Grass competition induces N2 fixation in some species of African Acacia

Journal of Ecology

Volumn 95, Issue 5, 2007, Pages 1123-1133

  Cramer, M D ^a   Chimphango, S B M ^a   Van Cauter, A ^a   Waldram, M S ^a   Bond, W J ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN   (South Africa)

Author keywords

15N isotope; African Acacia; Competition; Grass; Natural abundance; Nitrogen fixation; Nodule; Savanna; Tree grass competition

Indexed keywords

ABUNDANCE; EXPERIMENTAL STUDY; GRASS; HYPOTHESIS TESTING; INTERSPECIFIC COMPETITION; LEGUME; NITROGEN FIXATION; NITROGEN ISOTOPE; NODULATION; PHYTOMASS; SAVANNA;

AFRICA; HLUHLUWE-UMFOLOZI PARK; KWAZULU-NATAL; SOUTH AFRICA; SOUTHERN AFRICA; SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA;

ACACIA; ACACIA ATAXACANTHA; ACACIA KARROO; ACACIA NIGRESCENS; ACACIA NILOTICA; ACACIA TORTILIS;

EID: 34547994051     PISSN: 00220477     EISSN: 13652745     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2745.2007.01285.x     Document Type: Article

References (46)

1. Aranibar, J.N., Macko, S.A., Anderson, I.C., Potgieter, A.L.F., Sowry, R. Shugart, H.H. (2003) Nutrient cycling responses to fire frequency in the Kruger National Park (South Africa) as indicated by stable isotope analysis. Isotopes Environment and Health Studies, 39, 141 158.
2. Aranibar, J.N., Otter, L., Macko, S.A., Feral, C.J.W., Epstein, H.E., Dowty, P.R., Eckardt, F., Shugart, H.H. Swap, R.J. (2004) Nitrogen cycling in the soil-plant system along a precipitation gradient in the Kalahari sands. Global Change Biology, 10, 359 373.
3. Belsky, A.J., Mwonga, S.M., Amundson, R.G., Duxbury, J.M. Ali, A.R. (1993) Comparative effects of isolated trees on their undercanopy environments in high- and low-rainfall savannas. Journal of Applied Ecology, 30, 143 155.
4. Bond, W.J., Smith, K. Balfour, D.A. (2001) Acacia species turnover in time and space in an African savanna. Journal of Biogeography, 28, 117 128.
5. Bond, W.J. van Wilgen, B.W. (1996) Fire and Plants. Volume 14 in the Population and Community biology series. Chapman & Hall, London.
6. Bray, R.H. Kurtz, L.T. (1945) Determination of total, organic, and available forms of phosphorus in soils. Soil Science, 59, 39 45.
7. Carlsson, G. Huss-Danell, K. (2003) Nitrogen fixation in perennial forage legumes in the field. Plant and Soil, 253, 353 372.
8. Crews, T.E. (1993) Phosphorus regulation of nitrogen fixation in a traditional Mexican Agroecosystem. Biogeochemistry, 21, 141 166.
9. Crews, T.E. (1999) The presence of nitrogen fixing legumes in terrestrial communities, Evolutionary vs ecological considerations. Journal of Biogeochemistry, 46, 233 246.
10. Dawson, T.E., Mambelli, S., Plamboeck, A.H., Templer, P.H. Tu, K.P. (2002) Stable isotopes in plant ecology. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 33, 507 559.
11. DeFaria, S.M., Lewis, G.P., Sprent, J.I. Sutherland, J.M. (1989) Occurrence of nodulation in the Leguminosae. New Phytologist, 111, 607 619.
12. Ehleringer, J.R. Rundel, P.W. (1989) History, units and instrumentation. Stable Isotopes in Ecological Research. Ecological Studies 68 (eds P.W. Rundel, J.R. Ehleringer K.A. Nagy pp. 1 15. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
13. Evans, D.R. (2001) Physiological mechanisms influencing plant nitrogen isotope composition. Trends in Plant Science, 6, 121 126.
14. Fynn, R.W.S., Haynes, J.R. O'Connor, T.G. (2003) Burning causes long-term changes in soil organic matter content of a South African grassland. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 35, 677 687.
15. Goi, S.R., Sprent, J.I., James, E.K. Jacob-Neto, J. (1993) Influence of nitrogen form and concentration on the nitrogen fixation of Acacia auriculiformis. Symbiosis, 14, 115 112.
16. Harrier, L.A., Whitty, P.W., Sutherland, J.M. Sprent, J.I. (1997) Phenetic investigation of non-nodulating African species Acacia (Leguminosae) using morphological and molecular markers. Plant Systematics and Evolution, 205, 27 51.
17. Harrier, L.A., Whitty, P., Sutherland, J.M. Sprent, J.I. (2000) Pre-infection events in non-nodulating species of African Acacia. African Journal of Ecology, 38, 8 15.
18. 2 fixation, a conceptual model of N feedback from the ecosystem to the gene expression level. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 1, 92 120.
19. Hernández-Lucas, I., Segovia, L., Marti!nez-Romero, E. Pueppke, S.G. (1995) Phylogenetic relationships and host range of Rhizobium spp. that nodulate Phaseolus vulgaris L. Applied Environmental Microbiology, 61, 2775 2779.
