Plant and Soil Nitrogen in an Ombrotrophic Peatland,Southern Canada

Ecosystems - We examined the concentration of nitrogen (N) and δ15N in vegetation and peat in the Mer Bleue bog, Ontario, Canada. Compared with other ecosystems, N concentration in bog plant...     

Primary and new production in the deep Canada Basin during summer 2002

The NOAA Ocean Exploration program provided the opportunity to measure the carbon and nitrogen productivity across the Canada Basin. This research examined the major environmental factors limiting the levels of primary production and possible future climate change on the ecosystems. The vertical distributions of the carbon and nitrogen uptakes of phytoplankton had similar patterns as their respective biomass concentrations which were low at the surface and highest in the chlorophyll-maximum layer. The annual carbon and new production rates of phytoplankton in the Canada Basin were about 5 and 1 g C m^–2, respectively. Nutrients were determined to be a main limiting factor at the surface, whereas light may be a major factor limiting phytoplankton productivity in the chlorophyll-maximum layer for open waters. The bottom surface of the ice has a low specific uptake and productivity of phytoplankton, indicating that photosynthetic activity might be controlled by both light and nutrients.     

Submerged aquatic macrophyte biomass in relation to sediment characteristics in ten temperate lakes*

SUMMARY. 1. This study links maximum biomass from eighteen aquatic macrophyte communities in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada, to sediment characteristics: chemically exchangeable nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, per cent organic matter, water content and texture, and to biotic variables: number of species and depth of maximum biomass. 2. Total biomass was positively and significantly related to sediment potassium content and to sediment texture. 3. Sediment nitrogen and potassium levels are correlated in the spring but not at the end of the growing season. 4. It appears that sediment potassium is a surrogate variable for the availability of sediment nitrogen which has been shown to limit aquatic macrophyte growth in this area.     

The influence of substrate quality and stream size on wood decomposition dynamics

Woody materials decayed more rapidly in a first order stream than in larger streams in eastern Quebec, Canada. The rate of annual mass loss (k) was highest (k=1.20) for alder wood chips in a first order stream and lowest (k=0.04) for black spruce wood chips in a ninth order stream. Decay rates for woody materials in a first order stream were inversely related to their initial lignin to nitrogen ratios. In larger streams, decay rates of woody materials were inversely related to their initial lignin concentrations. A number of quantifiable relationships were found to exist between the initial lignin and nitrogen contents of woody materials and the nitrogen dynamics of decaying wood.     

A review of anthropogenic sources of nitrogen and their effects on Canadian aquatic ecosystems

Nitrogen releases to air and water are low in most of Canada, but in southern areas with rapid development there are telltale signs of the problems from releases to air and water that are described elsewhere in this volume. These include higher nitrogen in water and releases to the atmosphere from urban areas, industry and agriculture. As a result, in parts of Ontario and Quebec underlain by Precambrian geology, nitrogen deposition is near the critical loads found for geologically similar areas of Europe. In particular, combined inputs of sulphuric and nitric acids are causing base cation depletion in forest soils and keeping some lakes at pH values too low to allow the recovery of biological communities. In southern Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, rapidly expanding human populations, industry and agriculture are causing high concentrations of nitrate in surface and groundwaters. At present, there is little sign of estuarine eutrophication in Canada, but it appears to be imminent on the Pacific coast, as the result of expanding human populations and intensifying agriculture in the lower Fraser Valley and Puget Sound. Steps should be taken now to prevent the widespread problems caused by nitrogen pollution that have occurred in Europe, the USA, and other populous and industrialized regions.Article Type: Review article. “ Wise men learn by other mens’ mistakes, fools by their own” Chaucer     

Foraging preferences of Canada geese among turfgrasses: Implications for reducing human–goose conflicts

