Changes in Nitrogen Metabolism of Vigna Radiata in Response to Elevated CO2

With the aim to determine the effects of CO₂ on nitrogen metabolism mungbean (Vigna radiata) plants were grown from seedling emergence to maturity inside open top chambers under ambient CO₂ (CA, 350 ± 25 µmol mol^–1) and elevated CO₂ (CE, 600 ± 50 µmol mol^–1) concentrations at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. Leaflet blades of the same physiological age were sampled at 20, 35 and 50 d after germination. Total nitrogen concentration in dry mass was consistently lower under CE than in CA. Non-protein nitrogen and protein nitrogen were also decreased under CE Total soluble protein content also decreased up to 35 d after germination under CE. However, a 27 % increase in protein content at 50 d after germination due to CE was observed. A significant decrease in total free amino acid under CE at 20 d after germination was observed. CE also brought about a remarkable decrease in the activity of nitrate reductase in leaves at 20 d after germination but increase at 35 d and 50 d after germination. Nitrogenase activity increased at all growth stages due to CE. Although total harvested leaves of CE plants accumulated more nitrogen, the relative amount of nitrogen on a percentage basis was low, probably due to a comparatively greater accumulation of sugars in the leaves of CE plants.     

Changes in Growth and Nitrogen Assimilation in Maize Plants Induced by NaCl and Growth Regulators

Experiments were conducted to determine the interactive effects of salinity and certain growth regulators on growth and nitrogen assimilation in maize (Zea mays L. cv. GS-2). 100 mM NaCl inhibited the biomass accumulation, chlorophyll and carotenoid contents in leaves, nitrate content and uptake and nitrate reductase activity. The application of kinetin, ascorbic acid and 10 and 50 μM abscisic acid in the first experiment and 50 and 100 μM abscisic acid in the second experiment induced a substantial increase in the above parameters, the effect was highest with abscisic acid in salinized as well as non-salinized plants. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Long-Term Nitrogen Additions and Nitrogen Saturation in Two Temperate Forests

This article reports responses of two different forest ecosystems to 9 years (1988–96) of chronic nitrogen (N) additions at the Harvard Forest, Petersham, Massachusetts. Ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃) was applied to a pine plantation and a native deciduous broad-leaved (hardwood) forest in six equal monthly doses (May–September) at four rates: control (no fertilizer addition), low N (5 g N m^-2 y^-1), high N (15 g N m^-2 y^-1), and low N + sulfur (5 g N m^-2 y^-1 plus 7.4 g S m^-2 y^-1). Measurements were made of net N mineralization, net nitrification, N retention, wood production, foliar N content and litter production, soil C and N content, and concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) in soil water. In the pine stand, nitrate losses were measured after the first year of additions (1989) in the high N plot and increased again in 1995 and 1996. The hardwood stand showed no significant increases in nitrate leaching until 1995 (high N only), with further increases in 1996. Overall N retention efficiency (percentage of added N retained) over the 9-year period was 97–100% in the control and low N plots of both stands, 96% in the hardwood high N plot, and 85% in the pine high N plot. Storage in aboveground biomass, fine roots, and soil extractable pools accounted for only 16–32% of the added N retained in the amended plots, suggesting that the one major unmeasured pool, soil organic matter, contains the remaining 68–84%. Short-term redistribution of ¹⁵N tracer at natural abundance levels showed similar division between plant and soil pools. Direct measurements of changes in total soil C and N pools were inconclusive due to high variation in both stands. Woody biomass production increased in the hardwood high N plot but was significantly reduced in the pine high N plot, relative to controls. A drought-induced increase in foliar litterfall in the pine stand in 1995 is one possible factor leading to a measured increase in N mineralization, nitrification, and nitrate loss in the pine high N plot in 1996. Received 2 April 1999; Accepted 29 October 1999.     

施氮对不同品种冬小麦植株硝态氮和硝酸还原酶活性的影响

以黄土高原南部半湿润区土垫旱耕人为土为供试土壤进行盆栽试验,以NR 9405、9430、偃师9号、小偃6号、陕229号和西农2208冬小麦品种为供试材料,研究施氮对不同品种冬小麦植株硝态氮含量和硝酸还原酶活性(NRA)的影响.结果表明,施氮能明显增加叶片NRA.不施氮时除小偃6号和偃师9号外,其余品种NRA在全生育时期的动态变化均呈双峰曲线,2个高峰期分别在返青期和开花期,且开花期高峰值(36.17 NO2-μg.-g 1FW.h-1)明显比返青期峰值(15.407 NO2-μg.-g 1FW.h-1)大;施氮时不同品种叶片NRA在全生育期呈单峰曲线变化,最高峰在开花期,平均峰值为80.93 NO2-μg.-g 1FW.h-1),比同期不施氮处理增加1倍以上.施氮后地上部硝态氮含量在各时期均显著提高,在小麦生育前期(出苗到拔节)表现最为显著.氮肥对不同品种硝态氮含量的影响程度基本上与对NRA的影响程度相反,即施氮后硝态氮增加幅度小的品种,NRA却增加幅度大.     

