title: Alterations in the metabolic fingerprint of Cladonia portentosa in response to atmospheric nitrogen deposition.
abstract: Nitrogen availability has profound ecological consequences in nutrient-limited systems. In terrestrial settings these would include the upland heaths, sand dunes and blanket bogs of temperate latitudes. Understanding the physiological consequences of nitrogen enrichment is a first critical step in predicting possible consequences. Results are presented from a metabolic fingerprinting study using Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to detect biochemical differences in the lichen Cladonia portentosa collected from 25 sites across mainland Britain varying in their nitrogen input. Partial least-squares regression analysis of the FTIR data demonstrated that changes in broad biochemical classes were consistently correlated with mean annual wet inorganic nitrogen deposition loads. These results demonstrated a direct coupling of a broad range of metabolic processes in C. portentosa to nitrogen deposition.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands Thurso 14 7JD, UK.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Freitag
authors.forename: Erika J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Hogan
authors.forename: Peter D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Crittenden
authors.forename: Gordon G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Allison
authors.forename: Simon C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Thain
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D001272:Atmosphere / Q000737:chemistry; D008011:Lichens / Q000378:metabolism*; D055442:Metabolome; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000378:metabolism; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011891:Rain / Q000737:chemistry; D012044:Regression Analysis; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D006113:United Kingdom
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D011134:Polysaccharides; D011506:Proteins; D009584:Nitrogen