The Effect of Several Protein Amino Acids and Some Inorganic Nitrogen Sources on the Growth of Sphagnum nemoreum |
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Authors: | LIISA KAARINA SIMOLA |
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Affiliation: | Department of Botany, University of Helsinki, 00170 Helsinki 17, Finland |
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Abstract: | The nitrogen metabolism of a bog moss, Sphagnum nemoreum Scop., has been studied in aseptic cultures. The effect of several protein amino acids, especially those found in peat, has been investigated. NH4NO3 (1.25 mM) was the best nitrogen source but NH4+ ions were more effectively utilized than NO3− ions when given as the only nitrogen source. Some of the amino acids (2.5 mM) allowed fairly satisfactory growth (arginine and alanine) when given as the only nitrogen source, but some of them were not utilized at all (leucine, lysine, isoleucine and methionine). Given at low concentrations (0.001 and 0.25 mM) together with NH4NO3 (2.5 mM), most of the protein amino acids failed to reveal any growth-promoting or -inhibiting effect. Only lysine (0.25 mM) clearly inhibited growth under these conditions. The nitrogen metabolism of Sphagnum nemoreum seems to be rather flexible and this species is more tolerant of organic nitrogen, especially hydroxyproline, than the higher plants. |
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