Changes in Asymbiotic, Heterotrophic Nitrogen Fixation on Leaf Litter of Metrosideros polymorpha with Long-Term Ecosystem Development in Hawaii

We measured nitrogenase activity (acetylene reduction) of asymbiotic, heterotrophic, nitrogen-fixing bacteria on leaf litter from the tree Metrosideros polymorpha collected from six sites on the Hawaiian archipelago. At all sites M. polymorpha was the dominant tree, and its litter was the most abundant on the forest floor. The sites spanned a soil chronosequence of 300 to 4.1 million y. We estimated potential nitrogen fixation associated with this leaf litter to be highest at the youngest site (1.25 kg ha^-1 y^-1), declining to between 0.05 and 0.22 kg ha^-1 y^-1 at the oldest four sites on the chronosequence. To investigate how the availability of weathered elements influences N fixation rates at different stages of soil development, we sampled M. polymorpha leaf litter from complete, factorial fertilization experiments located at the 300-y, 20,000-y and 4.1 million–y sites. At the youngest and oldest sites, nitrogenase activity on leaf litter increased significantly in the plots fertilized with phosphorus and “total” (all nutrients except N and P); no significant increases in nitrogenase activity were measured in leaf litter from treatments at the middle-aged site. The results suggest that the highest rates of N fixation are sustained during the “building” or early phase of ecosystem development when N is accumulating and inputs of geologically cycled (lithophilic) nutrients from weathering are substantial. Received 4 February 1999; accepted 29 March 2000.     

Aluminium Stress Affects Nitrogen Fixation and Assimilation in Soybean (Glycine max L.)

Nitrogen fixation and assimilation in nodules and roots were studied in soybean (Glycine max L.) exposed to different levels of aluminium (Al) stress (0, 50, 200 and 500 μM). Al at 500 μM induced oxidative stress, which became evident from an increase in lipid peroxidation accompanied by a concomitant decline in antioxidant enzyme activities and leghaemoglobin breakdown. Consequently, there was also a reduction in nitrogenase activity. However, the leghaemoglobin levels and nitrogenase activity were unexpectedly found to be higher in nodules when the plants were treated with 200 μM Al. Of the enzymes involved in nitrogen assimilation, the activity of glutamate dehydrogenase-NADH was reduced in nodules under Al stress, but it was significantly higher in roots at 500 μM Al as compared to that in the control. In nodules, the glutamine synthetase/glutamate synthase-NADH pathway, assayed in terms of activity and expression of both the enzymes, was inhibited at >50 μM Al; but in roots this inhibitory effect was apparent only at 500 μM Al. No significant changes in ammonium and protein contents were recorded in the nodules or roots when the plants were treated with 50 μM Al. However, Al at ≥200 μM significantly increased the ammonium levels and decreased the protein content in the nodules. But these contrasting effects on ammonium and protein contents due to Al stress were observed in the roots only at 500 μM Al. The results suggest that the effect of Al stress on nitrogen assimilation is more conspicuous in nodules than that in the roots of soybean plants.     

大麦氮敏感基因型苗期对氮饥饿的生理响应

以大田试验获得的大麦氮敏感基因型BI-45为材料,利用溶液培养方法,测定了苗期株高、根长、叶绿素含量、含氮量、谷氨酰胺合成酶和硝酸还原酶活性,以及与氮代谢相关的基因（GSI-GSl-2、GSI-3、GS2、Narl、NRT2．J、NRT2-2、NRT2-3和NRT2-4）的表达。结果表明：相对于正常供氮,氮饥饿胁迫下,BI-45根和叶中的氮素利用率提高,含氮量降低,叶绿素含量减少,根冠比增加;叶片中的谷氨酰胺合成酶活性和硝酸还原酶的活性高于根,但是,与叶中的相比,根中的谷氨酰胺合成酶活性升高及硝酸还原酶活性降低的差异性更显著;与正常供氮相比,氮饥饿处理下,根中基因傩家族,基Narl和硝酸盐转运蛋白基因NRT2家族的相对表达量皆达到显著性差异,其中GSl-I、GSl-2和NRT2-2在苗期大麦氮饥饿处理下表现尤为突出,并且在6h都有上调表达。     

