Abstract
Increased N deposition in Europe has affected mire ecosystems. However, knowledge on the physiological responses is poor. We measured photosynthetic responses to increasing N deposition in two peatmoss species (Sphagnum balticum and Sphagnum fuscum) from a 3-year, north–south transplant experiment in northern Europe, covering a latitudinal N deposition gradient ranging from 0.28 g N m−2 year−1 in the north, to 1.49 g N m−2 year−1 in the south. The maximum photosynthetic rate (NPmax) increased southwards, and was mainly explained by tissue N concentration, secondly by allocation of N to the photosynthesis, and to a lesser degree by modified photosystem II activity (variable fluorescence/maximum fluorescence yield). Although climatic factors may have contributed, these results were most likely attributable to an increase in N deposition southwards. For S. fuscum, photosynthetic rate continued to increase up to a deposition level of 1.49 g N m−2 year−1, but for S. balticum it seemed to level out at 1.14 g N m−2 year−1. The results for S. balticum suggested that transplants from different origin (with low or intermediate N deposition) respond differently to high N deposition. This indicates that Sphagnum species may be able to adapt or physiologically adjust to high N deposition. Our results also suggest that S. balticum might be more sensitive to N deposition than S. fuscum. Surprisingly, NPmax was not (S. balticum), or only weakly (S. fuscum) correlated with biomass production, indicating that production is to a great extent is governed by factors other than the photosynthetic capacity.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Michael Proctor and Kouki Hikosaka for comments on the manuscript. Funding for this project was provided by Formas, VR and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO-project 110015-01). The work conforms to the legal requirements of the countries in which it was carried out, including those relating to conservation and welfare.
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Communicated by Kouki Hikosaka.
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Granath, G., Strengbom, J., Breeuwer, A. et al. Photosynthetic performance in Sphagnum transplanted along a latitudinal nitrogen deposition gradient. Oecologia 159, 705–715 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-008-1261-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-008-1261-1