Plant traits mediate foliar uptake of deposited nitrogen by mature woody plants.
Plant Cell Environ
; 2024 Aug 05.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39101480
ABSTRACT
Increased atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition significantly disturbs ecosystem N cycle. Although foliar interception and uptake of N deposition can provide an important alternative N supply to forest ecosystems, the mechanisms regulating foliar N uptake from wet deposition are not fully understood. Here, we selected 19 woody species with a wide range of plant traits from different functional groups and conducted a 15N isotope labelling experiment through brushing 15NH4 + and 15NO3 - solution on canopy leaves. Our findings demonstrate that leaves can directly absorb N from wet deposition within a few hours. The average leaf 15N recoveries were 10% and 28% under 15NH4 + and 15NO3 - treatments across species, respectively, while twig N recoveries were only 1%-7% of leaf N recoveries. Differences in foliar N uptake efficiency among species were closely associated with leaf traits but were little influenced by meteorological conditions or soil nutrient status. Specifically, plants with higher leaf N concentration, larger specific leaf area and lower wax concentration exhibited higher leaf N recovery. Our results indicated that tree canopies could directly absorb N from atmospheric deposition. We highlight the critical role of leaf traits in determining canopy foliar N uptake, which may consequently influence plant competition under elevated N deposition.
Texto completo:
1
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Plant Cell Environ
Asunto de la revista:
BOTANICA
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
China