%0 Journal Article 
%A Uscola Fernández, María Mercedes
%A Villar Salvador, Pedro
%A Oliet Palá, Juan Antonio
%A Warren , Charles
%T Root uptake of inorganic and organic N chemical forms in two coexisting Mediterranean forest trees
%D 2017
%@ 0032-079X
%U http://hdl.handle.net/10017/37395
%X Background and aims Plants differ in their ability to usedifferent nitrogen (N) chemical forms, these differencescan be related to their ecology and drive communitystructure. The capacity to uptake intact organic N hasbeen observed in plants of several ecosystems. However,soil organic N uptake by Mediterranean plants is unknowndespite organic N being abundant inMediterranean ecosystems. We compare the uptake ofdifferent N forms in two widespread coexistingMediterranean forest trees with contrasting ecophysiologicalcharacteristics: Quercus ilex and Pinus halepensis.Methods To estimate root uptake rate of eachN form weused equimolar solutions (1 mM N) of 15NO3-, 15NH4+ and 15N-13C glycine.Results NH4+ and glycine were taken up at a similarrate, but faster than NO3− in both species. Intact duallabeled glycine was found in both species, demonstratingthat both species can absorb intact organic N. Conclusions: Despite their ecological differences, both species had similar preference for N forms suggesting no niche complementarity for N uptake. The higher preference for NH4 +
and glycine over NO3
- possibly reflects adaptation to the differing proportions of N forms in Mediterranean soils.
%K Amino acid
%K Ammonium
%K Nitrate
%K Pinus halepensis
%K Quercus ilex
%K Root uptake preferences.
%K Medio Ambiente
%K Environmental science
%~ Biblioteca Universidad de Alcala