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Effects of Nitrogen Deposition on Growth and Physiology of Pleurochaete squarrosa (Brid.) Lindb., a Terricolous Moss from Mediterranean Ecosystems

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Abstract

We studied the effects of N deposition (0, 10, 20 and 50 kg N ha−1 year−1) on cover and physiology of Pleurochaete squarrosa, a terricolous moss from semiarid Mediterranean ecosystems. We also investigated the effects of N fertilization under competition with vascular plants or under water stress. Under greenhouse conditions, vascular plant competition reduced moss cover, and there was a significant interaction between N and competition. Water stress reduced moss cover under high and low competition conditions. Nitrogen fertilization increased moss cover irrespectively of the N dose supplied at low competition conditions. Under field conditions, N deposition affected moss physiology but not cover. Most of the physiological variables analyzed responded to N deposition, although the response of some of them was saturated with only 10 kg N ha−1 year−1 over the background (nitrate reductase; phosphomonoesterase; tissue N and K+). The response of indicators such as chlorophyll a and lutein contents did not show any evidence of saturation, which probably makes them the best candidates in monitoring programs. Based on the data provided, the applicability of the phosphomonoesterase can also be considered. In addition, the importance of taking into account the existence of superimposed environmental gradients (such as those in soil mineral N content) interacting with the response of P. squarrosa to predict impacts of N deposition has been demonstrated. Therefore, detailed soil surveys and integrative physiological evaluations will be required to produce a significantly better picture of the effects of N deposition on Mediterranean ecosystems along extant N deposition gradients.

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Acknowledgments

ROH was financially supported by an FPU grant of the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (AP2006-04638). We were also supported by national projects (CGL-2009-11015 and Remedinal-2 S2009/AMB-1783). We specially thank Prof. Alfredo Polo and Dr. Juan Carlos García-Gil for technical advice and their kind permission to use the spectrophotometer. Finally, we are very grateful to our editor (Dr. Trevors) and two anonymous referees, who greatly contributed to improve the article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, C/Serrano 115 dpdo, 8006, Madrid, Spain

    Raúl Ochoa-Hueso & Esteban Manrique

  2. Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/ Tulipán s/n, 28933, Móstoles, Spain

    Raúl Ochoa-Hueso & Esteban Manrique

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  1. Raúl Ochoa-Hueso
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  2. Esteban Manrique
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Correspondence to Raúl Ochoa-Hueso.

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Ochoa-Hueso, R., Manrique, E. Effects of Nitrogen Deposition on Growth and Physiology of Pleurochaete squarrosa (Brid.) Lindb., a Terricolous Moss from Mediterranean Ecosystems. Water Air Soil Pollut 224, 1492 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-013-1492-6

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