Which root traits determine nitrogen uptake by alpine plant species on the Tibetan Plateau?

被引:70
作者
Hong, Jiangtao [1 ]
Ma, Xingxing [2 ]
Yan, Yan [1 ]
Zhang, Xiaoke [3 ]
Wang, Xiaodan [1 ]
机构
[1] Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Mt Hazards & Environm, 9,Block 4,Renminnanlu Rd, Chengdu 610041, Peoples R China
[2] Shanxi Normal Univ, Coll Urban & Environm Sci, Linfen 041000, Peoples R China
[3] Hohai Univ, Sch Publ Adm, Nanjing 210098, Jiangsu, Peoples R China
基金
中国国家自然科学基金;
关键词
Ammonium nitrogen; Nitrate nitrogen; Glycine; Root morphology; Nitrogen absorption; ORGANIC NITROGEN; SOIL MICROBES; FINE ROOTS; NICHE COMPLEMENTARITY; NITRATE UPTAKE; ARCTIC TUNDRA; PEACH-TREES; FOREST; FORMS; PREFERENCES;
D O I
10.1007/s11104-017-3434-3
中图分类号
S3 [农学(农艺学)];
学科分类号
0901 ;
摘要
Nitrogen (N) is one of the most important limiting factors influencing plant growth and reproduction in alpine and tundra ecosystems. However, in situ observations of the effects of root traits on N absorption by alpine plant species are still lacking. We investigated the rates of N uptake and the effect of root characteristics in ten common herbaceous alpine plant species using a N-15 isotope tracer technique and the root systems of plants growing in a semi-arid steppe environment on the Tibetan Plateau. Our objective was to determine the root traits (root biomass, volume, surface area, average diameter, length, specific root length and specific root area) that make the largest contribution to the total uptake of N (N-15-NO3 (-), N-15-NH4 (+) or N-15-glycine) by alpine plant species. Monocotyledonous species had higher absorption rates for N-15-NH4 (+), N-15-NO3 (-), N-15-glycine and total N-15 than dicotyledonous species (P < 0.05). The root biomass, volume, surface area and average diameter were negatively correlated with the absorption capacity for N-15-NH4 (+), N-15-NO3 (-) and total N-15 across the ten alpine plant species. However, the specific root length and the specific root area had significantly positive effects on the uptake of N. In contrast with traditional views on the uptake of N, the N uptake rate was not improved by a larger root volume or root surface area for these alpine plant species in a high-altitude ecosystem. Root morphological traits had greater impacts on N absorption than traits related to the root system size in alpine herbaceous plants.
引用
收藏
页码:63 / 72
页数:10
相关论文
共 62 条
[1]   Preferences or plasticity in nitrogen acquisition by understorey palms in a tropical montane forest [J].
Andersen, Kelly M. ;
Turner, Benjamin L. .
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, 2013, 101 (03) :819-825
[2]   Uptake of pulse injected nitrogen by soil microbes and mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants in a species-diverse subarctic heath ecosystem [J].
Andresen, Louise C. ;
Jonasson, Sven ;
Strom, Lena ;
Michelsen, Anders .
PLANT AND SOIL, 2008, 313 (1-2) :283-295
[3]  
[Anonymous], 1991, MEASURING GROWTH DEV
[4]   Nitrogen preferences and plant-soil feedbacks as influenced by neighbors in the alpine tundra [J].
Ashton, I. W. ;
Miller, A. E. ;
Bowman, W. D. ;
Suding, K. N. .
OECOLOGIA, 2008, 156 (03) :625-636
[5]   Niche complementarity due to plasticity in resource use: plant partitioning of chemical N forms [J].
Ashton, Isabel W. ;
Miller, Amy E. ;
Bowman, William D. ;
Suding, Katharine N. .
ECOLOGY, 2010, 91 (11) :3252-3260
[6]   CONSTRAINTS OF NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY ON PRIMARY PRODUCTION IN 2 ALPINE TUNDRA COMMUNITIES [J].
BOWMAN, WD ;
THEODOSE, TA ;
SCHARDT, JC ;
CONANT, RT .
ECOLOGY, 1993, 74 (07) :2085-2097
[7]   Evolutionary divergences in root system morphology, allocation, and nitrogen uptake in species from high-versus low-fertility soils [J].
Bowsher, Alan W. ;
Miller, Benjamin J. ;
Donovan, Lisa A. .
FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY, 2016, 43 (02) :129-140
[8]   Nitrate uptake ability by maize roots during and after drought stress [J].
Buljovcic, Z ;
Engels, C .
PLANT AND SOIL, 2001, 229 (01) :125-135
[9]   Effects of soil freezing on fine roots in a northern hardwood forest [J].
Cleavitt, Natalie L. ;
Fahey, Timothy J. ;
Groffman, Peter M. ;
Hardy, Janet P. ;
Henry, Karen S. ;
Driscoll, Charles T. .
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH, 2008, 38 (01) :82-91
[10]   Reconciling plant strategy theories of Grime and Tilman [J].
Craine, JM .
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, 2005, 93 (06) :1041-1052