Leaf natural 15 N abundance and total N concentration as potential indicators of plant N nutrition in legumes and pioneer species in a rain forest of French Guiana

The suitability of the natural N abundance and of total N concentration of leaves as indicators of the type of plant N nutrition in a rain forest of French Guiana were tested. Leaf samples from primary legume species, non-legumes (pioneer species) and from the non-N -fixing species Dicorynia guianen...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oecologia 1999-08, Vol.120 (2), p.171-182
Main Authors: Roggy, J C, Prévost, M F, Gourbiere, F, Casabianca, H, Garbaye, J, Domenach, A M
Format: Article
Language:English
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The suitability of the natural N abundance and of total N concentration of leaves as indicators of the type of plant N nutrition in a rain forest of French Guiana were tested. Leaf samples from primary legume species, non-legumes (pioneer species) and from the non-N -fixing species Dicorynia guianensis were analyzed. Both δ N and total leaf N varied widely (-1 ?δ N (‰) ? 7 and 1 ? leaf N(%) ? 3.2) suggesting possible distinctions between diazotrophic and non-fixing plants. The δ N also revealed two statistically distinct groups of non-N -fixing species (δ N = 5.14 ± 0.3 vs δ N = 1.65 ± 0.17) related to the different ecological behaviors of these species in the successional processes. We conclude that the δ N signature of plant leaves combined with their total N concentration may be relevant indicators for identifying functional groups within the community of non-N -fixing species, as well as for detecting diazotrophy. Despite the variability in the δ N of the non-N -fixing species, N -fixing groups can still be identified, provided that plants are simultaneously classified taxonomically, by their leaf δ N and total N concentration and by the presence or absence of nodules. The variability in the δ N of the non-fixing species is discussed.
ISSN:0029-8549
1432-1939
DOI:10.1007/s004420050846