Geographical variation in the response to nitrogen deposition in Arabidopsis lyrata petraea.

• Published in: New Phytologist
• Main Authors: Vergeer, Philippine, van den Berg, Leon L. J., Bulling, Mark T., Ashmore, Mike R., Kunin, William E.
• Other Authors: University of Leeds, Institute of Integrative and Comparative Biology
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: Adaptation; physiological; Air pollutants; Arabidopsis; Biomass; Environmental monitoring; Geography; Great Britain; Iceland; Nitrogen; Norway; Plant leaves; Soil
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10545/292722; https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02445.x

The adaptive responses to atmospheric nitrogen deposition for different European accessions of Arabidopsis lyrata petraea were analysed using populations along a strong atmospheric N-deposition gradient. Plants were exposed to three N-deposition rates, reflecting the rates at the different locations, in a full factorial design. Differences between accessions in the response to N were found for important phenological and physiological response variables. For example, plants from low-deposition areas had higher nitrogen-use efficiencies (NUE) and C : N ratios than plants from areas high in N deposition when grown at low N-deposition rates. The NUE decreased in all accessions at higher experimental deposition rates. However, plants from high-deposition areas showed a limited capacity to increase their NUE at lower experimental deposition rates. Plants from low-deposition areas had faster growth rates, higher leaf turnover rates and shorter times to flowering, and showed a greater increase in growth rate in response to N deposition than those from high-deposition areas. Indications for adaptation to N deposition were found, and results suggest that adaptation of plants from areas high in N deposition to increased N deposition has resulted in the loss of plasticity.