Lichen responses to nitrogen and phosphorus additions can be explained by the different symbiont responses

• Responses to simulated nitrogen (N) deposition with or without added phosphorus (P) were investigated for three contrasting lichen species – the N-sensitive Alectoria sarmentosa, the more N-tolerant Platismatia glauca and the N2-fixing Lobaria pulmonaria– in a field experiment.To examine whether nutrient limitation differed between the photobiont and the mycobiont within the lichen, the biomass responses of the respective bionts were estimated.The lichenized algal cells were generally N-limited, because N-stimulated algal growth in all three species. The mycobiont was P-limited in one species (A. sarmentosa), but the growth response of the mycobionts was complex, as fungal growth is also dependent on a reliable carbon export from the photobiont, which may have been the reason for the decrease of the mycobiont with N addition in P. glauca.Our findings showed that P availability was an important factor when studying effects of N deposition, as P supply can both mitigate and intensify the negative effects of N on epiphytic lichens.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Botanik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Botany (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

chlorophyll a

epiphytic lichens

fertilization experiment

growth rate

nitrogen deposition

nutrient limitation

phosphorus

symbiosis

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