TY - JOUR

T1 - Short-chain oxygenated VOCs

T2 - emission and uptake by plants and atmospheric sources, sinks, and concentrations

AU - Seco, Roger

AU - Peñuelas, Josep

AU - Filella, Iolanda

PY - 2007

Y1 - 2007

N2 - Emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have multiple atmospheric implications and play many roles in plant physiology and ecology. Among these VOCs, growing interest is being devoted to a group of short-chain oxygenated VOCs (oxVOCs). Technology improvements such as proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry are facilitating the study of these hydrocarbons and new data regarding these compounds is continuously appearing. Here we review current knowledge of the emissions of these oxVOCs by plants and the factors that control them, and also provide an overview of sources, sinks, and concentrations found in the atmosphere. The oxVOCs reviewed here are formic and acetic acids, acetone, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, methanol, and ethanol. In general, because of their water solubility (low gas-liquid partitioning coefficient), the plant-atmosphere exchange is stomatal-dependent, although it can also take place via the cuticle. This exchange is also determined by atmospheric mixing ratios. These compounds have relatively long atmospheric half-lives and reach considerable concentrations in the atmosphere in the range of ppbv. Likewise, under non-stressed conditions plants can emit all of these oxVOCs together at fluxes ranging from 0.2 up to 4.8 μg(C)g-1(leaf dry weight)h-1 and at rates that increase several-fold when under stress. Gaps in our knowledge regarding the processes involved in the synthesis, emission, uptake, and atmospheric reactivity of oxVOCs precludes the clarification of exactly what is conditioning plant-atmosphere exchange-and also when, how, and why this occurs-and these lacunae therefore warrant further research in this field.

AB - Emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have multiple atmospheric implications and play many roles in plant physiology and ecology. Among these VOCs, growing interest is being devoted to a group of short-chain oxygenated VOCs (oxVOCs). Technology improvements such as proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry are facilitating the study of these hydrocarbons and new data regarding these compounds is continuously appearing. Here we review current knowledge of the emissions of these oxVOCs by plants and the factors that control them, and also provide an overview of sources, sinks, and concentrations found in the atmosphere. The oxVOCs reviewed here are formic and acetic acids, acetone, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, methanol, and ethanol. In general, because of their water solubility (low gas-liquid partitioning coefficient), the plant-atmosphere exchange is stomatal-dependent, although it can also take place via the cuticle. This exchange is also determined by atmospheric mixing ratios. These compounds have relatively long atmospheric half-lives and reach considerable concentrations in the atmosphere in the range of ppbv. Likewise, under non-stressed conditions plants can emit all of these oxVOCs together at fluxes ranging from 0.2 up to 4.8 μg(C)g-1(leaf dry weight)h-1 and at rates that increase several-fold when under stress. Gaps in our knowledge regarding the processes involved in the synthesis, emission, uptake, and atmospheric reactivity of oxVOCs precludes the clarification of exactly what is conditioning plant-atmosphere exchange-and also when, how, and why this occurs-and these lacunae therefore warrant further research in this field.

KW - Acetaldehyde

KW - Acetic acid

KW - Acetone

KW - Biogenic

KW - Emission

KW - Ethanol

KW - Formaldehyde

KW - Formic acid

KW - Methanol

KW - oxVOCs

U2 - 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2006.11.029

DO - 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2006.11.029

M3 - Review

AN - SCOPUS:33947327406

VL - 41

SP - 2477

EP - 2499

JO - Atmospheric Environment

JF - Atmospheric Environment

SN - 1352-2310

IS - 12

ER -