The nitrogen regime and biological fixation of nitrogen in moss communities (the Khibiny Mountains)

Abstract

In the vegetation belts of the Khibiny Mountains, the dynamics of the contents of mineral and easily hydrolyzable (according to Cornfield) nitrogen compounds in the litter and the nitrogen-fixing capacity of epiphytic cyanobacteria on dominant mosses were studied. The nitrogen regime of most moss species was shown to be self-supporting probably due to the intense assimilation of molecular nitrogen by epiphytic cyanobacteria (during the growing period, up to 28% of the total nitrogen content in plants) and the low organic matter production by mosses.