Journal
AQUATIC BOTANY
Volume 82, Issue 4, Pages 297-307Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.aquabot.2005.05.005
Keywords
peatland; Sphagnum; nitrogen source; stable isotope; delta(15)N
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
We report natural abundance of (15)N content in a suite of plants and lichens from a sloping open peatland in coastal northern British Columbia, Canada. A wide range of delta(15)N values varying between -11 and +3 parts per thousand were observed in the studied species. Herbs, mosses, and shrubs generally grouped individually along the delta(15)N 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 delta(15)N values from the cluster. Hummock-lawn gradient, which is illustrated as depth to water table, explains the variation in delta(15)N signature of cryptogams: the deeper the groundwater table, the more depleted is the (15)N. This trend might be explained by differences in nitrogen sources and/or differences in internal fractionation during nitrogen translocation processes. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available