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Nitrogen fixation and nitrogen limitation of primary production along a natural marsh chronosequence

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Abstract

Nitrogen (N) limitation of primary production is common in temperate salt marshes, even though conservative N recycling can fulfill a large proportion of plant N demand. In nutrient poor young marshes, N limitation may be more severe and new N sources, such as N fixation, more important for plant growth. We measured N fixation and the response of salt marsh primary producers (Spartina alterniflora and benthic microalgae) to N fertilization in one mature (>150 year) and two young (7 and 15 year) naturally developing marshes at the Virginia Coast Reserve LTER site. S. alterniflora aboveground biomass in the mature marsh (1,700±273 g m−2) was 1.8 and 2.8 times higher than in the 15 year and 7 year old marshes, respectively. Fertilization significantly increased S. alterniflora biomass in the two young marshes (160–175%) and areal aboveground tissue N in the youngest marsh (260%). Microalgal chlorophyll a (Chl a) in the mature marsh was nearly 2-fold lower than in the 7-year-old marsh, and there was no evidence that this was due to light limitation. However, Chl a in fertilized plots was 30% higher than control plots at the youngest site. Daily N fixation decreased with increasing marsh age in summer, when rates were highest at all sites. Autotrophic N fixation (difference between rates in the light and dark) was most important in the summer, but we saw no indication of a shift in dominance between autotrophic and heterotrophic N fixers during marsh development. Estimated annual N fixation was 2- to 3-fold higher in the young marsh (18.3±1.5 g N m−2 year−1), than in the intermediate-aged (9.0±0.7) or mature marsh (6.1±0.5). In the young marshes, N fixation was sufficient to provide a substantial proportion of aboveground S. alterniflora N demand. Our results suggest that both benthic microalgae and S. alterniflora in young salt marshes are N limited, and that this limitation decreases as the marsh matures. The high rates of N fixation by autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria in the sediment could provide an important source of N for primary producers during marsh development.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this work came from The Virginia Coast Reserve LTER Project (National Science Foundation award numbers DEB-9411974), a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency STAR Fellowship to C.T. (U-915532) and an undergraduate research grant from the University of Virginia to T.M. We are grateful to Jimmy Spitler for field assistance, Iris Anderson for the use of her laboratory, and Brian Silliman and Ted Grosholz for their comments on the manuscript. We also thank the anonymous reviewers for their comments.

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  1. Anna Christina Tyler

    Present address: Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California at Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA

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  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400123, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA

    Anna Christina Tyler, Tracie A. Mastronicola & Karen J. McGlathery

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  1. Anna Christina Tyler
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  2. Tracie A. Mastronicola
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Correspondence to Anna Christina Tyler.

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Tyler, A.C., Mastronicola, T.A. & McGlathery, K.J. Nitrogen fixation and nitrogen limitation of primary production along a natural marsh chronosequence. Oecologia 136, 431–438 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-003-1277-5

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