Canada geese (Branta canadensis) can cause serious damage to turfgrass areas and create human health and safety concerns (e.g., collisions with aircraft, disease transmission). We conducted a study during 2005–2007 to determine if Canada geese exhibit a feeding preference among various commercially available turfgrasses. Behavioral responses of captive geese to 9 turfgrasses, bare ground, and litter were observed over 6 4-week trials during July–September following the installation of selected turfgrasses into experimental arenas. Captive geese preferred to forage on Kentucky bluegrass, creeping bentgrass, and fine fescue sods compared to centipedegrass, St. Augustinegrass, and zoysiagrass. Forage qualities and macronutrient levels varied among the turfgrasses and might explain the foraging preferences geese exhibited during this study. Canada goose feeding rate was positively correlated with crude protein, nitrogen content, and calcium, but negatively correlated with acid detergent fiber content, within various turfgrasses. Our findings suggest careful selection of turfgrasses could be an effective method for reducing Canada goose conflicts in urban and suburban areas. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.     

Soil and vegetation as the determinants of lake nitrogen concentrations in forested watersheds in British Columbia,Canada

This study used soil type, drainage class, parent material, and vegetation type to quantify the concentrations of lake water nitrogen for nine coastal lakes in forested watersheds in British Columbia, Canada. The results showed that forest soil type, drainage class, parent material, and vegetation type can predict more than 80% of the variance of nitrogen concentrations in these coastal lakes. The lakes in the watersheds with Orthic Humic Gleysol soils, moraine soil parent material, poor drainage, and coastal western hemlock and Douglas-fir vegetation type had higher nitrogen concentrations than the lakes in the watersheds with the other soil and vegetation types and properties. The impact factor of forest soil and vegetation on lake nitrogen concentration was defined according to the ability of each watershed soil and vegetation to contribute lake nitrogen input. This paper also demonstrates how to construct a model of lake nitrogen concentrations in response to the change of forest vegetation types and soil properties. The developed models can be used as watershed management tools for establishing and maintaining high quality water through managing soil and vegetation in forested watersheds.     

Frost damage and winter nitrogen uptake by the grass Poa pratensis L.: consequences for vegetative versus reproductive growth

Frost damage can decrease nitrogen uptake by grasses over winter, and it can also decrease biomass production over the following growing season. However, it is not clear to what extent reduced nitrogen uptake over winter decreases grass production, or whether is it merely a symptom of root damage. We examined the growth response of the grass Poa pratensis L. (Kentucky bluegrass) to variation in the timing of freezing and nitrogen availability over winter in London, Ontario, Canada. All tillers were transplanted into untreated soil in early spring, and at peak seed maturation, root, shoot, and reproductive biomass were measured. There was an interaction between freezing and increased winter nitrogen availability, whereby nitrogen addition increased tiller biomass under ambient temperatures, but decreased tiller biomass in combination with a late winter freeze. The nitrogen response of ambient temperature tillers occurred primarily via increased seed production, whereas for frozen tillers seed production was generally absent. Our results support the hypothesis that nitrogen uptake over winter can increase growing season productivity in P. pratensis, but also demonstrate that increased nitrogen availability increases tiller vulnerability to frost. These results have important implications for grass responses to the alteration of soil freezing dynamics with climate change.     

Nitrogen dynamics in an Alaskan salt marsh following spring use by geese

Lesser snow geese (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) and Canada geese (Branta canadensis) use several salt marshes in Cook Inlet, Alaska, as stopover areas for brief periods during spring migration. We investigated the effects of geese on nitrogen cycling processes in Susitna Flats, one of the marshes. We compared net nitrogen mineralization, organic nitrogen pools and production in buried bags, nitrogen fixation by cyanobacteria, and soil and litter characteristics on grazed plots versus paired plots that had been exclosed from grazing for 3 years. Grazed areas had higher rates of net nitrogen mineralization in the spring and there was no effect of grazing on organic nitrogen availability. The increased mineralization rates in grazed plots could not be accounted for by alteration of litter quality, litter quantity, microclimate, or root biomass, which were not different between grazed and exclosed plots. In addition, fecal input was very slight in the year that we studied nitrogen cycling. We propose that trampling had two effects that could account for greater nitrogen availability in grazed areas: litter incorporation into soil, resulting in increased rates of decomposition and mineralization of litter material, and greater rates of nitrogen fixation by cyanobacteria on bare, trampled soils. A path analysis indicated that litter incorporation by trampling played a primary role in the nitrogen dynamics of the system, with nitrogen fixation secondary, and that fecal input was of little importance.     

