Narrow Results

Micro-beam scanning PIXE and scanning transmission ion microscopy (STIM) were applied to measurement of Siebold's beech (Fagus crenata Blume) leaves. The beech leaf samples were collected from selected beech trees at Tsugaru Pass near the Shirakami-Sanchi World Heritage Area, in the 1999 growing season. We focused our interest on the influence of the atmospheric environment (acidic deposition, aerosol and gaseous substances, etc.) on the forest ecosystem. Our approach to real images of the deposition of airborne particulate on leaves led to the elucidation of the process of elemental absorption from air and plant metabolism. As a result, it is suggested that 1) overlapping STIM images and elemental maps demonstrate the patterns of the elemental absorption into plants, 2) comparison of the elemental maps of leaves taken at the different growth stages may provide useful clues to the elemental accumulation mechanism in leaves, and 3) silicon distribution in leaves is indicative of airborne particulate deposition on them.

Micro-beam scanning PIXE (micro-PIXE) and scanning transmission ion microscopy (STIM) were applied to measurement of one-year-old seedling root from a Siebold's beech (Fagus crenata Blume) tree. The beech seedling root samples were collected at the centerpiece of the Shirakami-Sanchi World Heritage Area during October 2001. Target samples for micro-PIXE and STIM analyses were transverse sections from tip, midpoint and root of the beech seedling root. We focused shedding light on tree root metabolism, and are to get a real image about the elemental distribution in the tree root. STIM images were similar to those generated using stereomicroscope and/or transmission microscopy. Real images in the form of elemental maps were obtained for nine elements: Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K and Ca. Of these, typical elemental maps were Si and Ca, which were both concentrated in the epidermis. Si was prominent in the tip, while Ca was prominent in the root.