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Nutrient Availability and Uptake by Tundra Plants

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Landscape Function and Disturbance in Arctic Tundra

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 120))

Abstract

Although tundra in the Imnavait Creek watershed is exposed to low temperature, a short growing season, and in many cases, anaerobic soils (see Chaps. 4, 6, and 11, this Vol.), nutrient availability is the factor that most strongly limits plant growth and productivity (Billings et al. 1984; Chapin and Shaver 1985). Nitrogen (N) is the most common limiting element in tundra communities (Barsdate and Alexander 1975), but phosphorus (P) may be either a sole or co-limiting nutrient (McKendrick et al. 1980; Shaver and Chapin 1986). Nitrogen fixation is slow (Alexander and Schell 1973), decomposition and mineralization are limited by cold soils (Nadelhoffer et al. 1991), and N and P immobilization are rapid (Kielland 1990), suggesting that competition from soil microorganisms may limit nutrient availability to plants.

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Authors
  1. J. P. Schimel
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  2. K. Kielland
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  3. F. S. Chapin III
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Duke University, Phytotron Building, Box 90340, 27708, Durham, NC, USA

    James F. Reynolds

  2. Lehrstuhl für Pflanzenökologie II Bayreuth Institute for Terrestrial Ecosystem Research (BITÖK), Universität Bayreuth, D-95440, Bayreuth, Germany

    John D. Tenhunen

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© 1996 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Schimel, J.P., Kielland, K., Chapin, F.S. (1996). Nutrient Availability and Uptake by Tundra Plants. In: Reynolds, J.F., Tenhunen, J.D. (eds) Landscape Function and Disturbance in Arctic Tundra. Ecological Studies, vol 120. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-01145-4_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-01145-4_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-01147-8

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