title: Organic nitrogen uptake is a significant contributor to nitrogen economy of subtropical epiphytic bryophytes.
abstract: Without any root contact with the soil, epiphytic bryophytes must experience and explore poor, patchy, and heterogeneous habitats; while, the nitrogen (N) uptake and use strategies of these organisms remain uncharacterized, which obscures their roles in the N cycle. To investigate the N sources, N preferences, and responses to enhanced N deposition in epiphytic bryophytes, we carried out an in situ manipulation experiment via the (15)N labelling technique in an Asian cloud forest. Epiphytic bryophytes obtained more N from air deposition than from the bark, but the contribution of N from the bark was non-negligible. Glycine accounted for 28.4% to 44.5% of the total N in bryophyte tissue, which implies that organic N might serve as an important N source. Increased N deposition increased the total N uptake, but did not alter the N preference of the epiphytic bryophytes. This study provides sound evidence that epiphytic bryophytes could take up N from the bark and wet deposition in both organic and inorganic N forms. It is thus important to consider organic N and bark N sources, which were usually neglected, when estimating the role of epiphytic bryophytes in N cycling and the impacts of N deposition on epiphytic bryophytes in cloud forests.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, P. R. China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Hua-Zheng
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modelling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xing-Liang
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Su
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, P. R. China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xian-Meng
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, P. R. China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, P. R. China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, P. R. China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jun-Biao
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, P. R. China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, P. R. China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, P. R. China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China.|Ailaoshan Station for Subtropical Forest Ecosystem Studies, Jingdong 676209, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Chuan-Sheng
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Wen-Yao
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D044002:Bryophyta / Q000378:metabolism*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D065947:Rainforest; D014329:Tropical Climate
chemical_list: D009584:Nitrogen