Nitrogen-fixing red alder trees tap rock-derived nutrients

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Steven Perakis, Julie C Pett-Ridge

Abstract

Symbiotic nitrogen (N)-fixing trees supply significant N inputs to forest ecosystems, leading to increased soil fertility, forest growth, and carbon storage. Rapid growth and stoichiometric constraints of N fixers also create high demands for rock-derived nutrients such as phosphorus (P), while excess fixed N can generate acidity and accelerate leaching of rock-derived nutrients such as calcium (Ca). This ability of N-fixing trees to accelerate cycles of Ca, P, and other rock-derived nutrients has fostered speculation of a direct link between N fixation and mineral weathering in terrestrial ecosystems. However, field evidence that N-fixing trees have enhanced access to rock-derived nutrients is lacking. Here we use strontium (Sr) isotopes as a tracer of nutrient sources in a mixed-species temperate rainforest to show that N-fixing trees access more rock-derived nutrients than nonfixing trees. The N-fixing tree red alder (Alnus rubra), on average, took up 8 to 18% more rock-derived Sr than five co-occurring nonfixing tree species, including two with high requirements for rock-derived nutrients. The increased access to rock-derived nutrients occurred despite spatial variation in community-wide Sr sources across the forest, and on...Continue Reading

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Citations

Aug 31, 2019·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Steven S Perakis, Julie C Pett-Ridge
Aug 31, 2019·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Mayank KrishnaSatish Chandra Garkoti
Jul 15, 2020·Annual Review of Microbiology·Caroline S Harwood
Nov 16, 2019·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Romain DarnajouxXinning Zhang
Jun 6, 2019·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Hans LambersJianmin Shi
Jun 6, 2019·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Steven S Perakis, Julie C Pett-Ridge
Apr 11, 2021·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Dimitar Z EpihovDavid J Beerling

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