The uptake diversity of soil nitrogen nutrients by main plant species in Kobresia humilis alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Abstract

We studied the uptake of ammonium, nitrate, and a variety of amino acids by alpine plant species in the Kobresia humilis alpine meadow ecosystem in situ. We examined the extent of niche separation in uptake of N source by different plant species in alpine communities, and investigated the contribution of symbiotically fixed N to the total N in alpine meadow. The results are (1) δ ¹⁵N natural abundance values of 13 plant species lie between −2.680‰ and 5.169‰, and the scope is 7.849‰. (2) Leguminous plants, such as Trigonella ruthenica, Gueldenstaedtia diversiffolia, and Oxytyopis ochrocephala, and non-leguminous plant Gentiana straminea uptake low amounts of ¹⁵N labeled ammonium, nitrate, glycine or aspartate in soil. (3) As far as the plant uptake of organic N is concerned, Kobresia humilis, Poa pratensis, and Gentiuna spathutifolta can effectively uptake organic nitrogen, and about 37%–40% of the nitrogen of these species comes from soil organic nitrogen sources (such as glycine and aspartate). Stipa aliena can effectively uptake nitrate, and 60% of its nitrogen comes from soil nitrate. Potentilla anserina, Poa pratensis, and Thalictrum alpinum can effectively absorb ammonium in comparason to other plant species in the meadow, and about 25%–27% of the nitrogen in these plants comes from soil ammonium. (4) The contribution of leguminous fixed N to total N is 7.48%–9.26% in Kobresia humilis alpine meadow. (5) These data show many plant species of alpine meadow may effectively utilize dissolved organic nitrogen such as amino acids, and these plants have diverse ways to uptake soil nitrogen in alpine meadows. Based on the results we can partly explain why there are abundant biodiversities and how plants at alpine habitat utilize the limited soil N sources.