Do Nitrogen and Phosphorus Additions Affect Nitrogen Fixation Associated with Tropical Mosses?
(2023) In Plants 12(7).- Abstract
Tropical cloud forests are characterized by abundant and biodiverse mosses which grow epiphytically as well as on the ground. Nitrogen (N)-fixing cyanobacteria live in association with most mosses, and contribute greatly to the N pool via biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). However, the availability of nutrients, especially N and phosphorus (P), can influence BNF rates drastically. To evaluate the effects of increased N and P availability on BNF in mosses, we conducted a laboratory experiment where we added N and P, in isolation and combined, to three mosses (Campylopus sp., Dicranum sp. and Thuidium peruvianum) collected from a cloud forest in Peru. Our results show that N addition almost completely inhibited BNF within a day, whereas... (More)
Tropical cloud forests are characterized by abundant and biodiverse mosses which grow epiphytically as well as on the ground. Nitrogen (N)-fixing cyanobacteria live in association with most mosses, and contribute greatly to the N pool via biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). However, the availability of nutrients, especially N and phosphorus (P), can influence BNF rates drastically. To evaluate the effects of increased N and P availability on BNF in mosses, we conducted a laboratory experiment where we added N and P, in isolation and combined, to three mosses (Campylopus sp., Dicranum sp. and Thuidium peruvianum) collected from a cloud forest in Peru. Our results show that N addition almost completely inhibited BNF within a day, whereas P addition caused variable results across moss species. Low N2 fixation rates were observed in Campylopus sp. across the experiment. BNF in Dicranum sp. was decreased by all nutrients, while P additions seemed to promote BNF in T. peruvianum. Hence, each of the three mosses contributes distinctively to the ecosystem N pool depending on nutrient availability. Moreover, increased N input will likely significantly decrease BNF associated with mosses also in tropical cloud forests, thereby limiting N input to these ecosystems via the moss-cyanobacteria pathway.
(Less)
- author
- Avila Clasen, Lina ; Permin, Aya ; Horwath, Aline B. ; Metcalfe, Daniel B. LU and Rousk, Kathrin LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- cyanobacteria, ecosystem ecology, global change, mosses, nitrogen fixation, nutrient limitation, phosphorus, tropical cloud forest
- in
- Plants
- volume
- 12
- issue
- 7
- article number
- 1443
- publisher
- MDPI AG
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:37050067
- scopus:85152778262
- ISSN
- 2223-7747
- DOI
- 10.3390/plants12071443
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- d9b3c24a-4b92-451d-9fba-60b6cf42b02a
- date added to LUP
- 2023-07-13 09:16:49
- date last changed
- 2024-04-19 23:21:28
@article{d9b3c24a-4b92-451d-9fba-60b6cf42b02a,
abstract = {{<p>Tropical cloud forests are characterized by abundant and biodiverse mosses which grow epiphytically as well as on the ground. Nitrogen (N)-fixing cyanobacteria live in association with most mosses, and contribute greatly to the N pool via biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). However, the availability of nutrients, especially N and phosphorus (P), can influence BNF rates drastically. To evaluate the effects of increased N and P availability on BNF in mosses, we conducted a laboratory experiment where we added N and P, in isolation and combined, to three mosses (Campylopus sp., Dicranum sp. and Thuidium peruvianum) collected from a cloud forest in Peru. Our results show that N addition almost completely inhibited BNF within a day, whereas P addition caused variable results across moss species. Low N<sub>2</sub> fixation rates were observed in Campylopus sp. across the experiment. BNF in Dicranum sp. was decreased by all nutrients, while P additions seemed to promote BNF in T. peruvianum. Hence, each of the three mosses contributes distinctively to the ecosystem N pool depending on nutrient availability. Moreover, increased N input will likely significantly decrease BNF associated with mosses also in tropical cloud forests, thereby limiting N input to these ecosystems via the moss-cyanobacteria pathway.</p>}},
author = {{Avila Clasen, Lina and Permin, Aya and Horwath, Aline B. and Metcalfe, Daniel B. and Rousk, Kathrin}},
issn = {{2223-7747}},
keywords = {{cyanobacteria; ecosystem ecology; global change; mosses; nitrogen fixation; nutrient limitation; phosphorus; tropical cloud forest}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{7}},
publisher = {{MDPI AG}},
series = {{Plants}},
title = {{Do Nitrogen and Phosphorus Additions Affect Nitrogen Fixation Associated with Tropical Mosses?}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/plants12071443}},
doi = {{10.3390/plants12071443}},
volume = {{12}},
year = {{2023}},
}