b u t could obviously not include all titles on every subject. It has an author index and an excellent subject index to the bibliographic citations that guides the reader to much more information. M.R. BISWAS
(76 Woodstock Close Oxford OX2 8DD Gt. Britain)
AIR POLLUTION AND FORESTS
Air Pollution and Forests. Interactions between Air Contaminants and Forest Ecosystems. W.H. Smith, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg and New York, 1981, xv + 379 pp., 60 figs., numerous tabs., 24 X 16 cm, US $30.50, DM 64.00 (cloth}, ISBN 3-540-90501-4. In this instance it is tempting to discharge the reviewer's duty briefly with a few well-chosen sentences in appreciation of an excellent work! The author has produced an invaluable and timely account covering most relationships between forests and air-borne pollutants. It is a thoughtful treatment of a complex topic comprising many different facets and the material is assembled in a skilful and readable form. It is an essential addition to the libraries of all those professionally concerned with air pollution/vegetation problems in their widest sense. The b o o k should also appeal to a much more general scientific readership. Perhaps most importantly, "Air Pollution and Forests" is a contribution to the ecological literature and, hopefully, will help to bring the whole field of air pollution more distinctly within the compass of legitimate, and indeed necessary, ecological interest and so expand the sometimes traditional horizons of ecology as an academic discipline. The editor of the Springer series on Environmental Management, writing in the Series Preface, claims that each volume will be a thorough treatment of a specific topic and that each will spread light on the fundamental and applied aspects of environmental management. The author, Dr. W.H. Smith, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, has achieved this objective admirably.
411
The b o o k concerns the temperate latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, primarily the area between 40 and 60°N, the zone in which pollutant emission sources are largely distributed. The information reviewed is principally North American, b u t despite this restriction much of the material is directly or indirectly relevant to problems in other environments. The literature review was completed in January 1980 and only a small amount of material published after that date is referred to in the text. The nonspecialist in the subject should be aware of the rapid development of the literature in air pollution since early 1980. In the Introduction the author describes h o w the relationships between air pollution and forest ecosystems can be conveniently divided into three classes. Class 1 refers to low-dose conditions in which vegetation and soils of forest ecosystems function as sources and sinks of air pollutants. At the other extreme, at high doses, Class 3 relationships refer to the induction of severe injury or mortality of trees and variable degrees of disturbance to entire ecosystems. In intermediate conditions, Class 2 relationships, certain species or individual trees are subtly and adversely affected by various stresses associated with exposure to polluted atmospheres. The main text covering 16 chapters is divided into three sections based on these categories. This arrangement, at times, does seem to be rather arbitrary and tends to suggest repetition, or perhaps the need for it, when the reader bears in mind the functional continuity in forest ecosystems between extremes of pollutant dose. However, the arrangement is convenient and helps to bring order to a complex topic. Air pollutants considered include carbon, sulphur, nitrogen, fluorine, ozone, peroxyacetylnitrate, volatile hydrocarbons, trace metals, particulates and acid rain. The scope of the b o o k does not include physiological and biochemical mechanisms of photosynthetic suppression, or full accounts of deposition processes (gases}, softs and acid rain. Nevertheless, the diversity of specialities actually covered in the b o o k is very considerable and perhaps extensive enough to enable an appropriate balance between breadth and depth to be maintained in reviewing an already large block of literature {more than 100 references) w i t h o u t becoming unwieldy. The b o o k begins with a consideration of forests in relation to the major element cycles and the role of carbon, sulphur and nitrogen pollutants. This is followed by discussions of forests as sources and sinks of air-borne pollutants. The subsequent 10 chapters, more than half the text, is devoted to the effects of air-borne pollutants on trees and forest ecosystems. Influences of air pollutants are considered in relation to forest tree reproduction, forest nutrient cycling (trace metals and acid precipitation) considering foliage leaching by acid rain, soil leaching and weathering, organic matter decomposition and soil organisms. " F o r e s t metabolism" (photosynthesis and respiration) as understood from chamber and field studies is considered. Forest stress is dealt with under the themes of air