Free amino acid, ammonium and nitrate concentrations in soil solutions of a grazed coastal marsh in relation to plant growth

Soluble free amino acids, ammonium and nitrate ions as sources of nitrogen for plant growth were measured in soils of a coastal marsh grazed by snow geese in Manitoba, Canada. Amounts of nitrogen, primarily ammonium ions, increased in the latter half of the growing season and over winter, but fell to low values early in the growing season. Free amino acid concentrations relative to ammonium concentrations were highest during the period of rapid plant growth in early summer, especially in soils in the intertidal zone, where the median ratio of amino acid nitrogen to ammonium nitrogen was 0·36 and amino acid concentrations exceeded those of ammonium ions in 24% of samples. Amino acid profiles, which were dominated by alanine, proline and glutamic acid, were similar to goose faecal profiles. In a continuous flow hydroponic experiment conducted in the field, growth of the salt‐marsh grass, Puccinellia phryganodes, on glycine was similar to growth on ammonium ions at an equivalent concentration of nitrogen. When supplies of soil inorganic nitrogen are low, amino acids represent a potentially important source of nitrogen for the re‐growth of plants grazed by geese and amino acid uptake may be as high as 57% that of ammonium ions.     

Water and nitrogen addition differentially impact plant competition in a native rough fescue grassland

We examined how water and nitrogen addition and water–nitrogen interactions affect root and shoot competition intensity and competition–productivity relationships in a native rough fescue grassland in central Alberta, Canada. Water and nitrogen were added in a factorial design to plots and root exclusion tubes and netting were used to isolate root and shoot competition on two focal species (Artemisia frigida and Chenopodium leptophyllum). Both water and nitrogen were limiting to plant growth, and focal plant survival rates increased with nitrogen but not water addition. Relative allocation to root biomass increased with water addition. Competition was almost entirely belowground, with focal plants larger when released from root but not shoot competition. There were no significant relationships between productivity and root, shoot, or total competition intensity, likely because in this system shoot biomass was too low to cause strong shoot competition and root biomass was above the levels at which root competition saturates. Water addition had few effects on the intensity of root competition suggesting that root competition intensity is invariant along soil moisture gradients. Contrary to general expectation, the strength of root competition increased with nitrogen addition demonstrating that the relationship between root competition intensity and nitrogen is more complex than a simple monotonic decline as nitrogen increases. Finally, there were few interactions between nitrogen and water affecting competition. Together these results indicate that the mechanisms of competition for water and nitrogen likely differ.     

A test of McGinley and Charnov's multiple resource pool hypothesis

Summary McGinley and Charnov (1988) propose that seasonal seed weight decline results from optimization of independently varying resource components: in particular, carbon and nitrogen. Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) (L.) Scop, does not express seasonal seed weight reduction when the number of seeds competing for the plant's resources is reduced by low pollination success. Seeds sampled from thistles treated to high and low pollination regimes were analyzed here for relative investment of carbon and nitrogen. The ratio of these two elements remained constant over the season in both treatment groups. The seasonal decline in mean seed weight displayed by this plant under high pollination is therefore not explainable by McGinley and Charnov's multiple resource pool hypothesis.     

