Controls over the accumulation and decline of a nitrogen‐fixing lichen,<i>Stereocaulon vulcani</i>, on young Hawaiian lava flows

Kurina, Lianne M.; Vitousek, Peter M.

doi:10.1046/j.1365-2745.1999.00394.x

Cited by 59 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 48 publications

(86 reference statements)

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“…The low E [R] values (Ͻ0.2) of leaf N and P are not surprising given that plants tend to allocate available nutrients more toward new leaf growth than to increased leaf N (27); however, they do represent a meaningful difference for physiological function (21,28) and, when multiplied by leaf biomass, for total ecosystem leaf nitrogen (g⅐m Ϫ2 ). Although our analysis focuses on leaf and soil N and P, we note that other resources also accumulate fastest at high temperatures (e.g., other soil nutrients, soil organic matter, and the nitrogen-fixing lichen S. vulcani) (9,23,29), thereby contributing to the temperature dependence in reactant concentration.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Amplified temperature dependence in ecosystems developing on the lava flows of Mauna Loa, Hawai'i

Anderson‐Teixeira

Vitousek

Brown

2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Through its effect on individual metabolism, temperature drives biologically controlled fluxes and transformations of energy and materials in ecological systems. Because primary succession involves feedbacks among multiple biological and abiotic processes, we expected it to exhibit complex dynamics and unusual temperature dependence. We present a model based on first principles of chemical kinetics to explain how biologically mediated temperature dependence of ''reactant'' concentrations can inflate the effective temperature dependence of such processes. We then apply this model to test the hypothesis that the temperature dependence of early primary succession is amplified due to more rapid accumulation of reactants at higher temperatures. Using previously published data from the lava flows of Mauna Loa, HI, we show that rates of vegetation and soil accumulation as well as rates of community compositional change all display amplified temperature dependence (Q10 values of Ϸ7-50, compared with typical Q10 values of 1.5-3 for the constituent biological processes). Additionally, in young ecosystems, resource concentrations increase with temperature, resulting in inflated temperature responses of biogeochemical fluxes. Mauna Loa's developing ecosystems exemplify how temperature-driven, biologically mediated gradients in resource availability can alter the effective temperature dependence of ecological processes. This mechanistic theory should contribute to understanding the complex effects of temperature on the structure and dynamics of ecological systems in a world where regional and global temperatures are changing rapidly.ecosystem development ͉ metabolic theory of ecology ͉ primary succession ͉ Q 10 ͉ elevation B iological metabolism-the uptake, transformation, and allocation of energy and materials by living things-shapes ecological phenomena (1). The metabolic theory of ecology has identified body size and temperature as critical variables driving metabolic rates and, thereby, ecological processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, population growth, and secondary succession (1-3). Through such processes, biological metabolism largely controls global cycles of carbon and nitrogen.Primary succession-the development of ecosystems on new substrates such as lava flows, sand dunes, or land exposed by receding glaciers-is a complex process involving the accumulation of carbon and nutrients in biomass and soil and the concurrent assembly of a diverse biotic community (4, 5). It is driven by multiple interacting processes, including substrate weathering, primary production, soil formation, and colonization and subsequent turnover of plant, animal, fungal, and microbial species. Most of these processes are mediated by organisms whose biological function exhibits clear temperature dependence (1). It is known that temperature affects the rate of primary succession (4, 6-9). Not well understood, however, is how the multiple ecological processes interact to affect the overall rate of ecosystem development and to determine...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Amplified temperature dependence in ecosystems developing on the lava flows of Mauna Loa, Hawai'i

Anderson‐Teixeira

Vitousek

Brown

2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…trogen cycling (9,26,33,34), but additional effort is necessary to determine the roles of microalgae in bacterial dynamics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contributions of Atmospheric CO and Hydrogen Uptake to Microbial Dynamics on Recent Hawaiian Volcanic Deposits

