. Earth Science News .
Organic Nitrogen Gives New Clue To Biodiversity

Professor Richard Bardgett, lead researcher at the University of Lancaster explained: "This research provides important new information about what happens to organic nitrogen in real ecosystems in real time.
by Staff Writers
London, UK (SPX) Apr 17, 2006
Scientists have found that organic nitrogen is more important for plant growth than previously thought and could contribute to maintaining diversity in grasslands. Until recently it was generally believed that the most important source of nitrogen for plants was inorganic nitrogen.

However, researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) from the University of Lancaster and the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER) have found that not only can organic nitrogen be directly taken up by plants it is also used differently by different species, enabling nitrogen sharing and biodiversity.

By tagging organic nitrogen with stable isotopes researchers have challenged the long held idea that organic nitrogen has to be first converted into an inorganic form before the plants can use it. Their findings have significant implications in unfertilised, low-productivity grasslands where organic nitrogen often appears in greater concentrations than inorganic forms.

Professor Richard Bardgett, lead researcher at the University of Lancaster explained: "This research provides important new information about what happens to organic nitrogen in real ecosystems in real time.

Tagging amino acids also revealed that different plant species prefer different sources of organic nitrogen. These preferences may be a way for plants and microbes to avoid competition with their neighbours for nitrogen when it is in very short supply, effectively enabling them to share nitrogen and maintain biodiversity."

Professor Julia Goodfellow, BBSRC Chief Executive, commented: "This is important work which increases our understanding about the underlying processors that generate and maintain biodiversity and will help farmers, industry and government make the most of natural resources and use biodiversity more effectively."

Related Links
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

Paleontologists Learn How Not To Become A Fossil
Chicag0 IL (SPX) Apr 17, 2006
The best way to avoid becoming a fossil is to be small and live in deep, tropical waters. So say four paleontologists who have published a detailed, global study of clam preservation. Their work is intended to enhance evolutionary studies by determining what's missing from the fossil record and why.







  • San Francisco Quake And Fire Revolutionized Insurance World
  • New Orleans Mayoral Race To Shape Future Of Storm-Ravaged City
  • Indonesian Leader Calls For More Disaster Cooperation
  • Six Months In The Life Of Pakistan Quake Refugees

  • Top UK Scientist Sees Dangerous Rise In Global Warming
  • Higher Carbon Dioxide, Lack Of Nitrogen Limit Plant Growth
  • Global Warming Capable Of Sparking Mass Species Extinctions
  • Nature Can Help Reduce Greenhouse Gas Up To A Point

  • Taiwan Puts Six Satellites Into Orbit On US Rocket
  • ESA Satellite Helped Management Of German Floods
  • Satellite Radar Software Spots Ocean Oil Slicks
  • Satellite Maps Track Chesapeake Bay Urbanization

  • Making Alternative Fuel Becomes More Efficient with Dual-Catalyst System
  • Growth Rate Tops Consumption
  • First Fuel-Cell Police Car Delivered By Chrysler
  • Coal May Lead Way To Hydrogen Economy

  • TGN1412 Clouds Future Of Superantibodies
  • Biochemists Discover Bacteria's Achilles Heel
  • Bird Flu Could Prompt World Recession
  • Restoring World's Wetlands Key To Curbing Bird Flu

  • Paleontologists Learn How Not To Become A Fossil
  • Organic Nitrogen Gives New Clue To Biodiversity
  • Historic Plant Type Specimens To Go Digital
  • Evolutionary Proof That (Eating) The Chicken Came Before The Egg

  • Water Supply Of Malaysian State Hit By Pollution
  • Russia Scraps Lake Baikal Protection For Siberia-Pacific Pipeline
  • Plants That Can 'Eat' Arsenic
  • Environmental Toxins Disruptive To Hearing In Mammals Discovered

  • Demographics Of Africa And The Middle East Continue To Explode
  • People With Near Death Experiences Differ In Sleep-Wake Control
  • Prepared Minds Have More Aha! Moments
  • International Migration Has Pros And Cons

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement