The Nitrogen‐15 Abundance in a Wide Variety of Soils

Shearer, Georgia; Kohl, Daniel H.; Chien, Sen-Hsiung

doi:10.2136/sssaj1978.03615995004200060013x

Cited by 151 publications

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“…Perhaps the least anticipated finding was that ␦ 13 C and ␦ 15 N values exhibited significant year-to-year variation. The cause of this temporal fluctuation is unknown, but ␦ 15 N values of feathers may be indirectly influenced by factors such as soil nitrogen dynamics (38,39), water availability (40)(41)(42)(43)(44), and plant nitrogen storage strategies (45)(46)(47)(48)(49) that affect the isotopic composition of C 3 -based food webs. These processes are controlled to varying degrees by climatological parameters such as rainfall and temperature.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable isotope signature of philopatry and dispersal in a migratory songbird

Graves

Romanek

Navarro

2002

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

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Stable isotope analysis is widely promoted as a practical method for tracing the geographic origins of migratory birds. However, the extent to which geospatial patterns of isotope ratios in avian tissues are influenced by age-specific, altitudinal, and temporal factors remains largely unexplored. We measured carbon ( 13 C͞ 12 C) and nitrogen ( 15 N͞ 14 N) isotope ratios in feathers of black-throated blue warblers (Dendroica caerulescens) breeding along a relatively steep altitudinal gradient in the Appalachian Mountains to evaluate the effects of altitude and year on the isotopic signatures of yearling (first breeding season) and older males (>2 years). Breeding males (n ‫؍‬ 302) collected during 7 consecutive years exhibited significant age-specific and altitudinal effects in ␦ 13 C values and age-specific and temporal effects in ␦ 15 N values. The ␦ 13 C values of older males increased with altitude at the rate of Ϸ1.3‰ per 1,000 m, suggesting a high degree of year-to-year philopatry to narrow altitudinal zones, if not to breeding territories. In contrast, absence of altitudinal patterns in yearlings most likely reflects natal dispersal. Carbon isotope variation (␦ 13 C ‫؍‬ ؊26.07 to ؊20.86‰) observed along a single altitudinal transect (755 m) nearly brackets the range of ␦ 13 C values recorded in feathers across the North American breeding range of the warbler from Georgia to New Brunswick (11°of latitude) and from New Brunswick to Michigan (22°of longitude). These data indicate that age-specific and altitudinal effects must be considered when using ␦ 13 C values to delineate the geographic origin of avian species with large altitudinal and latitudinal ranges.R ecognition that stable-isotope signatures of animal tissues can be used to study the trophic ecology (1-4), nutritional status (5-7), and geographic origins of animals (8-11) has lead to an explosive burst of research in what is arguably a new frontier in animal ecology (12, 13). Of particular interest, the linkage of breeding and wintering ranges of migratory songbird populations has been frustrated by the lack of populationspecific morphological and genetic markers, by the infinitesimally low recapture rates of marked birds, and because the majority of species are too small to carry powerful satellite transmitters. Recent analyses have shown that isotopic patterns in the feathers of migratory birds vary systematically across continental areas (8, 14-18), reflecting the natural variation of isotopes in food and water during the period of feather growth (19,20). Fully grown feathers are metabolically inert, and the isotopic composition of feathers, with the exception of exchangeable hydrogen, is believed to be fixed (8,(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18). These studies suggest that a combination of isotopic tracers may eventually provide a potent and cost-effective method of linking breeding and wintering populations of most songbirds that breed at temperate latitudes.Despite the promise of stable isotope analysis in elucidating migratory dynamics and th...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable isotope signature of philopatry and dispersal in a migratory songbird

Graves

Romanek

Navarro

2002

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

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“…One encouraging sign that this condition is often met is our previous report that the 15N abundance of the total N of a wide variety of soils is, on average, 9.22%o higher than that of atmospheric N2 (range within which 90%o of the samples fell was +5.1 to +12.3%o 15"N), although there is some controversy in this area (14).…”

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Isotopic Fractionation Associated With Symbiotic N₂ Fixation and Uptake of NO₃⁻ by Plants

Kohl¹,

Shearer²

1980

Plant Physiol.

