Ecophysiological adjustment of two Sphagnum species in response to anthropogenic nitrogen deposition

Here, it was investigated whether Sphagnum species have adjusted their nitrogen (N) uptake in response to the anthropogenic N deposition that has drastically altered N-limited ecosystems, including peatlands, worldwide. A lawn species, Sphagnum balticum, and a hummock species, Sphagnum fuscum, were...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	The New phytologist 2009-01, Vol.181 (1), p.208-217
Main Authors:	Wiedermann, Magdalena M., Gunnarsson, Urban, Ericson, Lars, Nordin, Annika
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Adaptation, Physiological Air Pollution Amino acids Amino Acids - metabolism Atmospherics Biologi Biology Ecological genetics Ecophysiology Forest Science N uptake NATURAL SCIENCES NATURVETENSKAP NH4 Nitrates Nitrates - metabolism Nitrogen nitrogen (N) deposition gradient Nitrogen - metabolism NO3 Peatlands Plants Quaternary Ammonium Compounds - metabolism Skogsvetenskap Soil Soil Pollutants Species Sphagnopsida - metabolism Sphagnum Sweden Wetland ecology
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Summary:	Here, it was investigated whether Sphagnum species have adjusted their nitrogen (N) uptake in response to the anthropogenic N deposition that has drastically altered N-limited ecosystems, including peatlands, worldwide. A lawn species, Sphagnum balticum, and a hummock species, Sphagnum fuscum, were collected from three peatlands along a gradient of N deposition (2, 8 and 12 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). The mosses were subjected to solutions containing a mixture of four N forms. In each solution one of these N forms was labeled with ¹⁵N (namely ¹⁵ [graphic removed] , ¹⁵ [graphic removed] and the amino acids [¹⁵N]alanine (Ala) and [¹⁵N]glutamic acid (Glu)). It was found that for both species most of the N taken up was from [graphic removed] , followed by Ala, Glu, and very small amounts from [graphic removed] . At the highest N deposition site N uptake was reduced, but this did not prevent N accumulation as free amino acids in the Sphagnum tissues. The reduced N uptake may have been genetically selected for under the relatively short period with elevated N exposure from anthropogenic sources, or may have been the result of plasticity in the Sphagnum physiological response. The negligible Sphagnum [graphic removed] uptake may make any [graphic removed] deposited readily available to co-occurring vascular plants.
ISSN:	0028-646X 1469-8137 1469-8137