The Pressure Chamber as an Instrument for Ecological Research

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the pressure chamber as an instrument for ecological research. It provides the workers with a thorough and useful discussion of the effective use of the pressure chamber technique. It offers a uniform terminology. To assemble, interpret, and evaluate published ecological studies the pressure chamber has been employed. And suggest areas of research where the technique is potentially useful. The chapter discusses some unknowns and problems associated with the pressure chamber. Assembly of the device and its associated components is briefly discussed. The chapter reviews the status of the pressure chamber technique in current ecological and eco-physiological research and suggests what appear to be promising new directions and applications. Four strategies for expressing and interpreting P data were explored. The pressure chamber may also be used effectively in studies of plant pathology, entomology, and pollution effects. Activities of pathogenic agents which disrupt vascular function or cause membrane damage can often be detected. Productive use of the pressure chamber technique in forestry, agriculture, and horticulture in such operations as irrigation, transplanting, and fertilization has proved successful.

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