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The coupling effects of water deficit and nitrogen supply on photosynthesis, WUE, and stable isotope composition in Picea asperata

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Abstract

Water stress and nitrogen (N) availability are the two main factors limiting plant growth, and the two constrains can interact in intricate ways. Moreover, atmospheric N depositions are altering the availability of these limiting factors in many terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we studied the combined effects of different soil water availability and N supply on photosynthesis and water-use efficiency (WUE) in Picea asperata seedlings cultured in pots, using gas exchange, and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope composition (δ 13C and δ 15N). Photosynthesis under light saturation (A sat) and stomatal conductance (g s) of P. asperata decreased as the soil moisture gradually diminished. Under severe water-stress condition, N addition decreased the A sat and g s, whereas the positive effects were observed in moderate water-stress and well-watered conditions. The effect of N addition on the intrinsic WUE (WUEi) deduced from gas exchange was associated with soil water availability, whereas long-term WUE evaluated by leaf δ 13C only affected by soil water availability, and it would be elevated with soil moisture gradually diminished. Water deficit would restrict the uptake and further transport of N to the aboveground parts of P. asperata, and then increasing δ 15N. Therefore, δ 15N in plant tissues may reflect changes in N allocation within plants. These results indicate that the effect of N enrichment on photosynthesis in P. asperata is largely, if not entirely, dependent on the severity of water stress, and P. asperata would be more sensitive to increasing N enrichment under low soil water availability than under high soil moisture.

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Abbreviations

A sat :

Photsynthetic rate under light saturation

C i/C a :

The ratio of intercellular CO2 concentration and ambient CO2 concentration

g s :

Stomatal conductance

WUE:

Water use efficiency

WUEi :

Intrinsic water use efficiency

δ 13C:

Stable carbon isotope composition

δ 15N:

Stable nitrogen isotope composition

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31370495 and 31070533).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization and Ecological Restoration, Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 416, Chengdu, 610041, People’s Republic of China

    Bo Tang, Chunying Yin, Huan Yang, Yuyu Sun & Qing Liu

  2. State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, People’s Republic of China

    Bo Tang

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, People’s Republic of China

    Bo Tang, Huan Yang & Yuyu Sun

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  1. Bo Tang
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  2. Chunying Yin
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Correspondence to Chunying Yin.

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Communicated by M Garstka.

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Tang, B., Yin, C., Yang, H. et al. The coupling effects of water deficit and nitrogen supply on photosynthesis, WUE, and stable isotope composition in Picea asperata . Acta Physiol Plant 39, 148 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-017-2451-4

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