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Nitrogen availability patterns in white-sand vegetations of Central Brazilian Amazon

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Abstract

Addressing spatial variability in nitrogen (N) availability in the Central Brazilian Amazon, we hypothesized that N availability varies among white-sand vegetation types (campina and campinarana) and lowland tropical forests (dense terra-firme forests) in the Central Brazilian Amazon, under the same climate conditions. Accordingly, we measured soil and foliar N concentration and N isotope ratios (δ15N) throughout the campina-campinarana transect and compared to published dense terra-firme forest results. There were no differences between white-sand vegetation types in regard to soil N concentration, C:N ratio and δ15N across the transect. Both white-sand vegetation types showed very low foliar N concentrations and elevated foliar C:N ratios, and no significant difference between site types was observed. Foliar δ15N was depleted, varying from −9.6 to 1.6‰ in the white-sand vegetations. The legume Aldina heterophylla had the highest average δ15N values (−1.5‰) as well as the highest foliar N concentration (2.1%) while the non-legume species had more depleted δ15N values and the average foliar N concentrations varied from 0.9 to 1.5% among them. Despite the high variation in foliar δ15N among plants, a significant and gradual 15N-enrichment in foliar isotopic signatures throughout the campina–campinarana transect was observed. Individual plants growing in the campinarana were significantly enriched in 15N compared to those in campina. In the white-sand N-limited ecosystems, the differentiation of N use seems to be a major cause of variations observed in foliar δ15N values throughout the campina–campinarana transect.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA) in Manaus for logistical support; M. A. Perez and F. Fracassi (CENA/USP) for technical lab support; and the field auxiliaries for their contributions in the field. Sílvia Mardegan had a fellowship from the “Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia—INPA” (CNPq, Brazil) and this research was supported by grants from CNPq (Project PPI 2—3105).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Avenida André Araújo, 2936, 69060-001, zip code: 478, Manaus, AM, Brazil

    Sílvia Fernanda Mardegan & Niro Higuchi

  2. Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Centenário, 303, Piracicaba, SP, 13416-000, Brazil

    Gabriela Bielefeld Nardoto, Marcelo Zacharias Moreira & Luiz Antonio Martinelli

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  1. Sílvia Fernanda Mardegan
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  2. Gabriela Bielefeld Nardoto
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  3. Niro Higuchi
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  4. Marcelo Zacharias Moreira
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  5. Luiz Antonio Martinelli
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Correspondence to Sílvia Fernanda Mardegan.

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Communicated by J. Major.

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Mardegan, S.F., Nardoto, G.B., Higuchi, N. et al. Nitrogen availability patterns in white-sand vegetations of Central Brazilian Amazon. Trees 23, 479–488 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-008-0293-9

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