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Role of carboxylate in the nitrogen metabolism of plants from different natural habitats
Author(s) -
Wollenweber B.,
Kinzel H.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1988.tb05840.x
Subject(s) - carboxylate , nitrate , nitrogen , ammonium , halophyte , shoot , chemistry , nutrient , nitrogen cycle , botany , polygonaceae , environmental chemistry , biology , salinity , ecology , biochemistry , organic chemistry
The carboxylate and organic nitrogen content was studied in plants from 5 different habitats in Austria in order to determine both the form of nitrogen utilized by the plants and the preferential site of nitrate reduction within the plant, if nitrate is the predominant nitrogen form and is reduced mainly in the shoots, the ratio between carboxylate and organic nitrogen should be about 1. Ratios less then 1 would indicate either participation of root reduction, transport of carboxylate from shoots to roots or ammonium/ammonia nutrition. In the plants investigated, the lowest ratios were found in a bog, where ammonium is usually the predominant nitrogen form. Species from a xerophytic and a nutrient‐rich habitat, as well as from a carr, showed higher organic nitrogen values. Highest contents of carboxylate and organic nitrogen were found in halophytes from the area around the take Neusiedlersee. As additional bicarbonate uptake is known to occur at these sites, accumulation of carboxylate here may not he related to nitrate reduction alone. The relationship between the carboxylate/organic nitrogen ratio and N indicator values revealed the same pattern of differences in the plant species, indicating that the determination of these values could give information of ecophysiological characteristics of, and differences between, plant species from various habitats.