Do Nitrogen and Phosphorus Additions Affect Nitrogen Fixation Associated with Tropical Mosses?
Tropical cloud forests are characterized by abundant and biodiverse mosses which grow epiphytically as well as on the ground. Nitrogen (N)-fixing cyanobacteria live in association with most mosses, and contribute greatly to the N pool via biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). However, the availability...
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/7/1443 |
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| author | Lina Avila Clasen Aya Permin Aline B. Horwath Daniel B. Metcalfe Kathrin Rousk |
| author_facet | Lina Avila Clasen Aya Permin Aline B. Horwath Daniel B. Metcalfe Kathrin Rousk |
| author_sort | Lina Avila Clasen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Tropical cloud forests are characterized by abundant and biodiverse mosses which grow epiphytically as well as on the ground. Nitrogen (N)-fixing cyanobacteria live in association with most mosses, and contribute greatly to the N pool via biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). However, the availability of nutrients, especially N and phosphorus (P), can influence BNF rates drastically. To evaluate the effects of increased N and P availability on BNF in mosses, we conducted a laboratory experiment where we added N and P, in isolation and combined, to three mosses (<i>Campylopus</i> sp., <i>Dicranum</i> sp. and <i>Thuidium peruvianum)</i> collected from a cloud forest in Peru. Our results show that N addition almost completely inhibited BNF within a day, whereas P addition caused variable results across moss species. Low N<sub>2</sub> fixation rates were observed in <i>Campylopus</i> sp. across the experiment. BNF in <i>Dicranum</i> sp. was decreased by all nutrients, while P additions seemed to promote BNF in <i>T. peruvianum</i>. Hence, each of the three mosses contributes distinctively to the ecosystem N pool depending on nutrient availability. Moreover, increased N input will likely significantly decrease BNF associated with mosses also in tropical cloud forests, thereby limiting N input to these ecosystems via the moss-cyanobacteria pathway. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:28:07Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:28:07Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
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| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-c1f8c949dddd4107a0f8cef59c1dc90f2023-11-17T17:22:35ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472023-03-01127144310.3390/plants12071443Do Nitrogen and Phosphorus Additions Affect Nitrogen Fixation Associated with Tropical Mosses?Lina Avila Clasen0Aya Permin1Aline B. Horwath2Daniel B. Metcalfe3Kathrin Rousk4Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, DenmarkDepartment of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, DenmarkBiological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UKDepartment of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, SwedenDepartment of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, DenmarkTropical cloud forests are characterized by abundant and biodiverse mosses which grow epiphytically as well as on the ground. Nitrogen (N)-fixing cyanobacteria live in association with most mosses, and contribute greatly to the N pool via biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). However, the availability of nutrients, especially N and phosphorus (P), can influence BNF rates drastically. To evaluate the effects of increased N and P availability on BNF in mosses, we conducted a laboratory experiment where we added N and P, in isolation and combined, to three mosses (<i>Campylopus</i> sp., <i>Dicranum</i> sp. and <i>Thuidium peruvianum)</i> collected from a cloud forest in Peru. Our results show that N addition almost completely inhibited BNF within a day, whereas P addition caused variable results across moss species. Low N<sub>2</sub> fixation rates were observed in <i>Campylopus</i> sp. across the experiment. BNF in <i>Dicranum</i> sp. was decreased by all nutrients, while P additions seemed to promote BNF in <i>T. peruvianum</i>. Hence, each of the three mosses contributes distinctively to the ecosystem N pool depending on nutrient availability. Moreover, increased N input will likely significantly decrease BNF associated with mosses also in tropical cloud forests, thereby limiting N input to these ecosystems via the moss-cyanobacteria pathway.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/7/1443cyanobacteriaecosystem ecologyglobal changemossesnitrogen fixationnutrient limitation |
| spellingShingle | Lina Avila Clasen Aya Permin Aline B. Horwath Daniel B. Metcalfe Kathrin Rousk Do Nitrogen and Phosphorus Additions Affect Nitrogen Fixation Associated with Tropical Mosses? Plants cyanobacteria ecosystem ecology global change mosses nitrogen fixation nutrient limitation |
| title | Do Nitrogen and Phosphorus Additions Affect Nitrogen Fixation Associated with Tropical Mosses? |
| title_full | Do Nitrogen and Phosphorus Additions Affect Nitrogen Fixation Associated with Tropical Mosses? |
| title_fullStr | Do Nitrogen and Phosphorus Additions Affect Nitrogen Fixation Associated with Tropical Mosses? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Do Nitrogen and Phosphorus Additions Affect Nitrogen Fixation Associated with Tropical Mosses? |
| title_short | Do Nitrogen and Phosphorus Additions Affect Nitrogen Fixation Associated with Tropical Mosses? |
| title_sort | do nitrogen and phosphorus additions affect nitrogen fixation associated with tropical mosses |
| topic | cyanobacteria ecosystem ecology global change mosses nitrogen fixation nutrient limitation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/7/1443 |
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