Feather moss nitrogen acquisition across natural fertility gradients in boreal forests
(2013) In Soil Biology & Biochemistry 61. p.86-95- Abstract
- Feather mosses utilize various sources of nitrogen (N): they absorb N deposited on leaf tissue, they host N-2 fixing cyanobacteria, and they are able to take up N directly from soil. In addition to their importance as primary producers in boreal ecosystems, feather mosses play a significant role in N cycling. However, estimates of their ability to take up N from soil in situ are scarce. Further, connecting uptake of N from soil with N-2 fixation could significantly improve our understanding of their role in ecosystem N cycling, but to date this issue has not been addressed. We report results from an uptake experiment in which we tracked C-13-carbon (C), N-15-alanine and N-15-ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) into feather moss (Pleurozium schreberi... (More)
- Feather mosses utilize various sources of nitrogen (N): they absorb N deposited on leaf tissue, they host N-2 fixing cyanobacteria, and they are able to take up N directly from soil. In addition to their importance as primary producers in boreal ecosystems, feather mosses play a significant role in N cycling. However, estimates of their ability to take up N from soil in situ are scarce. Further, connecting uptake of N from soil with N-2 fixation could significantly improve our understanding of their role in ecosystem N cycling, but to date this issue has not been addressed. We report results from an uptake experiment in which we tracked C-13-carbon (C), N-15-alanine and N-15-ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) into feather moss (Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt.)-soil cores taken along natural fertility gradients in Northern Sweden. The varying fertility conditions coincided with a N-2 fixation gradient in the feather moss. We found that P. schreberi takes up C and N directly from soil. However, the moss did not show a preference for inorganic or organic N sources and only 1.4% of the added amino acid appeared to be taken up from soil in an intact form. No differences in uptake of C or N from soil along the fertility gradients were detected. Nitrogen fixation rates in the moss were thus not correlated with C or N-uptake from soil. Nitrogen fixation as well as uptake of C and N from soil seem to be unaffected by C or N availability in the soil, suggesting that the moss can cover its nutrient demand by absorption of throughfall N and via associated N-2-fixing cyanobacteria without soil-N supplementation. We suggest further, that the moss can represent a (temporary) N-sink in the boreal forest, and that the moss' mechanism of uptake and release thereby will characterize the ecosystem N cycle. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/3843153
- author
- Rousk, Kathrin ; Rousk, Johannes LU ; Jones, Davey L. ; Zackrisson, Olle and DeLuca, Thomas H.
- organization
- publishing date
- 2013
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Acetylene reduction, Bryophytes, Cyanobacteria, Microbial community, N, deposition, N limitation, Organic nitrogen
- in
- Soil Biology & Biochemistry
- volume
- 61
- pages
- 86 - 95
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000318140300010
- scopus:84875273066
- ISSN
- 0038-0717
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.02.011
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- bafb855f-88e5-4a04-ad54-595955b99fbb (old id 3843153)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 14:10:27
- date last changed
- 2024-01-09 23:00:02
@article{bafb855f-88e5-4a04-ad54-595955b99fbb, abstract = {{Feather mosses utilize various sources of nitrogen (N): they absorb N deposited on leaf tissue, they host N-2 fixing cyanobacteria, and they are able to take up N directly from soil. In addition to their importance as primary producers in boreal ecosystems, feather mosses play a significant role in N cycling. However, estimates of their ability to take up N from soil in situ are scarce. Further, connecting uptake of N from soil with N-2 fixation could significantly improve our understanding of their role in ecosystem N cycling, but to date this issue has not been addressed. We report results from an uptake experiment in which we tracked C-13-carbon (C), N-15-alanine and N-15-ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) into feather moss (Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt.)-soil cores taken along natural fertility gradients in Northern Sweden. The varying fertility conditions coincided with a N-2 fixation gradient in the feather moss. We found that P. schreberi takes up C and N directly from soil. However, the moss did not show a preference for inorganic or organic N sources and only 1.4% of the added amino acid appeared to be taken up from soil in an intact form. No differences in uptake of C or N from soil along the fertility gradients were detected. Nitrogen fixation rates in the moss were thus not correlated with C or N-uptake from soil. Nitrogen fixation as well as uptake of C and N from soil seem to be unaffected by C or N availability in the soil, suggesting that the moss can cover its nutrient demand by absorption of throughfall N and via associated N-2-fixing cyanobacteria without soil-N supplementation. We suggest further, that the moss can represent a (temporary) N-sink in the boreal forest, and that the moss' mechanism of uptake and release thereby will characterize the ecosystem N cycle. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.}}, author = {{Rousk, Kathrin and Rousk, Johannes and Jones, Davey L. and Zackrisson, Olle and DeLuca, Thomas H.}}, issn = {{0038-0717}}, keywords = {{Acetylene reduction; Bryophytes; Cyanobacteria; Microbial community; N; deposition; N limitation; Organic nitrogen}}, language = {{eng}}, pages = {{86--95}}, publisher = {{Elsevier}}, series = {{Soil Biology & Biochemistry}}, title = {{Feather moss nitrogen acquisition across natural fertility gradients in boreal forests}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.02.011}}, doi = {{10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.02.011}}, volume = {{61}}, year = {{2013}}, }