Seasonal phosphatase activities of mosses from Upper Teesdale, northern England

Actividades estacionales de fosfatasa de musgos del Teesdale Superior, el norte de Inglaterra

Turner, Benjamin L. and Baxter, Robert and Ellwood, Neil T. W. and Whitton, Brian A. (2003) Seasonal phosphatase activities of mosses from Upper Teesdale, northern England. Journal of Bryology. 25:203-214.

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Abstract

Changes in tissue nutrient concentrations and surface phosphatase activities of eight moss species were measured
over one year in terrestrial and semi-aquatic environments on Widdybank Fell, Upper Teesdale National
Nature Reserve, northern England. Rates of phosphatase activity in apical regions of moss shoots differed
markedly between species, but were generally greatest in the winter and least in the summer in most species.
Mean values for phosphomonoesterase activity (umol para-nitrophenol g-1 d.wt h-1) ranged from 18.2 for
Polytrichum commune to 85.8 for Palustriella commutata var. falcata. Mean phosphodiesterase activity ranged
from 3.1 for Polytrichum commune to 86.2 for Hylocomium splendens. In contrast, tissue nitrogen and phosphorus
concentrations remained relatively constant throughout the year. Phosphatase activities were negatively
correlated with tissue phosphorus concentration for several species, although few relationships were detected
between ambient nutrient concentrations and phosphatase activity, tissue nitrogen, or tissue phosphorus
concentration. These results demonstrate that phosphatase activities can provide a sensitive indicator of nutrient
stress in terrestrial and semi-aquatic mosses, notably in the ectohydric Hylocomium splendens. However,
further studies at sites with a wide range of nutrient levels are required to determine whether the technique can
be used to indicate ambient nutrient status.

Item Type:	Article
NWISRL Publication Number:	1107
Subjects:	Mass Import - unclassified
Depositing User:	Dan Stieneke
Date Deposited:	20 Nov 2010 21:50
Last Modified:	08 Nov 2016 15:49
Item ID:	165
URI:	https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/165