Across-habitat comparison of diazotroph activity in the subarctic

Kathrin Rousk; Pernille Lærkedal Sørensen; Signe Lett; Anders Michelsen

doi:10.1007/s00248-014-0534-y

Across-habitat comparison of diazotroph activity in the subarctic

Kathrin Rousk, Pernille Lærkedal Sørensen, Signe Lett, Anders Michelsen

Terrestrial Ecology

32 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Nitrogen (N) fixation by N₂-fixing bacteria (diazotrophs) is the primary N input to pristine ecosystems like boreal forests and subarctic and arctic tundra. However, the contribution by the various diazotrophs to habitat N₂ fixation remains unclear. We present results from in situ assessments of N₂ fixation of five diazotroph associations (with a legume, lichen, feather moss, Sphagnum moss and free-living) incorporating the ground cover of the associations in five typical habitats in the subarctic (wet and dry heath, polygon-heath, birch forest, mire). Further, we assessed the importance of soil and air temperature, as well as moisture conditions for N₂ fixation. Across the growing season, the legume had the highest total as well as the highest fraction of N₂ fixation rates at habitat level in the heaths (>85 % of habitat N₂ fixation), whereas the free-living diazotrophs had the highest N₂ fixation rates in the polygon heath (56 %), the lichen in the birch forest (87 %) and Sphagnum in the mire (100 %). The feather moss did not contribute more than 15 % to habitat N₂ fixation in any of the habitats despite its high ground cover. Moisture content seemed to be a major driver of N₂ fixation in the lichen, feather moss and free-living diazotrophs. Our results show that the range of N₂ fixers found in pristine habitats contribute differently to habitat N₂ fixation and that ground cover of the associates does not necessarily mirror contribution.

Original language	English
Journal	Microbial Ecology
Volume	69
Issue number	4
Pages (from-to)	778-787
Number of pages	10
ISSN	0095-3628
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-014-0534-y
Publication status	Published - 1 May 2015

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title = "Across-habitat comparison of diazotroph activity in the subarctic",

abstract = "Nitrogen (N) fixation by N2-fixing bacteria (diazotrophs) is the primary N input to pristine ecosystems like boreal forests and subarctic and arctic tundra. However, the contribution by the various diazotrophs to habitat N2 fixation remains unclear. We present results from in situ assessments of N2 fixation of five diazotroph associations (with a legume, lichen, feather moss, Sphagnum moss and free-living) incorporating the ground cover of the associations in five typical habitats in the subarctic (wet and dry heath, polygon-heath, birch forest, mire). Further, we assessed the importance of soil and air temperature, as well as moisture conditions for N2 fixation. Across the growing season, the legume had the highest total as well as the highest fraction of N2 fixation rates at habitat level in the heaths (>85 % of habitat N2 fixation), whereas the free-living diazotrophs had the highest N2 fixation rates in the polygon heath (56 %), the lichen in the birch forest (87 %) and Sphagnum in the mire (100 %). The feather moss did not contribute more than 15 % to habitat N2 fixation in any of the habitats despite its high ground cover. Moisture content seemed to be a major driver of N2 fixation in the lichen, feather moss and free-living diazotrophs. Our results show that the range of N2 fixers found in pristine habitats contribute differently to habitat N2 fixation and that ground cover of the associates does not necessarily mirror contribution.",

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T1 - Across-habitat comparison of diazotroph activity in the subarctic

AU - Rousk, Kathrin

AU - Sørensen, Pernille Lærkedal

AU - Lett, Signe

AU - Michelsen, Anders

N1 - CENPERM[2015]

PY - 2015/5/1

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N2 - Nitrogen (N) fixation by N2-fixing bacteria (diazotrophs) is the primary N input to pristine ecosystems like boreal forests and subarctic and arctic tundra. However, the contribution by the various diazotrophs to habitat N2 fixation remains unclear. We present results from in situ assessments of N2 fixation of five diazotroph associations (with a legume, lichen, feather moss, Sphagnum moss and free-living) incorporating the ground cover of the associations in five typical habitats in the subarctic (wet and dry heath, polygon-heath, birch forest, mire). Further, we assessed the importance of soil and air temperature, as well as moisture conditions for N2 fixation. Across the growing season, the legume had the highest total as well as the highest fraction of N2 fixation rates at habitat level in the heaths (>85 % of habitat N2 fixation), whereas the free-living diazotrophs had the highest N2 fixation rates in the polygon heath (56 %), the lichen in the birch forest (87 %) and Sphagnum in the mire (100 %). The feather moss did not contribute more than 15 % to habitat N2 fixation in any of the habitats despite its high ground cover. Moisture content seemed to be a major driver of N2 fixation in the lichen, feather moss and free-living diazotrophs. Our results show that the range of N2 fixers found in pristine habitats contribute differently to habitat N2 fixation and that ground cover of the associates does not necessarily mirror contribution.

AB - Nitrogen (N) fixation by N2-fixing bacteria (diazotrophs) is the primary N input to pristine ecosystems like boreal forests and subarctic and arctic tundra. However, the contribution by the various diazotrophs to habitat N2 fixation remains unclear. We present results from in situ assessments of N2 fixation of five diazotroph associations (with a legume, lichen, feather moss, Sphagnum moss and free-living) incorporating the ground cover of the associations in five typical habitats in the subarctic (wet and dry heath, polygon-heath, birch forest, mire). Further, we assessed the importance of soil and air temperature, as well as moisture conditions for N2 fixation. Across the growing season, the legume had the highest total as well as the highest fraction of N2 fixation rates at habitat level in the heaths (>85 % of habitat N2 fixation), whereas the free-living diazotrophs had the highest N2 fixation rates in the polygon heath (56 %), the lichen in the birch forest (87 %) and Sphagnum in the mire (100 %). The feather moss did not contribute more than 15 % to habitat N2 fixation in any of the habitats despite its high ground cover. Moisture content seemed to be a major driver of N2 fixation in the lichen, feather moss and free-living diazotrophs. Our results show that the range of N2 fixers found in pristine habitats contribute differently to habitat N2 fixation and that ground cover of the associates does not necessarily mirror contribution.

U2 - 10.1007/s00248-014-0534-y

DO - 10.1007/s00248-014-0534-y

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 25403111

SN - 0095-3628

VL - 69

SP - 778

EP - 787

JO - Microbial Ecology

JF - Microbial Ecology

IS - 4

ER -

Across-habitat comparison of diazotroph activity in the subarctic

Abstract

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