Effect of chilling on growth and nitrogen assimilation in Azolla caroliniana

Azolla caroliniana was exposed to 5 °C in darkness for 1, 2, 3, 5 or 7 d and then recovered for 7 d. Plants previously chilled for 2 or 3 d exhibited higher growth rates when transferred to normal temperature than either the control plants or those previously chilled for 5 or 7 d. Increased plant growth may be related to increased contents of chlorophyll, sucrose, and reducing sugars, due to increased photosynthetic capacity. In another experiment Azolla plants were chilled at 5 °C for 7 d and then transferred for 0, 4, 8, 12, or 16 d recovery to the N-free Hoagland solution or Hoagland solution containing 5 mM KNO₃. In previously chilled plants, the growth rate was decreased. In the medium supplemented with nitrogen, the growth rate was greater than in the N-free medium in both chilled and nonchilled plants. In chilled plants the decrease in growth rate may be related to the disturbance of Anabaena azollae cells where the protecting envelope of the heterocysts was deorganized. During the recovery the rate of N₂-fixation increased in both chilled and nonchilled plants up to 12 d after which both rates were similar. However, during the first 4 d the rate of the nonchilled plants was approximately 4-fold that of the previously chilled plants. Nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase activities in control plants were higher than in those previously chilled for 7 d. Both activities increased in nonchilled and previously chilled plants up to 12 d then decreased. The total protein content increased up to 12 d in chilled and nonchilled plants after which it decreased. Under all treatments, the values were higher in nonchilled plants than in those previously chilled ones and were also higher in presence of N than in its absence. Thus the presence of N-source in the medium counteracts the effect of chilling injury particularly during prolonged recovery.     

Soil Characteristics and the Accumulation of Inorganic Nitrogen in an Arid Urban Ecosystem

Urbanization represents the extreme case of human influence on an ecosystem. Biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen (N) in cities is very different from that of non-urban landscapes due to the large input of reactive forms of N and the heterogeneous distribution of various land uses that alters landscape connections. To quantify the likely effects of human activities on soil N and other soil properties in urban ecosystems, we conducted a probability-based study to sample 203 plots randomly distributed over the 6,400 km² Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) area, which encompasses metropolitan Phoenix with its 3.5 million inhabitants. Soil inorganic N concentrations were significantly higher in urban residential, non-residential, agricultural, transportation, and mixed sites than in the desert sites. Soil water content and organic matter were both significantly higher under urban and agricultural land uses, whereas bulk density was lower compared to undeveloped desert. We calculated that farming and urbanization on average had caused an accumulation of 7.23 g m⁻² in soil inorganic N across the CAP study area. Average soil inorganic N of the sampled desert sites (3.23 g m⁻²) was much higher than the natural background level reported in the literature. Laboratory incubation studies showed that many urban soils exhibited net immobilization of inorganic N, whereas desert and agricultural soils showed small, but positive, net N mineralization. The large accumulation of inorganic N in soils (mostly as nitrate) was highly unusual in terrestrial ecosystems, suggesting that in this arid urban ecosystem, N is likely no longer the primary limiting resource affecting plants, but instead poses a threat to surface and groundwater contamination, and influences other N cycling processes such as denitrification.     

The Role of Dissolved Organic Carbon, Dissolved Organic Nitrogen, and Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen in a Tropical Wet Forest Ecosystem

Although tropical wet forests play an important role in the global carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles, little is known about the origin, composition, and fate of dissolved organic C (DOC) and N (DON) in these ecosystems. We quantified and characterized fluxes of DOC, DON, and dissolved inorganic N (DIN) in throughfall, litter leachate, and soil solution of an old-growth tropical wet forest to assess their contribution to C stabilization (DOC) and to N export (DON and DIN) from this ecosystem. We found that the forest canopy was a major source of DOC (232 kg C ha^–1 y^–1). Dissolved organic C fluxes decreased with soil depth from 277 kg C ha^–1 y^–1 below the litter layer to around 50 kg C kg C ha^–1 y^–1 between 0.75 and 3.5m depth. Laboratory experiments to quantify biodegradable DOC and DON and to estimate the DOC sorption capacity of the soil, combined with chemical analyses of DOC, revealed that sorption was the dominant process controlling the observed DOC profiles in the soil. This sorption of DOC by the soil matrix has probably led to large soil organic C stores, especially below the rooting zone. Dissolved N fluxes in all strata were dominated by mineral N (mainly NO₃⁻). The dominance of NO₃^– relative to the total amount nitrate of N leaching from the soil shows that NO₃^– is dominant not only in forest ecosystems receiving large anthropogenic nitrogen inputs but also in this old-growth forest ecosystem, which is not N-limited.     

