Nitrogen and carbon storage in alpine plants
Russell K Monson1, Todd N Rosenstiel, Tara A Forbis
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado 80309.
Integrative and Comparative Biology
|June 16, 2011
Summary
Alpine plants store nitrogen and carbon reserves to manage growth during short seasons. However, storage benefits are limited by plant growth constraints and species-specific functions, challenging current economic theories.
Area of Science:
- Plant Physiology
- Ecology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Alpine plants face short growing seasons, necessitating efficient nutrient storage for rapid growth and reproduction.
- Competition between vegetative and reproductive growth requires effective mobilization of stored nitrogen and carbon reserves.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the costs and benefits of nutrient storage in alpine plants using theoretical frameworks and case studies.
- To investigate nitrogen and carbon storage and utilization dynamics in alpine species from Niwot Ridge, Colorado.
Main Methods:
- Examined seasonal accumulation and remobilization of amino acids in *Bistorta bistortoides* rhizomes under nitrogen fertilization.
- Analyzed cyclitol concentrations in leaves of dominant alpine fellfield species (*Artemisia scopulorum*, Caryophyllaceae) and correlated with environmental conditions and seedling success.
Main Results:
- Nitrogen accumulation in *B. bistortoides* showed no cost but no benefit to future growth due to meristematic constraints, indicating a 'zero-sum' nitrogen utilization.
- High leaf cyclitol concentrations in *A. scopulorum* and Caryophyllaceae species were linked to drought tolerance and improved seedling survival, with potential for seasonal remobilization in *A. scopulorum*.
Conclusions:
- Current cost-benefit economic theories are insufficient for interpreting nitrogen and carbon allocation dynamics in alpine plants.
- Future theoretical models should focus on phenotypic integration of source-sink relationships for better integration of observations and theory.
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