412 pollutant influences on phytophagous forest insects, microbial pathogens and direct toxic effects. One chapter is devoted to Class 3 effects; the text is concluded with a synopsis and prognosis in which specific research priorities are identified. The foremost importance of understanding Class 2 relationships clearly emerges from this literature review. The author regards air pollution stresses in this category as forming collectively a 20th-century allogenic process of potential importance to forest ecosystem development. During the next decade it is of the u t m o s t importance to confirm or reject the hypothesis that insidious changes are taking place in forest processes, growth and structure. Many closely engaged in air pollution research will recognise the ring of truth in the comment; "Our appreciation of the influence o f Class 2 relationship resulting from air pollution influence on forest ecosystems will n o t significantly advance unless and until comprehensive investigations . . . under ambient air contaminant influence are planned and c o n d u c t e d " . The author also makes the timely c o m m e n t that future investigations o f forest growth in relation to air quality must also involve greater cognisance of factors influencing growth other than atmospheric pollutants. It is also pertinent to draw attention to one of the important "growing points" identified b y the author. It is the relationship between air pollution on the one hand and, on the other, the balance between insect pests and microbial pathogens and injury and disease in forest ecosystems. The author accords a very high priority for future research on "insect and disease alterations resulting from air pollution interactions at the population level". The material in the b o o k is clearly and pleasingly presented, with a reference list at the end of each chapter, and the text is adequately illustrated. Except for an apparent error in one SO2 concentration cited, the b o o k appears to be free from irritating errors and misprints. Despite the rapid developments in the air pollution field, the well-constructed, comprehensive synthesis and overview given in "Air Pollution and Forests" should enable the b o o k to have a relatively lengthy and useful life. I.A. NICHOLSON (Institute of Terrestrial Ecology Hill of Brathens Banchory Kincardineshire AB3 4BY Gt. Britain)
PESTICIDE APPLICATION Education and Safe Handling in Pesticide Application. Studies in Environ-
mental Science Series, Vol. 18. E.A.H. van Heemstra-Lequin and W.F. Tordoir (Editors), Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1982, 302 pp., US $63.75, Dfl. 150.00, ISBN 0-444-41696-X.
The bibliography is divided into six main parts: economic development; rural development; constraints on rural development; food; country-specific studies for the various countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America; and resources such as statistical sources and additional bibliographies. The main parts are divided into sections and the sections into subsections. Each section has a critical introduction followed by a list of important books, followed in turn by a list of articles. The bibliography includes a fair representation o f Third World authors, particularly in the country-specific studies. The b o o k is a useful compilation, b u t could obviously not include all titles on every subject. It has an author index and an excellent subject index to the bibliographic citations that guides the reader to much more information. M.R. BISWAS
(76 Woodstock Close Oxford OX2 8DD Gt. Britain)
AIR POLLUTION AND FORESTS
Air Pollution and Forests. Interactions between Air Contaminants and Forest Ecosystems. W.H. Smith, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg and New York, 1981, xv + 379 pp., 60 figs., numerous tabs., 24 X 16 cm, US $30.50, DM 64.00 (cloth}, ISBN 3-540-90501-4. In this instance it is tempting to discharge the reviewer's duty briefly with a few well-chosen sentences in appreciation of an excellent work! The author has produced an invaluable and timely account covering most relationships between forests and air-borne pollutants. It is a thoughtful treatment of a complex topic comprising many different facets and the material is assembled in a skilful and readable form. It is an essential addition to the libraries of all those professionally concerned with air pollution/vegetation problems in their widest sense. The b o o k should also appeal to a much more general scientific readership. Perhaps most importantly, "Air Pollution and Forests" is a contribution to the ecological literature and, hopefully, will help to bring the whole field of air pollution more distinctly within the compass of legitimate, and indeed necessary, ecological interest and so expand the sometimes traditional horizons of ecology as an academic discipline. The editor of the Springer series on Environmental Management, writing in the Series Preface, claims that each volume will be a thorough treatment of a specific topic and that each will spread light on the fundamental and applied aspects of environmental management. The author, Dr. W.H. Smith, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, has achieved this objective admirably.