Nitrogen Fixation by Termites in Tropical Forests, Thailand

Nitrogen (N) fixed by termites was evaluated as a N input to decomposition processes in two tropical forests, a dry deciduous forest (DDF) and the neighboring dry evergreen forest (DEF), Thailand. A diverse group of termite species were assayed by acetylene reduction method and only the wood/litter-feeding termites were found to fix N. More intensive samplings of two abundant species, Microcerotermes crassus and Globitermes sulphureus, were done across several seasons, suggesting N fixation rates of 0.21 and 0.28 kg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ by termites in the DDF and DEF, respectively. Also, estimates of asymbiotic N fixation rates were 0.75 and 3.95 kg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹. N fixed by termites and by asymbiotic fixers is directly supplied to decomposers breaking down dead plant material and could be a major source of their N. N fixed by termites was 7–22% of that fixed by termites and asymbiotic fixers. Although N fixed by termites is a small input compared to other inputs, this N is likely important for decomposition processes.     

菠菜叶片中硝态氮还原与叶柄中硝态氮累积的关系

测定了不同生长期在不同施氮水平下3个菠菜品种各器官的硝态氮含量、叶片的硝酸还原酶活性、叶片细胞硝态氮的贮存库和代谢库大小.结果表明:叶柄中硝态氮含量远高于其它器官,其含量与叶片内源/外源硝酸还原酶活性的比值呈负相关;叶片细胞中硝态氮代谢库的大小与叶柄中硝态氮含量之间没有确定的关系.     

氮处理对大豆根瘤固氮能力及GmLbs基因表达的影响

共生根瘤的固氮效率受外界氮素的严格调控。除固氮酶活性外,豆血红蛋白(Lb)浓度亦是反应固氮能力的重要指标。为明确氮水平对生物固氮作用的影响,以大豆(Glycine max)为材料,在低氮(0.53 mmol·L–1)条件下接种根瘤菌,30天后再进行高氮(5.3、10、20、30和40 mmol·L–1)处理7天,分析L...     

Nitrogen metabolism and senescence-associated changes during growth of carnation flowers

Nitrogen metabolism including nitrate reductase (EC 1.6.6.1), glutamate dehydroge-nase (EC 1.4.1.2) and glutamate-oxalacetate aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.1) activities were studied during growth of petals taken from carnation flowers ( Dianthus caryophyllus L. cv. Sir Arthur) together with senescence parameters (lipid hydroper-oxides, soluble amino acids and permeability). A slight decline in nitrogen percentage on a dry weight basis was found together with a sharp decrease in nitrate reduct-ase, glutamate-oxalacetate aminotransferase and glutamate dehydrogenase activities during the maximum growth phase, which was characterized by increase in respiration, dry weight, length, organic nitrogen and DNA per petal. Changes generally associated with senescence, like lipid hydroperoxide and soluble ammo nitrogen accumulation and increases in permeability began to appear already during early growth. The results indicate that permeability and proteolysis may be closely related. The possible significance of the decrease in nitrogen percentage and enzyme activities during growth of petals is discussed.     

Stable coexistence of contrasted nitrification statuses in a wet tropical savanna ecosystem

1. Wet tropical savannas are characterized by strong environmental constraints—particularly low soil nutrient availability—associated with high plant productivity. Nitrogen recycling, and especially nitrification, is supposed to be a strong determinant of the balance between conservation and loss of nutrients at the ecosystem level. Savanna facies dominated by the grass Hyparrhenia diplandra (Andropogoneae) are known to exhibit low levels of nitrification and thus avoid nitrate losses.
2. By comparing two sites in the Lamto area (Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa) with similar soil physico-chemical characteristics and equally dominated by H. diplandra (80% of the grass cover), it was demonstrated that, within this facies, nitrification is highly heterogeneous, with a 240-fold variation in potential nitrification within a specific site.
3. In order to test whether these differences can be considered as permanent in this ecosystem, nitrate reductase activities were compared on H. diplandra plantlets from the two sites, cultivated under identical conditions in the presence of nitrate. The leaves of plants originating from the high nitrification site were always able to reduce nitrate at a significantly higher rate than those from the low nitrification site. This observation indicates a long-term adaptation of the plants and stable nitrification behaviour.
4. Lamto can thus be considered as a contrasted dual ecosystem relative to its nitrogen cycle. The two sites studied therefore constitute useful models to assess the determinism of nitrification in wet savannas and the role of this process on nitrogen retention in such ecosystems.     