20. Hewitt, E.J. (1966) Sand and Water Culture Methods used in the Study of Plant Nutrition, 2nd revised edition. Commonwealth Bureau of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, East Malling, Technical Communication No. 22. Commonwealth Agriculture Bureau, Farnham Royal.
21. Higgins, S.I., Bond, W.J. Trollope, W.S.W. (2000) Fire, resprouting and variability, a recipe for grass-tree coexistence in savanna. Journal of Ecology, 88, 213 229.
22. Högberg, P. (1986a) Nitrogen-fixation and nutrient relations in savanna woodland trees (Tanzania). Journal of Applied Ecology, 23, 675 688.
23. Högberg, P. (1986b) Soil nutrient availability, root symbiosis and tree species composition in tropical Africa, a review. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 2, 359 372.
24. 15N natural abundance in soil-plant systems. New Phytologist, 137, 179 203.
25. Hudak, A.T. Wessman, C.A. (2001) Textural analysis of high resolution imagery to quantify bush encroachment in Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa 1955-96. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 22, 2731 2740.
26. Hudak, A.T., Wessman, C.A. Seastedt, T.R. (2003) Woody overstorey effects on soil carbon and nitrogen pools in South African savanna. Austral Ecology, 28, 173 181.
27. Knoop, W.T. Walker, B.H. (1985) Interactions of woody and herbaceous vegetation in a Southern African savanna. Journal of Ecology, 73, 235 253.
28. Kraaij, T. Ward, D. (2006) Effects of rain, nitrogen, fire and grazing on tree recruitment and early survival in bush-encroached savanna, South Africa. Plant Ecology, 186, 235 246.
29. Ludwig, F., de Kroon, H., Berendse, F. Prins, H.H.T. (2004) The influence of savanna trees on nutrient, water and light availability and the understorey vegetation. Plant Ecology, 170, 93 105.
30. Martinelli, L.A., Piccolo, M.C., Townsend, A.R., Vitousek, P.M., Cuevas, E., McDowell, W., Robertson, G.P., Santos, O.C. Treseder, K. (1999) Nitrogen stable isotopic composition of leaves and soil: tropical versus temperate forests. Biogeochemistry, 46, 45 65.
31. Midgley, J.M. Bond, W.J. (2001) A synthesis of the demography of African acacias. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 17, 871 886.
32. O'Connor, T.G. (1995) Acacia karroo invasion of grassland, environmental and biotic effects influencing seedling emergence and establishment. Oecologia, 103, 214 223.
33. Pueppke, S.G. Broughton, W.J. (1999) Rhizobium sp. Strain NGR234 and R. fredii USDA257 share exceptionally broad, nested host ranges. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, 12, 293 318.
34. 2-fixing and urea-fed Acacia mangium. New Phytologist, 132, 383 390.
35. 15N as an integrator of the nitrogen cycle. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 16, 153 162.
36. Rutherford, M.C. (1997) Categorization of biomes. Vegetation of Southern Africa (eds R.M. Cowling, D.M. Richardson S.M. Pierce). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
37. Sankaran, M., Ratnam, J. Hanan, N.P. (2004) Tree-grass coexistence in savannas revisited: insights from an examination of assumptions and mechanisms invoked in existing models. Ecology Letters, 7, 480 490.
38. Scholes, R.J. Archer, S.R. (1997) Tree-grass interactions in savannas. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 28, 517 544.
39. Scholes, R.J. Hall, D.O. (1996) The carbon budget of tropical savannas, woodlands and grasslands. Modelling Terrestrial Ecosystems (eds A. Breymeyer, D. Hall, J. Melillo G. Agren), pp. 69 100. Wiley, Chichester.
40. Seemann, J.R. (1989) Light adaptation/acclimation of photosynthesis and the regulation of Ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase activity in sun and shade plants. Plant Physiology, 91, 379 386.
41. Sprent, J.I. (1999) Nitrogen fixation and growth of non-crop legume species in diverse environments. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 2, 149 162.
42. Tang, C., Hinsinge, P.R., Drevon, J.J. Jaillard, B. (2001) Phosphorus deficiency impairs early nodule functioning and enhances proton release in roots of Medicago truncatula L. Annals of Botany, 88, 131 138.
43. Vitousek, P.M., Cassman, K., Cleveland, C., Crews, T.E., Field, C.B., Grimm, N.B. et al 2002) Towards an ecological understanding of biological nitrogen fixation. Journal of Biogeochemistry, 57, 1 45.
44. Vitousek, P.M. Howarth, R.W. (1991) Nitrogen limitation on land and sea, how can it occur? Biochemistry, 13, 87 115.
45. Walker, B.H. Noy-Meir, I. (1982) Aspects of the stability and resilience of savanna ecosystems. Ecology of Tropical Savannas (eds B.J. Huntley B.H. Walker pp. 556 590. Springer, Berlin.
46. Walter, H. (1971) Ecology of Tropical and Subtropical Vegetation. Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh.