Nitrogen Acquisition and Use in Three Perennials in the Early Stage of Primary Succession

Abstract

Different patterns of nitrogen acquisition and use among species were important determinants of a successional sequence in the early stage of primary succession on Mt. Fuji. The first colonizer, Polygonum cuspidatum, had the highest relative growth rate (RGR) under nitrogen-limited conditions, which arose from the higher plant nitrogen concentration (PNC) than the second colonizer, Miscanthus oligostachyus, and higher nitrogen productivity (NP) than the third colonizer, Aster ageratoides. Polygonum cuspidatum allocated proportionately the least biomass to roots, while it had the highest specific root length and maintained a high absorption rate per unit root weight. NP of Polygonum cuspidatum was high because allocation of nitrogen to the leaves was high (...)