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150

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Isotopic fractionation associated with N2 fixation and NO3-uptake by plants are relevant to the accuracy of estimates of N2 fixation based on differences in the natural abundance of "N between N2 fixing and nonfixing plants. The isotope effect on N2 fixation by soybeans (Glyine max ILI Merrill, variety Harosoy) and red clover (Trifolium pratense ILI) was determined from the difference in "N abundance between atmospheric N2 and the total N of plants grown hydroponically with N-free nutrient solution. In soybeans the isotope effect was found to be +0.98 ± 0.18%o (f? = 0.99902). In clover the isotope effect was +1.88 ± 0.14%o (( = 0.99812). The magnitude of these inverse isotope effects is small. However, they would lead to an underestimation of the amount of N2 fixed, since the N of atmospheric origin which finally appears in the plant is made richer in "5N by the inverse isotope effects than is atmospheric N2, and, to that degree, is attributed to soil-derived N in the calculation.Isotopic fractionation associated with NO3-uptake by plants does not have a critical effect on estimates of N2 fixation which are based on natural abundance of "5N since the l"N abundance of soil-derived N in plants is measured directly (Le. after the N has undergone fractionation). Nevertheless, such fractionation is of some interest from the point of view of deciding upon the most appropriate sampling time. The isotope effect on NO3-uptake by a nonnodulating isoline of soybeans (variety Harosoy), marigold (Tagetes erecta ILl) and ryegrass (Lolium perenne ILI) was estimated from the difference between the "N abundance of the total N of plants grown hydroponically and that of NO3-supplied in the medium. It was found to be about -5%o (8 = 1.005).A number of investiators have reported a small, but measureable, difference in the 5N abundance of symbiotic N2-fixing and nonfLxing plants growing at the same site (1,2,6,7,12,15,18). The difference is always in the same direction, with the N2-fixing plant being less abundant in "N than nonfixing plants. This difference has led to the suggestion (6) that the "N abundance of plants may be used as an index of the contribution of atmospheric N2 to the N economy of plants or plant communities.Such an index may be useful in estimating the contribution of symbiotic N2 fixation integrated over time despite the fact that the acetylene reduction assay (8) is considerably more sensitive in detecting the presence of symbiotic N2-fixing activity. Estimating the contribution of symbiotically fixed N2 over the lifetime of the plant or within an ecosystem poses very different problems from estimating the instantaneous rate of nitrogenase activity from the rate of acetylene reduction. Among the problems in using the 'The work reported in this paper was supported by Grant DEB 77-01869 from the National Science Foundation. 51 acetylene assay for the former purpose are (a) conversion of acetylene reduced to N2 reduced (4); (b) large environmental, diurnal and seasonal variations (8); (c) the determination...

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“…Much research has been directed towards assessment of the above requirements. In many situations an easily measurable difference exists between the isotopic composition of atmospheric and soil N (3,16,19,23). However, because the natural abundance of "5N varies with depth from the soil surface (23) some limitations on the use of differences between the isotopic composition of fixing and nonfixing plants may occur unless the distribution of roots with depth is similar for both species.…”

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Effect of Rhizobial Strain and Host Plant on Nitrogen Isotopic Fractionation in Legumes

Steele¹,

Daniel²,

O’Hara³

1983

Plant Physiol.

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Lotus pedculatus L., Medicago sativa L., Macroptilwum atropwrpureum, Glycine max, and Trifoliun repens L. were grown in a N-free medium and inoculated with one of ten Rhizobium strains. Dry matter, N content, and 8"N values were determined for various plant parts.Nodules, with the exception of those from lucerne, were enriched in 1"N relative to atmospheric N. Considerable variation was found in 81"N values of plant herbage (-4.5 to +0.8). The extent of isotopic discrimination was dependent on both the host plant and the infecting rhizobial strain. This further complicates, but does not invalidate, the use of small variations in the natural abundance of 1"N to estimate the contribution of symbiotically fixed N2 to the N in legume herbage. Some other implications of the observed differences are also discussed.Legumes obtain their N requirements from two sources: symbiotic N2 fixation and assimilation of soil mineral N. Although a quantitative partitioning of both sources is important in understanding the N nutrition of legume crops in mono-culture or in mixed species stands, there are relatively few reports in the literature of field measurements of symbiotic N2 fixation, largely because of the difficulties of making such measurements (14).Many investigators have reported small but measurable differences in the natural abundance of "N in N2-fixing and nonfixing plants growing in association, and some have suggested that these differences may be used to provide a quantitative integrated measurement over time ofthe contribution ofN2 to the N economy of the fixing plant (2,5,13,16,20 (22). This raises the question as to whether the isotopic composition of the host plant is influenced by environmental parameters or by the Rhizobium strain with which it is infected.Nodules of some N2-fixing plants are elevated in "N compared to other plant tissues (18) and it has been suggested that "N enrichment is a result of the denitrifying capability of some rhizobia (20) although this has subsequently been rejected (10). A more recent hypothesis is that "N enrichment in nodules is indicative of the predominant type of N compound transported from the nodule (18). Inasmuch as "N enrichment in nodules will affect the "N concentration in harvested plant material, it will influence estimates of N2 fixation based on variations in the natural abundance of "5N.

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The Nitrogen‐15 Abundance in a Wide Variety of Soils

Cited by 151 publications

References 0 publications

Stable isotope signature of philopatry and dispersal in a migratory songbird

Stable isotope signature of philopatry and dispersal in a migratory songbird

Isotopic Fractionation Associated With Symbiotic N₂ Fixation and Uptake of NO₃⁻ by Plants

Effect of Rhizobial Strain and Host Plant on Nitrogen Isotopic Fractionation in Legumes

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The Nitrogen‐15 Abundance in a Wide Variety of Soils

Cited by 151 publications

References 0 publications

Stable isotope signature of philopatry and dispersal in a migratory songbird

Stable isotope signature of philopatry and dispersal in a migratory songbird

Isotopic Fractionation Associated With Symbiotic N2 Fixation and Uptake of NO3− by Plants

Effect of Rhizobial Strain and Host Plant on Nitrogen Isotopic Fractionation in Legumes

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Isotopic Fractionation Associated With Symbiotic N₂ Fixation and Uptake of NO₃⁻ by Plants