The effects of fertilization on part of the Keen of Hamar Serpentine, Shetland

Carter, S.P.; Proctor, John; Slingsby, David

doi:10.1080/03746608708685419

Cited by 22 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…This conclusion is further supported by the prevalence of leaf chlorosis, a symptom of N deficiency, of plants grown in the compost only and serpentine topsoil treatments. Several other studies in California have documented that serpentine plant communities are N-limited (Huenneke et al, 1990;Koide et al, 1988;O'Dell et al, in press;Turitzin, 1982), however, some studies from Europe, have concluded that serpentine communities there are strongly P-rather than N-limited (Carter et al, 1988;Chiarrucci et al, 1999;Nagy and Proctor, 1997). Regardless of the treatment, serpentine and granite A. millefolium accessions did not significantly differ from each other in N or P concentration, nor N:P mass ratio, suggesting that tolerance of low N and P concentrations is not a characteristic unique to plants growing on serpentine substrates, but is feature of both serpentine and nonserpentine species to nutrient-poor environments in general.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Serpentine and Nonserpentine Achillea millefolium Accessions Differ in Serpentine Substrate Tolerance and Response to Organic and Inorganic Amendments

O’Dell

Claassen

2006

Plant Soil

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Subgrade serpentine substrates are exceptionally difficult to revegetate due to multiple limitations including low N, P, and K, low Ca:Mg molar ratios, high levels of heavy metals including Ni, Cr, and Co, low organic matter, low CEC, and low water holding capacity. To examine the influence of plant origin on the success of the revegetation of serpentine substrates, granite and serpentine accessions of Achillea millefolium were grown on subgrade serpentine substrate amended with yard waste compost, slow-release NPK fertilizer, and/or CaSO 4 AE 2H 2 O (gypsum). The goals of this study were to: (1) identify the substrate amendment combination that maximized establishment of A. millefolium on serpentine substrate, (2) compare seedling establishment, survival, and growth of the serpentine and granite A. millefolium accessions in order to determine if a serpentine edaphic ecotype of A. millefolium exists and if this ecotype is superior to the granite accession for the establishment of vegetation on serpentine substrate and (3) if a serpentine edaphic ecotype of A. millefolium does exist, what physiological features with respect to mineral nutrition convey a higher tolerance of serpentine for this ecotype than the nonserpentine ecotype. Seedling establishment, survival, and growth were greatest for A. millefolium when the subgrade serpentine substrate was amended with 30% (v/v) compost and 220 mg kg substrate )1 each of N, P, and K. The serpentine A. millefolium accession displayed a greater tolerance of the subgrade serpentine substrate, serpentine topsoil, and the amended subgrade serpentine substrate than the granite accession. Higher capacity of the serpentine A. millefolium accession for selective Ca translocation from roots to the shoot resulted in a significantly higher shoot Ca:Mg molar ratio than the granite accession and appeared to be the most important physiological feature conveying greater tolerance of the serpentine accession for serpentine substrates.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Serpentine and Nonserpentine Achillea millefolium Accessions Differ in Serpentine Substrate Tolerance and Response to Organic and Inorganic Amendments

O’Dell

Claassen

2006

Plant Soil

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“…The initial response to nutrient addition was rapid, but the total cover (still mainly due to Cochlearia in 1994) remained stable indicating that as on Rum (Looney & Proctor, 1989) and on Unst (Carter et al, 1987a; D. R. Slingsby, unpublished)…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Each block included one control, -1-Ca, -I-NPK, and -l-NPKCa treatment. Fertilizer rates followed Carter et al (1987a); N was supplied as NH.NO., (100 kg ha"' N), P as NaH^PO, (50 kg ha'P), K as KCl (100 kg ha~^ K) and Ca as CaCOg (1000 kg ha"^ CaCO.^). Nitrogen, P and K were applied combined in a 600 ml solution (made up from a nearby stream) per quadrat, whereas CaCOg was applied as a powder.…”

Section: Fertilizer Applicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant growth and reproduction on a toxic alpine ultramafic soil: adaptation to nutrient limitation

