Abstract
The relationship between inorganic nitrogen (N) cycling and plant productivity is well established. However, recent research has demonstrated the ability of plants to take up low molecular weight organic N compounds (i.e., amino acids) at rates that often rival those of inorganic N forms. In this study, we hypothesize that temperate forest tree species characteristic of low-fertility habitats will prefer amino acids over species characteristic of high-fertility habitats. We measured the uptake of 15N-labeled amino acids (glycine, glutamine, arginine, serine), ammonium (NH4 +), and nitrate (NO3 −) by four tree species that commonly occur in eastern North America, where their abundances have been correlated with inorganic N availability. Specific uptake rates of amino acids were largely similar for all tree species; however, high-fertility species took up NH4 + at rates more than double those of low-fertility species, rendering amino acid N relatively more important to the N nutrition of low-fertility species. Low-fertility species acquired over four times more total N from arginine compared to NH4 + and NO3 −; high-fertility species acquired the most N from NH4 +. Arginine had the highest uptake rates of any amino acid by all species; there were no significant differences in uptake rates of the remaining amino acids. Our results support the idea that the dominant species in a particular habitat are those best able to utilize the most available N resources.
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Acknowledgments
We thank A. Esper and A. Mueller for laboratory assistance and P. Bloese for providing advice and facilitating access to greenhouse space. This project was conducted in agreement with the laws of the United States and was funded by NSF grant 0448058 to D. E. Rothstein and by the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.
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Communicated by Amy Austin.
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Scott, E.E., Rothstein, D.E. Amino acid uptake by temperate tree species characteristic of low- and high-fertility habitats. Oecologia 167, 547–557 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-011-2009-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-011-2009-x