Bryophyte species differ widely in their growth and N2-fixation responses to temperature

• Published in: Arctic Science
• Main Authors: Agnieszka Marta Rzepczynska, Anders Michelsen, Maya Anne Nissen Olsen, Signe Lett
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; French
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2022
• Subjects: acetylene reduction assay; δ13C; δ15N; mosses; nitrogen cycling; subarctic tundra ecosystems; Environmental sciences; GE1-350; Environmental engineering; TA170-171; Arctic; Climate change; Subarctic; Tundra
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2021-0053; https://doaj.org/article/ae2247d88ed34089be9ed0d07c982551

Bryophytes are abundant in tundra ecosystems, where they affect carbon and nitrogen cycling through primary production and associations with N2-fixing bacteria. Bryophyte responses to climate warming are inconclusive, likely because species-specific responses are poorly understood. Here we investigated how warming affects the growth and nitrogenase activity of 10 tundra bryophyte species in two tundra landscapes. Collected bryophyte samples were grown in temperature-controlled growth chambers for 12 weeks at five temperatures from 3 to 18 °C. We measured growth, N concentration, δ15N, and δ13C after 3 months and nitrogenase activity after 5 and 12 weeks. Bryophyte growth and associated nitrogenase activity generally increased with temperature, but species differed in their optima. Bryophyte N concentration and δ15N indicated that, for some species, increased N2-fixation could not compensate for growth-induced N limitation. High landscape coverage and large positive warming effects on feather mosses and Sphagnum species highlight their competitive advantages, confirm earlier field observations, and contribute to the mechanistic understanding of differential bryophyte growth in response to warming. We suggest that indirect effects of climate change, such as surface drying and shrub expansion, are likely main threats to slow-growing bryophytes across the Arctic, with consequences for biodiversity and C balance.