ISSN:
1432-1939
Keywords:
Eriophorum scheuchzeri
;
Eriophorum vaginatum
;
Ammonium
;
Nitrate
;
Absorption
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Summary We compared ammonium and nitrate nutrition in Eriophorum scheuchzeri and E. vaginatum, two Alaskan sedges that are native to high- and low-fertility sites, respectively. When grown in solution culture, the two species were similar in their kinetics of NH inf4 sup+ NO inf3 sup- absorption: at nitrogen concentrations below 50 μM, net NH inf4 sup+ and NO inf3 sup- were absorbed at similar rates, but at higher concentrations, net uptake of NO inf3 sup- was significantly faster than that of NH inf4 sup+ . The two species also showed similar abilities to assimilate NO inf3 sup- . Growth of E. vaginatum under NO inf3 sup- nutrition was only slightly less than that under NH inf4 sup+ . The observed similarities between these species from contrasting edaphic habitats indicate that factors other than tissue-specific rates of nitrogen acquisition and assimilation may underlie local adaptation to soil N fertility. Moreover, the capacity of these species to exploit NO inf3 sup- as a N source supports the view that NO inf3 sup- availability may be significant even in wet, acidic, arctic soils.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00317721
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