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NO news is no new news

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2007

C.J. Fotheringham*
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Jon E. Keeley
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA US Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center Sequoia National Park, Three Rivers, California, USA
*
*Correspondence: Email: seajay@ucla.edu
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Abstract

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In the paper ‘NO News’, Preston et al. (2004) make a number of erroneous assumptions regarding nitrogen oxide chemistry. These authors also present some very significant misinterpretations of previous research into the effects of various nitrogen oxides on germination of post-fire followers. Methodological differences between the study by Preston et al. (2004) and previous work are also problematic, such as using NO-donors in solution versus the use of direct application of various nitrogen oxides in the gaseous phase. A closer review of these studies, with the proper understanding of nitrogen oxide chemistry, and interpretations of the available literature, would lead to the conclusion that, contrary to the authors' assertions, the Preston et al. (2004) study supports, rather than refutes, earlier findings by Keeley and Fotheringham (1997, 1998a, b, 2000).

Type
Letter to the Editor
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2005

References

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