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Plant uptake of organic nitrogen in two peatlands

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Abstract

Aims

Peatland porewaters frequently contain large concentrations of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), but small concentrations of inorganic N (NH4+ and NO3−). Our aim was to test whether peatland plants, with low tissue N concentrations (0.7 to 1.7%), have the ability to take up organic forms of N, specifically glycine.

Methods

We applied dual-labeled (13C and 15N) glycine to two peatlands: an ombrotrophic bog in eastern Canada and a New Zealand restiad bog undergoing restoration. We compared the δ13C and δ15N values of control and treated above and below-ground plant tissues to establish whether the glycine had been taken up.

Results

At the Canadian bog, the moss, shrub and sedge species treated with glycine showed significant increases in δ15N, above and below-ground, and there was evidence of a significant change in δ13C in shrub roots. At the New Zealand peatland, above- and below-ground tissues of the two restiad species and the roots of the sedge species showed significantly increased δ15N, while only the sedge roots showed a significant increase in δ13C.

Conclusions

All but one of the nine plant species examined showed significant uptake of 15N in foliage and all roots showed increases in 15N. Variations in uptake appear to be partially related to the plant type and root characteristics. Large variations in C, 13C, N and 15N concentration within treatments precluded strong evidence of whether uptake included intact glycine.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Hélène Lalande of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, J-F Helie of GEOTOP, Université du Québec à Montreal and Anjana Rajendram of the Waikato Stable Isotope Unit, University of Waikato for laboratory assistance. We thank Louis Schipper for advice on the study and its interpretation and three reviewers whose comments improved the manuscript. The research was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Fonds de Recherche du Québec Nature et Technologies, Landcare Research NZ and the University of Waikato.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Global Environmental & Climate Change Centre, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke St. W., Montreal, QC, H3A 0B9, Canada

    Tim R. Moore & Amanda Alfonso

  2. Landcare Research NZ, Private Bag 3127, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand

    Beverley R. Clarkson

Authors
  1. Tim R. Moore
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  2. Amanda Alfonso
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  3. Beverley R. Clarkson
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Correspondence to Tim R. Moore.

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Responsible Editor: Xinhua He.

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Moore, T.R., Alfonso, A. & Clarkson, B.R. Plant uptake of organic nitrogen in two peatlands. Plant Soil 433, 391–400 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-018-3851-y

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