Differential nitrogen cycling in semiarid sub-shrubs with contrasting leaf habit.
Nitrogen (N) is, after water, the most limiting resource in semiarid ecosystems. However, knowledge on the N cycling ability of semiarid woody plants is still very rudimentary. This study analyzed the seasonal change in the N concentrations and pools of the leaves and woody organs of two species of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2014-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3968058?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1818853443921510400 |
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| author | Sara Palacio Melchor Maestro Gabriel Montserrat-Martí |
| author_facet | Sara Palacio Melchor Maestro Gabriel Montserrat-Martí |
| author_sort | Sara Palacio |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Nitrogen (N) is, after water, the most limiting resource in semiarid ecosystems. However, knowledge on the N cycling ability of semiarid woody plants is still very rudimentary. This study analyzed the seasonal change in the N concentrations and pools of the leaves and woody organs of two species of semiarid sub-shrubs with contrasting leaf habit. The ability of both species to uptake, remobilize and recycle N, plus the main storage organ for N during summer drought were evaluated. We combined an observational approach in the field with experimental (15)N labelling of adult individuals grown in sand culture. Seasonal patterns of N concentrations were different between species and organs and foliar N concentrations of the summer deciduous Lepidium subulatum were almost double those of the evergreen Linum suffruticosum. L. subulatum up took ca. 60% more external N than the evergreen and it also had a higher N resorption efficiency and proficiency. Contrastingly, L. suffruticosum relied more on internal N remobilization for shoot growth. Differently to temperate species, the evergreen stored N preferentially in the main stem and old trunks, while the summer deciduous stored it in the foliage and young stems. The higher ability of L. subulatum to uptake external N can be related to its ability to perform opportunistic growth and exploit the sporadic pulses of N typical of semiarid ecosystems. Such ability may also explain its high foliar N concentrations and its preferential storage of N in leaves and young stems. Finally, L. suffruticosum had a lower ability to recycle N during leaf senescence. These strategies contrast with those of evergreen and deciduous species from temperate and boreal areas, highlighting the need of further studies on semiarid and arid plants. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T07:36:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-093916af0e194119b26ccc499a46d2b6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T07:36:54Z |
| publishDate | 2014-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-093916af0e194119b26ccc499a46d2b62022-12-21T20:30:34ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032014-01-0193e9318410.1371/journal.pone.0093184Differential nitrogen cycling in semiarid sub-shrubs with contrasting leaf habit.Sara PalacioMelchor MaestroGabriel Montserrat-MartíNitrogen (N) is, after water, the most limiting resource in semiarid ecosystems. However, knowledge on the N cycling ability of semiarid woody plants is still very rudimentary. This study analyzed the seasonal change in the N concentrations and pools of the leaves and woody organs of two species of semiarid sub-shrubs with contrasting leaf habit. The ability of both species to uptake, remobilize and recycle N, plus the main storage organ for N during summer drought were evaluated. We combined an observational approach in the field with experimental (15)N labelling of adult individuals grown in sand culture. Seasonal patterns of N concentrations were different between species and organs and foliar N concentrations of the summer deciduous Lepidium subulatum were almost double those of the evergreen Linum suffruticosum. L. subulatum up took ca. 60% more external N than the evergreen and it also had a higher N resorption efficiency and proficiency. Contrastingly, L. suffruticosum relied more on internal N remobilization for shoot growth. Differently to temperate species, the evergreen stored N preferentially in the main stem and old trunks, while the summer deciduous stored it in the foliage and young stems. The higher ability of L. subulatum to uptake external N can be related to its ability to perform opportunistic growth and exploit the sporadic pulses of N typical of semiarid ecosystems. Such ability may also explain its high foliar N concentrations and its preferential storage of N in leaves and young stems. Finally, L. suffruticosum had a lower ability to recycle N during leaf senescence. These strategies contrast with those of evergreen and deciduous species from temperate and boreal areas, highlighting the need of further studies on semiarid and arid plants.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3968058?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Sara Palacio Melchor Maestro Gabriel Montserrat-Martí Differential nitrogen cycling in semiarid sub-shrubs with contrasting leaf habit. PLoS ONE |
| title | Differential nitrogen cycling in semiarid sub-shrubs with contrasting leaf habit. |
| title_full | Differential nitrogen cycling in semiarid sub-shrubs with contrasting leaf habit. |
| title_fullStr | Differential nitrogen cycling in semiarid sub-shrubs with contrasting leaf habit. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Differential nitrogen cycling in semiarid sub-shrubs with contrasting leaf habit. |
| title_short | Differential nitrogen cycling in semiarid sub-shrubs with contrasting leaf habit. |
| title_sort | differential nitrogen cycling in semiarid sub shrubs with contrasting leaf habit |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3968058?pdf=render |
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