The effects of air pollution on vegetation from a geographic perspective

Abstract

Researchers in many fields seek to understand the effects of anthropogenic changes in atmospheric chemistry on vegetation distributions. Particularly important needs for information from a pragmatic perspective include (1) relationships between short-and long-term metabolic consequences of pollutant uptake to vegetation distributions, and (2) indirect influences of air pollution on plant-community dynamics. Biogeography would be the appropriate discipline to make the most powerful contributions to these needs. This does not only mean gathering research output to show a broader picture. In addition, it means introducing new approaches from various fields in order to deepen understanding of spatial phenomena in the past and present, and to better predict patterns of the future. We review developments in both reductionist and holistic research approaches that have effectively enhanced knowledge of how atmospheric emissions affect vegetation. Limitations of these approaches are also discussed. We assume that the contributions of Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing to this line of inquiry are sufficiently appreciated by the bio- and physical geography community to be de-emphasized here. Instead, other approaches better known in more specialized disciplines that are leading to powerful insights from a more restricted sector of the biogeographical community are emphasized. A synthetic core role for physical and biogeography that more fully embraces developments in related disciplines is then proposed.