The Pitcher Plant Sarracenia purpurea Can Directly Acquire Organic Nitrogen and Short-Circuit the Inorganic Nitrogen Cycle

Background

Despite the large stocks of organic nitrogen in soil, nitrogen availability limits plant growth in many terrestrial ecosystems because most plants take up only inorganic nitrogen, not organic nitrogen. Although some vascular plants can assimilate organic nitrogen directly, only recently has organic nitrogen been found to contribute significantly to the nutrient budget of any plant. Carnivorous plants grow in extremely nutrient-poor environments and carnivory has evolved in these plants as an alternative pathway for obtaining nutrients. We tested if the carnivorous pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea could directly take up intact amino acids in the field and compared uptake of organic and inorganic forms of nitrogen across a gradient of nitrogen deposition. We hypothesized that the contribution of organic nitrogen to the nitrogen budget of the pitcher plant would decline with increasing nitrogen deposition.

Methodology and Principal Findings

At sites in Canada (low nitrogen deposition) and the United States (high nitrogen deposition), individual pitchers were fed two amino acids, glycine and phenylalanine, and inorganic nitrogen (as ammonium nitrate), individually and in mixture. Plants took up intact amino acids. Acquisition of each form of nitrogen provided in isolation exceeded uptake of the same form in mixture. At the high deposition site, uptake of organic nitrogen was higher than uptake of inorganic nitrogen. At the low deposition site, uptake of all three forms of nitrogen was similar. Completeness of the associated detritus-based food web that inhabits pitcher-plant leaves and breaks down captured prey had no effect on nitrogen uptake.

Conclusions and Significance

By taking up intact amino acids, Sarracenia purpurea can short-circuit the inorganic nitrogen cycle, thus minimizing potential bottlenecks in nitrogen availability that result from the plant''s reliance for nitrogen mineralization on a seasonally reconstructed food web operating on infrequent and irregular prey capture.     

Causes and consequences of variation in diet composition of nestling Canada jays

Diet quality during development can impact growth, physiology, behaviour and survival. The Canada jay is a resident boreal passerine that caches a wide variety of perishable food items in late summer and autumn for its over‐winter survival and late‐winter reproduction. A previous experiment found evidence that food supplementation of Canada jay pairs during the nestling period had a positive effect on the condition of their nestlings. However, given that foods cached by adults vary widely in nutritional content, the composition of nestling diets could also have an important influence on offspring development. In a population of Canada jays in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, we investigated the influence of environmental conditions before and during the breeding season on nestling diet composition and the consequences of nestling diet composition on the body condition of nestlings and on their subsequent survival. Using stable‐carbon (δ¹³C) and ‐nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotopes, we estimated the proportion of three food groups (vertebrates + human food, invertebrates and plants) in feathers from almost 200 nestlings. Nestling diet in March and April was influenced by environmental conditions 5–6 months prior to hatching, with warmer and more variable autumn temperatures associated with a greater proportion of vertebrate flesh and human food in the diet. However, the proportion of vertebrates and human food in the diet had no influence on nestling body condition or whether an individual was observed the following fall. Our results, in conjunction with previous work on Canada jays, suggest that the quantity of food available to a nestling during development may be more important than diet composition.     

Modeling of anammox process with the biowin software suite

Mathematical modeling of the biotechnology for the removal of ammonium nitrogen from wastewater based on the anammox process was performed with the specialized BioWin software suite (EnviroSim Associates Ltd., Canada). Nitrogen removal by means of the transformation of ammonium nitrogen to molecular nitrogen was conducted in a continuous stirred bioreactor carrying both suspended and immobilized activated sludge. Both basic values of the kinetic and stoichiometric coefficients are incorporated in the BioWin software, and those that changed based on the results of the experimental studies were used for the calculations. The optimal temperature and dissolved oxygen concentration revealed by mathematical modeling were 35°C and 0.14 mg/L. The results obtained from calculations were similar to those obtained in the experiments. The calculated and experimental concentrations of ammonium, nitrites, and nitrates in the treated water were similar and comprised 10.7 and 11.7% of the initial concentration entering the bioreactor, respectively. The selected mathematical model possessed a high predictive ability for the calculation of biotechnologies based on the anammox process     

