Nitrogen studies in sub-Antarctic terrestrial environments
Metadata record for data from ASAC Project 1022 See the link below for public details on this project. --- Public Summary from Project --- Nitrogen studies in subantarctic terrestrial environments Nitrogen is the most important nutrient that plants take up from the soil. Different forms of soil nitr...
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Australian Antarctic Data Centre
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| Online Access: | https://researchdata.ands.org.au/nitrogen-studies-sub-terrestrial-environments/699367 https://data.aad.gov.au/metadata/records/ASAC_1022 http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-617536 |
| Summary: | Metadata record for data from ASAC Project 1022 See the link below for public details on this project. --- Public Summary from Project --- Nitrogen studies in subantarctic terrestrial environments Nitrogen is the most important nutrient that plants take up from the soil. Different forms of soil nitrogen exist and plants differ in their ability to access these forms. We are determining the nitrogen sources available to plants in the subantarctic environment including the role of penguin-derived nitrogen, soil micro-fauna and the effect of temperature. By studying the nitrogen sources that are used by subantarctic plants, we will be able to better understand the physiological background of species distributions in the subantarctic environment. This research will further our understanding of plant functioning under extreme environmental conditions and allow us to make predictions about the vulnerability of different species to changes in climatic conditions. From the abstracts of the referenced papers: In the beginning Astronomers appear to have discovered that universes have an ecology and indeed a metabolism and no doubt our universe has a distinctive physiological ecology. The task here, however, is to address the physiological ecology of plants. Traditionally, this has deployed two approaches: the in vivo, in which physiological processes were studies at the whole plant or organ level, in field and laboratory, and the in vitro, in which cellular and subcellular processes were dissected in order to understand the mechanisms underlying physiological responses. Bringing us closer to the astronomy fraternity there is a third approach, the in silico, in which computer simulation and graphic modelling provide tools for the study of past and future plants and processes. This contribution attempts to look back to the past, to the origins of life, in order to understand the selectivity in the use of mineral elements and their roles in extant physiological ecology. What do we know of the conditions present on early Earth that shaped the origin and evolution of life and determined the selection and roles of the mineral elements that are now essential for plant growth? The emergence of life may have occurred in a fairly short interval, microfossils are reported in 3.5-Gyr rock and there is evidence of biogenic carbon isotope fractionation in 3.8-Gyr rock. The early Earth on which life appeared was very different to the planet we inhabit today. Life originated not in a quiescent, favourable environment but rather a violent, impact-ridden one, characterised by enormous tides, intense volcanic activity and heavy meteoritic bombardment. Current thinking is that this early Earth had an atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide and nitrogen, rather than one of methane and ammonia - conditions rather unfavourable for cooking up prebiotic soups. |
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