King

2003

Appl Environ Microbiol

103

155

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A series of sites were established on Hawaiian volcanic deposits ranging from about 18 to 300 years old. Three sites occurred in areas that supported tropical rain forests; the remaining sites were in areas that supported little or no plant growth. Sites >26 years old consumed atmospheric CO and hydrogen at rates ranging from about 0.2 to 5 mg of CO m ؊2 day ؊1 and 0.1 to 4 mg of H 2 m ؊2 day ؊1 , respectively. Respiration, measured as CO 2 production, for a subset of the sites ranged from about 40 to >1,400 mg of CO 2 m ؊2 day ؊1 . CO and H 2 accounted for about 13 to 25% of reducing equivalent flow for all but a forested site, where neither substrate appeared significant. Based on responses to chloroform fumigation, hydrogen utilization appeared largely due to microbial uptake. In contrast to results for CO and hydrogen, methane uptake occurred consistently only at the forest site. Increasing deposit age was generally accompanied by increasing concentrations of organic matter and microbial biomass, measured as phospholipid phosphate. Exoenzymatic activities (acid and alkaline phosphatases and ␣-and ␤-glucosidases) were positively correlated with deposit age in spite of considerable variability within sites. The diversity of substrates utilized in Biolog Ecoplate assays also increased with deposit age, possibly reflecting changes in microbial community complexity.Lava, tephra, and volcanic ash contain negligible amounts of organic matter and fixed nitrogen when first deposited (35). The absence or scarcity of vegetation at many active volcanic sites exacerbates the situation by limiting postdepositional inputs. The lack of organic matter substantially constrains the nature and rates of microbial colonization and succession. In such systems, atmospheric inputs or reduced substrates released by weathering (e.g., Mn 2ϩ ) may support metabolism and growth. Nonexclusive carbon and energy sources for microbial community development under these conditions include (i) phototroph colonization, (ii) aeolian or aqueous organic matter inputs, and (iii) dry and wet deposition of NH 4 ϩ and trace gases (e.g., CO, H 2 , and CH 4 ).Relatively few studies have examined the significance of these sources or temporal patterns of microbial succession under extreme conditions (2). Data from cryptoendolithic communities suggest that bacterial colonization and succession depend on autochthonous photosynthesis (27,47). Other studies indicate that desert varnishes form in part from substrates released by weathering (48). Microbiological analyses of recent volcanic materials have led to isolations of thermophiles, psychrotrophs, and other heterotrophs, but the activities and functions of these organisms remain essentially unknown (7, 22-24, 39, 45, 46, 49). In addition, it is unclear if the observed isolates represent dominant populations or fast-growing opportunistic strains.Data from Hawaii and other systems indicate that various bacterial functional groups colonize lava and tephra relatively quickly. Burleigh and Dawson (6) cultured ...

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“…Lichen species are often more successful under extreme conditions and are dominant in barren habitats where vascular plants maintain much of their biomass below the surface or are unable to establish (Tehunen et al, 1992;Kurina & Vitousek, 1999). The abundance and diversity of lichens in arctic ecosystems tend to be high and lichens can have a major influence on nutrient cycling by bringing carbon, nitrogen and other elements into nutrientpoor environments (Longton, 1998;Kurina & Vitousek, 1999Bjerke et al, 2003Solheim et al, 2006).…”

Section: Lichensmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen fixation by associative cyanobacteria in the Canadian Arctic.

Stewart¹

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Controls over the accumulation and decline of a nitrogen‐fixing lichen,Stereocaulon vulcani, on young Hawaiian lava flows

Cited by 59 publications

References 48 publications

Amplified temperature dependence in ecosystems developing on the lava flows of Mauna Loa, Hawai'i

Amplified temperature dependence in ecosystems developing on the lava flows of Mauna Loa, Hawai'i

Contributions of Atmospheric CO and Hydrogen Uptake to Microbial Dynamics on Recent Hawaiian Volcanic Deposits

Nitrogen fixation by associative cyanobacteria in the Canadian Arctic.

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