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Research article - Peer-reviewed, 2006

Nitrogen utilization by Hylocomium splendens in a boreal forest fertilization experiment

Forsum A, Dahlman L, Nasholm T, Nordin A

Abstract

1. Nitrogen uptake in the terricolous bryophyte Hylocomium splendens (Hedw.) B.S.G. was studied in a boreal forest long-term N-treatment experiment including control plots, N-addition plots (50 kg N ha(-1) year(-1) for 8 years) and recovery plots (50 kg N ha(-1) year(-1) for 5 years and thereafter no N addition for 3 years). 2.A main objective was to explore whether the N treatments changed bryophyte uptake of different inorganic and organic N forms. In addition, we estimated the contribution of N from throughfall precipitation to the bryophyte N supply. 3. The results demonstrated that bryophyte N uptake was similar in all the long-term N-treatment plots. Hylocomium splendens took up more N-15 labelled NH4+ than NO3- or glycine when these N forms were applied in situ by the spraying of solutions with N concentrations similar to those in precipitation. 4. Analysis of the precipitation collected beneath the closed tree canopy from late May to early October revealed that it contributed 2.0 kg N ha(-1) during the period studied, distributed between NH4+ (78%), amino acid N (17%) and NO3- (5%). 5. The study highlights that, in addition to analyses of NH4+ and NO3- (normally included in standard environmental monitoring of precipitation), analysis of amino acid N must be performed to account fully for the precipitation N input to bryophytes in boreal forest ecosystems

Published in

Functional Ecology
2006, volume: 20, number: 3, pages: 421-426
Publisher: BLACKWELL PUBLISHING

Authors' information

Forsum, Åsa
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology
Dahlman, Lena

UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use

Publication Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2006.01127.x

URI (permanent link to this page)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/8886