Differences in the growth response of three bryophyte species to nitrogen.
The effect of nitrogen on biomass production, shoot elongation and relative density of the mosses Pleurozium schreberi, Hylocomium splendens and Dicranum polysetum was studied in a chamber experiment. Monocultures were exposed to 10 N levels ranging from 0.02 to 7.35 g N m(-2) during a 90-day period. All the growth responses were unimodal, but the species showed differences in the shape parameters of the curves. Hylocomium and Pleurozium achieved optimum biomass production at a lower N level than Dicranum. Pleurozium had the highest biomass production per tissue N concentration. Tolerance to N was the widest in Dicranum, whereas Hylocomium had the narrowest tolerance. Dicranum retained N less efficiently from precipitation than the other two species, which explained its deviating response. All species translocated some N from parent to new shoots. The results emphasize that the individual responses of bryophytes to N should be known when species are used as bioindicators.
Salemaa
Maija
M
Finnish Forest Research Institute, Vantaa Research Unit, PO Box 18, FI-01301 Vantaa, Finland. maija.salemaa@metla.fi
Mäkipää
Raisa
R
Oksanen
Jari
J
D018533:Biomass; D044002:Bryophyta / Q000254:growth & development*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes / Q000378:metabolism; D013045:Species Specificity
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes; D009584:Nitrogen