411
The b o o k concerns the temperate latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, primarily the area between 40 and 60°N, the zone in which pollutant emission sources are largely distributed. The information reviewed is principally North American, b u t despite this restriction much of the material is directly or indirectly relevant to problems in other environments. The literature review was completed in January 1980 and only a small amount of material published after that date is referred to in the text. The nonspecialist in the subject should be aware of the rapid development of the literature in air pollution since early 1980. In the Introduction the author describes h o w the relationships between air pollution and forest ecosystems can be conveniently divided into three classes. Class 1 refers to low-dose conditions in which vegetation and soils of forest ecosystems function as sources and sinks of air pollutants. At the other extreme, at high doses, Class 3 relationships refer to the induction of severe injury or mortality of trees and variable degrees of disturbance to entire ecosystems. In intermediate conditions, Class 2 relationships, certain species or individual trees are subtly and adversely affected by various stresses associated with exposure to polluted atmospheres. The main text covering 16 chapters is divided into three sections based on these categories. This arrangement, at times, does seem to be rather arbitrary and tends to suggest repetition, or perhaps the need for it, when the reader bears in mind the functional continuity in forest ecosystems between extremes of pollutant dose. However, the arrangement is convenient and helps to bring order to a complex topic. Air pollutants considered include carbon, sulphur, nitrogen, fluorine, ozone, peroxyacetylnitrate, volatile hydrocarbons, trace metals, particulates and acid rain. The scope of the b o o k does not include physiological and biochemical mechanisms of photosynthetic suppression, or full accounts of deposition processes (gases}, softs and acid rain. Nevertheless, the diversity of specialities actually covered in the b o o k is very considerable and perhaps extensive enough to enable an appropriate balance between breadth and depth to be maintained in reviewing an already large block of literature {more than 100 references) w i t h o u t becoming unwieldy. The b o o k begins with a consideration of forests in relation to the major element cycles and the role of carbon, sulphur and nitrogen pollutants. This is followed by discussions of forests as sources and sinks of air-borne pollutants. The subsequent 10 chapters, more than half the text, is devoted to the effects of air-borne pollutants on trees and forest ecosystems. Influences of air pollutants are considered in relation to forest tree reproduction, forest nutrient cycling (trace metals and acid precipitation) considering foliage leaching by acid rain, soil leaching and weathering, organic matter decomposition and soil organisms. " F o r e s t metabolism" (photosynthesis and respiration) as understood from chamber and field studies is considered. Forest stress is dealt with under the themes of air
412 pollutant influences on phytophagous forest insects, microbial pathogens and direct toxic effects. One chapter is devoted to Class 3 effects; the text is concluded with a synopsis and prognosis in which specific research priorities are identified. The foremost importance of understanding Class 2 relationships clearly emerges from this literature review. The author regards air pollution stresses in this category as forming collectively a 20th-century allogenic process of potential importance to forest ecosystem development. During the next decade it is of the u t m o s t importance to confirm or reject the hypothesis that insidious changes are taking place in forest processes, growth and structure. Many closely engaged in air pollution research will recognise the ring of truth in the comment; "Our appreciation of the influence o f Class 2 relationship resulting from air pollution influence on forest ecosystems will n o t significantly advance unless and until comprehensive investigations . . . under ambient air contaminant influence are planned and c o n d u c t e d " . The author also makes the timely c o m m e n t that future investigations o f forest growth in relation to air quality must also involve greater cognisance of factors influencing growth other than atmospheric pollutants. It is also pertinent to draw attention to one of the important "growing points" identified b y the author. It is the relationship between air pollution on the one hand and, on the other, the balance between insect pests and microbial pathogens and injury and disease in forest ecosystems. The author accords a very high priority for future research on "insect and disease alterations resulting from air pollution interactions at the population level". The material in the b o o k is clearly and pleasingly presented, with a reference list at the end of each chapter, and the text is adequately illustrated. Except for an apparent error in one SO2 concentration cited, the b o o k appears to be free from irritating errors and misprints. Despite the rapid developments in the air pollution field, the well-constructed, comprehensive synthesis and overview given in "Air Pollution and Forests" should enable the b o o k to have a relatively lengthy and useful life. I.A. NICHOLSON (Institute of Terrestrial Ecology Hill of Brathens Banchory Kincardineshire AB3 4BY Gt. Britain)
PESTICIDE APPLICATION Education and Safe Handling in Pesticide Application. Studies in Environ-
mental Science Series, Vol. 18. E.A.H. van Heemstra-Lequin and W.F. Tordoir (Editors), Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1982, 302 pp., US $63.75, Dfl. 150.00, ISBN 0-444-41696-X.