Acid-buffering capacity of foliage from boreal forest species

Abstract

Buffering capacity to acidity was defined as the microequivalents of H+ required to produce a 5 μeqiv. change of H+ concentration in a homogenate prepared from leaf tissue. The results for six species collected from the southern boreal forest of Saskatchewan, Canada, showed that trembling aspen (Populus trenudoides Michx.) and Labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum Oeder.), had the highest buffering capacities (379 and 189 μeuiv. H+ ∙ g−1, respectively), while jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) had the lowest (33 μequiv. H+ ∙ g−1). Tamarack (Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch), white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss), and black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) had intermediate values. Buffering capacity and pH of homogenates for all species showed seasonal fluctuations, with the lowest values occurring in the middle of the growing season. The results suggest that foliage of evergreen conifers, particularly jack pine, is less well buffered against acidic pollution than that of broad-leaved species such as trembling aspen.