No abstract

Acid rain causes damages to forest ecosystems. Here, we reported that acid rain could promote plant growth. From 2006 to 2009, one-year-old Elaeocarpus glabripetalus seedlings were sprayed with simulated acid rain (AR) (pH 2.5, 4.0, and 5.6). The maximum quantum yield efficiency of PSII and the actual photochemical quantum efficiency of PSII increased with rising AR acidity, which facilitated chlorophyll fluorescence and plant growth, as shown by a declining minimal fluorescence yield of dark-adapted state with little damage to the PSII reaction center. After the second experimental year, the plant height and ground diameter were greater at pH 2.5 than those found at pH 4.0 and 5.6. This showed the positive effects of AR on the seedling growth and photosynthesis of E. glabripetalus, revealing that this species exhibited a stronger resistance to acid deposition than some other tree species. This implies that E. glabripetalus is an acid-tolerant species.