Stanton, DE, Batterman, SA, Von Fischer, JC et al. (1 more author) (2019) Rapid nitrogen fixation by canopy microbiome in tropical forest determined by both phosphorus and molybdenum. Ecology, 100 (9). e02795. ISSN 0012-9658
Abstract
Biological nitrogen fixation is critical for the nitrogen cycle of tropical forests, yet we know little about the factors that control the microbial nitrogen fixers that colonize the microbiome of leaves and branches that make up a forest canopy. Forest canopies are especially prone to nutrient limitation because they are (1) disconnected from soil nutrient pools and (2) often subject to leaching. Earlier studies have suggested a role of phosphorus and molybdenum in controlling biological N‐fixation rates, but experimental confirmation has hitherto been unavailable. Here we present the results of a manipulation of canopy nutrient availability. Our findings demonstrate a primary role of phosphorus in constraining overall N fixation by canopy cyanobacteria, but also a secondary role of molybdenum in determining per‐cell fixation rates. A conservative evaluation suggests that canopy fixation can contribute to significant N fluxes at the ecosystem level, especially as bursts following atmospheric inputs of nutrient‐rich dust.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 by the Ecological Society of America. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | biogeochemistry; biological nitrogen fixation; cyanobacteria; molybdenum limitation; phosphorus limitation; phyllosphere; tropical forest canopy |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Geography (Leeds) > Ecology & Global Change (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number NERC NE/M019497/1 British Council, UK 275556724 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 17 Jun 2019 13:05 |
Last Modified: | 27 Sep 2019 13:27 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Ecological Society of America |
Identification Number: | 10.1002/ecy.2795 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:147387 |