Authors: Heliövaara, Kari & Väisänen, Rauno & Uotila, Antti
Journal: Karstenia, Volume 29 (1989), Issue 1, pages 29-36.
Doi: https://doi.org/10.29203/ka.1989.272
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Abstract: The abundance of Lophodermium species on Pinus sylvestris was studied in the surroundings of the industrial town Harjavalta in southwestern Finland. The hysterothecia production of these ascomycete species in litter needles was related to the distance from the factory complex producing copper, nickel, sulphuric acid and fertilizers, and to the chemical composition of living needles.
All the species suffered from a high level of industrial air pollution, being almost totally absent within 800 m of the factory complex. In most cases, the numbers of hysterothecia per needle correlated positively with the distance from the factory complex. Depending on the species, 5-48% of the variation of hysterothecia production could be explained by the concentrations of elements in living pine needles, the level of heavy metals playing a major role.