Classification of peatland vegetation in Atlantic Canada

Abstract. The peatlands of Atlantic Canada are classified in four plant alliances, consisting of 10 plant associations. The four plant alliances comprise the dry bog communities (Kalmio-Cladonion Wells 1981), wet bog communities (Scirpo-Sphagnion Wells 1981), hummock and ridge communities of slope and string fens (Betulo-Sphagnion Wells all. nov.), and poor, intermediate and rich fen plant communities (Scirpo-Myricion Wells 1981). Distribution maps are presented for relevés in each of the 10 associations. Based on species distributions, floristic regions are defined for peatlands in Atlantic Canada. Nutritional characteristics are also described for each plant association. pH and total soil concentrations of calcium, nitrogen and iron proved reliable in separating bog from fen. A boundary between ombrotrophic peatlands and minerotrophic peatlands is suggested, based on a soil pH of 4.0, total soil concentrations of 3.0 mg g^?1 Ca, 4.0 mg g^?1 Fe, 13.0 mg g^?1 N and a Ca/Mg ratio of 2.5. Comparisons between the syntaxa for peatlands in Atlantic Canada and those in Europe are discussed for higher taxa. The possibility of establishing a new order (Chamaedaphno-Scirpetalia Wells ord. nov.) for peatlands in Atlantic Canada is also discussed.     

Lactation during hibernation in wild black bears: effects on plasma amino acids and nitrogen metabolites.

This study examined the seasonal and reproductive influences on individual plasma amino acid concentrations and nitrogen metabolites in a black bear population (Ontario, Canada). During hibernation, 11 of 23 plasma amino acids were significantly higher (13%-108%) in lactating than in nonlactating females, without an alteration in plasma total protein or total essential or nonessential amino acid levels. The greatest changes were observed in glutamine, arginine, and glycine levels. Plasma urea, urea/creatinine, and ammonia levels were significantly lower in hibernating compared with active female bears, but lactation had no effect on these parameters. Taken together these results show that lactation during hibernation is an additional metabolic challenge that results in increased mobilization of individual plasma amino acids and no accumulation of nitrogen end products, underlining the remarkable efficiency of amino acid and urea recycling in denning female black bears.     

Symbiotic effectiveness of strains of Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar phaseoli isolated from soils of Rwanda

We have isolated 48 strains of Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar phaseoli from nodules of Phaseolus vulgaris L. cultivated on 32 different soils at 22 various locations in Rwanda, Central Africa. The symbiotic effectiveness of the strains was appraised in the greenhouse by measuring shoots dry matter and total plant nitrogen content after six weeks of growth. Of the strains tested 19%, 58% and 23% were rated very effective, effective and ineffective, respectively. A very significant correlation (r=0.96, P<0.01) was observed between shoots dry matter and total N content. By using the total nitrogen balance method, it was estimated that in the presence of a very effective strain, up to 86% of the N present in the shoots comes from N₂ fixation. No significant correlations were observed between the symbiotic effectiveness of the strains and the pH of the soils from which they originated, the tolerance of the strains to acidity or their ability to produce organic acids. The nine very effective strains selected were highly competitive against two ineffective strains with the two P. vulgaris cultivars Rubona-5 and Kiryumukwe.Contribution no 367, Station de recherches, Agriculture Canada.Contribution no 367, Station de recherches, Agriculture Canada.     

Nitrogen isotope signature variability in plant species from open peatland

We report natural abundance of ¹⁵N content in a suite of plants and lichens from a sloping open peatland in coastal northern British Columbia, Canada. A wide range of δ¹⁵N values varying between −11 and +3‰ were observed in the studied species. Herbs, mosses, and shrubs generally grouped individually along the δ¹⁵N gradient from enriched to more depleted values. This grouping probably reflects similar nitrogen acquiring strategies within the group, but some species with different strategies showed deviated δ¹⁵N values from the cluster. Hummock-lawn gradient, which is illustrated as depth to water table, explains the variation in δ¹⁵N signature of cryptogams: the deeper the groundwater table, the more depleted is the ¹⁵N. This trend might be explained by differences in nitrogen sources and/or differences in internal fractionation during nitrogen translocation processes.