Nagy

Proctor

1997

New Phytologist

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SUMMARYThe ultramafic sites at Meikle Kilrannoch, Scotland, have small sparsely colonized patches with soils which have highly toxic (to many non-indigenous plants) concentrations of Mg and Ni. These toxic metals are unlikely to be the main cause of the open vegetation as the indigenous plants are at least partially tolerant of them. The hypothesis that low soil nutrients were a likely cause of the open vegetation was tested by a fertilization experiment in which major nutrients and Ca were added in August 1991 and July 1992 to replicated quadrats which initially had 5-3-6-6% plant cover. There was a large increase in plant cover on major nutrient addition. The increase in rosette size, flowering, seed production, and recruitment of the dominant semelparous Cochlearia pyrenaica DC. ssp, alpina (Bab.) Dalby was studied in detail. The increased growth of Cochlearia (and some other native species at the site) on nutrient addition strengthens the argument that a major nutrient deficiency rather than a metal toxicity limits plant growth at Meikle Kilrannoch and shows that at least some stress tolerators respond with rapid growth and reproduction when nutrient limitation is removed. A small-scale experiment set up in June 1993, in which the major nutrients were added separately, suggested that P and not N, or K was the limiting element. The effects of P seem to be unrelated to any possible reduction in the availability of the toxic ions Mg^* and Ni*^, Key words: Cochlearia pyrenaica, fertilizer addition, functional type, P, population dynamics, ultramafic (serpentine).by P fertilization. The low vegetation cover of INTRODUCTION fellfieids cannot be ascribed to toxicity generally The ultramafic sites at Meikle Kilrannoch in Angus, since they often lack elevated metal concentrations. Scotland have an unusual flora whose presence and Nutrient addition experiments made on ultramafic local pattern are at least partly related to the effects sites in the field have shown a marked response, of Mg and Ni toxicities (Nagy & Proctor, 1997). The which could be ascribed to P in those cases where the distinctive feature of the vegetation as a whole is the added nutrients were studied separately, but in none low plant cover in which it resembles that found in of these cases were the soils so toxic as those at other habitats including metal mine spoil heaps and Meikle Kilrannoch (Ferreira & Wormell, 1971; fellfieids (Spence, 1957). Metal toxicities in Meikle Turitzin, 1982; Carter, Proctor & SUngsby, 1987a; Kilrannoch soil have been demonstrated for non- Hobbs et al., 1988;Looney & Proctor, 1989; indigenous plants (e.g. Proctor, 1971; Goodwin-Huenneke e( a/., 1990), Bailey, Woodell & Loughman, 1992;Nagy & In this paper we report an experiment at Meikle Proctor, 1997), but they are unlikely to explain the Kilrannoch designed as a direct test of the hypothesis low plant cover since the indigenous (tolerant) plants that low nutrients rather than metal toxicities cause should be able to colonize the site in the absence of low plant cov...

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“…These differences are likely due to the inherently slower growth rates of the serpentine species. Macronutrient deficiency has been diagnosed as limiting plant growth on serpentine soils of several continents, however, the limiting nutrient has varied between N, P, and Ca with apparently no collective agreement on which nutrient is most limiting (Carter et al, 1988;Chiarucci et al, 1999;Huenneke et al, 1990;Nagy and Proctor, 1997). Due to the additive plant growth responses observed with multiple macronutrient treatments in many studies, it is likely that multiple soil macronutrient deficiencies rather any single nutrient deficiency are responsible for poor plant productivity on serpentine soils globally (Chiarucci et al, 1999;Huenneke et al, 1990;Nagy and Proctor, 1997;Turitzin 1982).…”

Section: Npk Plant Nutrition and Biomass Productionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Congeneric Serpentine and Nonserpentine Shrubs Differ More in Leaf Ca:Mg than in Tolerance of Low N, Low P, or Heavy Metals

2006

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Serpentine soils limit plant growth by NPK deficiencies, low Ca availability, excess Mg, and high heavy metal levels. In this study, three congeneric serpentine and nonserpentine evergreen shrub species pairs were grown in metalliferous serpentine soil with or without NPKCa fertilizer to test which soil factors most limit biomass production and mineral nutrition responses. Fertilization increased biomass production and allocation to leaves while decreasing allocation to roots in both serpentine and nonserpentine species. Simultaneous increases in biomass and leaf N:P ratios in fertilized plants of all six species suggest that N is more limiting than P in this serpentine soil. Neither N nor P concentrations, however, nor root to shoot translocation of these nutrients, differed significantly between serpentine and nonserpentine congeners. All six species growing in unfertilized serpentine soil translocated proportionately more P to leaves compared to fertilized plants, thus maintaining foliar P. Leaf Ca:Mg molar ratios of the nonserpentine species were generally equal to that of the soil. The serpentine species, however, maintained significantly higher leaf Ca:Mg than both their nonserpentine counterparts and the soil. Elevated leaf Ca:Mg in the serpentine species was achieved by selective Ca transport and/or Mg exclusion operating at the root-to-shoot translocation level, as root Ca and Mg concentrations did not differ between serpentine and nonserpentine congeners. All six species avoided shoot toxicity of heavy metals by root sequestration. The comparative data on nutrient deficiencies, leaf Ca:Mg, and heavy metal sequestration suggest that the ability to maintain high leaf Ca:Mg is a key evolutionary change needed for survival on serpentine soil and represents the physiological feature distinguishing the serpentine shrub species from their nonserpentine congeners. The results also suggest that high leaf Ca:Mg is achieved in these serpentine species by selective translocation of Ca and/or inhibited transport of Mg from roots, rather than by uptake/exclusion at root surfaces.

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The effects of fertilization on part of the Keen of Hamar Serpentine, Shetland

Cited by 22 publications

References 5 publications

Serpentine and Nonserpentine Achillea millefolium Accessions Differ in Serpentine Substrate Tolerance and Response to Organic and Inorganic Amendments

Serpentine and Nonserpentine Achillea millefolium Accessions Differ in Serpentine Substrate Tolerance and Response to Organic and Inorganic Amendments

Plant growth and reproduction on a toxic alpine ultramafic soil: adaptation to nutrient limitation

Congeneric Serpentine and Nonserpentine Shrubs Differ More in Leaf Ca:Mg than in Tolerance of Low N, Low P, or Heavy Metals

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