Influence of Earthworm Invasion on Redistribution and Retention of Soil Carbon and Nitrogen in Northern Temperate Forests

We analyzed soil organic matter distribution and soil solution chemistry in plots with and without earthworms at two sugar maple (Acer saccharum)–dominated forests in New York State, USA, with differing land-use histories to assess the influence of earthworm invasion on the retention or loss of soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in northern temperate forests. Our objectives were to assess the influence of exotic earthworm invasion on (a) the amount and depth distribution of soil C and N, (b) soil ¹³C and ¹⁵N, and (c) soil solution chemistry and leaching of C and N in forests with different land-use histories. At a relatively undisturbed forest site (Arnot Forest), earthworms eliminated the thick forest floor, decreased soil C storage in the upper 12 cm by 28%, and reduced soil C:N ratios from 19.2 to 15.3. At a previously cultivated forest site with little forest floor (Tompkins Farm), earthworms did not influence the storage of soil C or N or soil C:N ratios. Earthworms altered the stable isotopic signature of soil at Arnot Forest but not at Tompkins Farm; the alteration of stable isotopes indicated that earthworms significantly increased the loss of forest floor C but not N from the soil profile at Arnot Forest. Nitrate (NO₃^–) concentrations in tension and zero-tension lysimeters were much greater at Tompkins Farm than Arnot Forest, and earthworms increased NO₃^– leaching at Tompkins Farm. The results suggest that the effect of earthworm invasion on the distribution, retention, and solution chemistry of soil C and N in northern temperate forests may depend on the initial quantity and quality of soil organic matter at invaded sites.     

太湖流域上游竹林河岸带土壤反硝化酶活性及其影响因素

本研究以太湖流域上游竹林河岸带为对象,采用乙炔抑制法分析了夏季河岸带土壤反硝化酶活性(DEA)及其影响因素,以期为竹林河岸带在减少河流氮污染方面的生态功能评估提供数据支持.结果 表明:河岸带土壤DEA为6.32～23.22 μg N·kg-1·h-1,平均值为14.65 μg N·kg-1·h-1.河岸带土壤有机碳(S...     

Organic nitrogen content and nitrate and nitrite reductase activities in tritordeum and wheat grown under nitrate or ammonium

Tritordeum is a fertile amphiploid derived from durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. conv. durum) × a wild barley (Hordeum chilense Roem. et Schultz.). The organic nitrogen content of tritordeum grain (34 mg g^-1 DW) was significantly higher than that of its wheat parent (25 mg g^-1 DW). Leaf and root nitrogen content became higher in tritordeum than in wheat after four weeks of growth, independently of the nitrogen source (either NO₃ ^- or NH₄ ⁺). Under NO₃ ^- nutrition, tritordeum generally exhibited higher levels of nitrate reductase (NR) activity than wheat. Nitrite reductase (NiR) levels were however lower in tritordeum than in its wheat parent. In NH₄ ⁺-grown plants, both NR and NiR activities progressively decreased in the two species, becoming imperceptible after 3 to 5 weeks of growth. Results indicate that, in addition to a higher rate of NO₃ ^- reduction, other physiological factors must be responsible for the greater accumulation of organic nitrogen in tritordeum grain.     

Soil Phosphorus Fractions and Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation across a Substrate-Age Gradient in Hawaii

We evaluated soil phosphorus (P) fractions, other soil characteristics, and rates of symbiotic N₂ fixation across a substrate-age gradient in Hawaii that was dominated by the leguminous tree Acacia koa (koa). Patterns of soil P observed on this gradient were compared to those on a slightly wetter gradient dominated by the nonfixer Metrosideros polymorpha (ohia). Along both gradients, concentrations of primary-mineral P fell sharply between the young and intermediate-aged sites, while labile inorganic P declined most steeply between the intermediate-aged and old sites. The most marked difference between the two gradients was that total soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and P, as well as nonoccluded organic P, were more variable across the ohia gradient, increasing to the intermediate-aged sites, then declining sharply at the old site. On the koa gradient, specific nitrogenase activity, measured by the acetylene-reduction (AR) assay, decreased three- to eightfold between the young site and the intermediate-aged and old sites, respectively. Nodule biomass showed no clear pattern. N₂ fixation rates, estimated by combining AR activity and nodule biomass measurements, were up to 8 kg N · ha⁻¹ · y⁻¹ at the young site and no more than 2 kg N · ha⁻¹ · y⁻¹ at the older sites, suggesting that koa may be a modest source of N in these Hawaiian forests. Received 26 September 2000; accepted 15 February 2002