METABOLISMO DO AZOTO NA ANGIOSPÉRMICA MARINHA ZOSTERA NOLTII

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Publications

Nitrogen metabolism in the seagrass Zostera noltii

Publication . Alexandre, Ana; Santos, Rui

Nitrogen metabolism is a vital component in plant’s life. The main purpose of this thesis was to investigate the ecophysiology of nitrogen metabolism of the seagrass Zostera noltii in Ria Formosa lagoon. In the global change scenario, the effects of CO2 enrichment on photosynthesis, growth and nitrogen metabolism of Z. noltii were also investigated. Ammonium was identified as the preferential Ni source for Z. noltii, although nitrate uptake rates were considerable in the absence of ammonium. The ammonium uptake rates through the leaves were one order of magnitude higher than through the roots. Leaves were also identified as the main site for the reduction of ammonium and nitrate, as revealed by the much higher activity of the enzymes nitrate reductase and glutamine synthetase in the leaves than in the roots. The simultaneous supply of both Ni forms to Z. noltii enhanced the ammonium uptake rates and decreased the rates of nitrate uptake comparatively to the rates obtained when Ni forms were supplied separately. The uptake of ammonium or nitrate by one plant part (e.g. leaves) did not affect the uptake rate of the other plant part (e.g. roots), and no internal translocation of incorporated nitrogen was detected. The estimated whole-plant nitrogen budget of Z. noltii in the peak production season (spring) was slightly lower than the total nitrogen requirement for growth, which indicates that the growth of Z. noltii in the lagoon is only slightly limited by nitrogen. Z. noltii took up ammonium and nitrate at similar rates in the light and in the dark. In both light conditions, the nitrogen uptake displayed a temporal pattern of enhanced initial rates followed by lower but relatively constant rates. The uptake of nitrogen in the dark represented an additional use and mobilization of carbohydrate reserves. Z. noltii plants exposed to CO2-enriched conditions enhanced the photosynthetic rates while growth and ammonium uptake rates were not affected, suggesting that Z. noltii may benefit from future increases in seawater CO2 concentrations.

2011Doctoral thesis

Open access

Effects of CO2 enrichment on photosynthesis, growth, and nitrogen metabolism of the seagrass Zostera noltii

Publication . Alexandre, Ana; Silva, Joao; Buapet, Pimchanok; Bjork, Mats; Santos, Rui

Seagrass ecosystems are expected to benefit from the global increase in CO2 in the ocean because the photosynthetic rate of these plants may be C-i-limited at the current CO2 level. As well, it is expected that lower external pH will facilitate the nitrate uptake of seagrasses if nitrate is cotransported with H+ across the membrane as in terrestrial plants. Here, we investigate the effects of CO2 enrichment on both carbon and nitrogen metabolism of the seagrass Zostera noltii in a mesocosm experiment where plants were exposed for 5 months to two experimental CO2 concentrations (360 and 700 ppm). Both the maximum photosynthetic rate (Pm) and photosynthetic efficiency (alpha) were higher (1.3- and 4.1-fold, respectively) in plants exposed to CO2-enriched conditions. On the other hand, no significant effects of CO2 enrichment on leaf growth rates were observed, probably due to nitrogen limitation as revealed by the low nitrogen content of leaves. The leaf ammonium uptake rate and glutamine synthetase activity were not significantly affected by increased CO2 concentrations. On the other hand, the leaf nitrate uptake rate of plants exposed to CO2-enriched conditions was fourfold lower than the uptake of plants exposed to current CO2 level, suggesting that in the seagrass Z. noltii nitrate is not cotransported with H+ as in terrestrial plants. In contrast, the activity of nitrate reductase was threefold higher in plant leaves grown at high-CO2 concentrations. Our results suggest that the global effects of CO2 on seagrass production may be spatially heterogeneous and depend on the specific nitrogen availability of each system. Under a CO2 increase scenario, the natural levels of nutrients will probably become limiting for Z. noltii. This potential limitation becomes more relevant because the expected positive effect of CO2 increase on nitrate uptake rate was not confirmed.

2012-10Journal article

Open access

Nitrogen uptake in light versus darkness of the seagrass Zostera noltei: integration with carbon metabolism

Publication . Alexandre, Ana; Silva, João; Santos, Rui

We conducted a study that shows that light and dark conditions do not affect the uptake rates of ammonium and nitrate by the seagrass Zostera noltei. This is an important advantage over some seaweed species in which these rates are severely reduced at night. In the light, the ammonium uptake rates were initially higher (15 and 20molg(-1)h(-1)) and stabilized at a rate of 5molg(-1)h(-1) after 1h, whereas in the dark the rates remained constant at a rate of 10molg(-1)h(-1) over the first 180min of incubation. The rates of nitrate uptake in the light were high within the first 120min of incubation(7.2-11.1molg(-1)h(-1)) and decreased afterwards to lower values (0.8-3.9molg(-1)h(-1)), whereas in the dark the rates fluctuated around 0.0-11.1molg(-1)h(-1) throughout the whole incubation time (7h). The soluble sugar content of Z.noltei leaves increased significantly with both ammonium and nitrate incubations in the light, indicating the metabolic outcome of photosynthesis. In the dark, there was no significant variation in either the soluble sugar or in the starch content of leaves, rhizomes or roots in either the ammonium or nitrate incubations. However, the total starch content of plants decreased at night whereas the total soluble sugars increased, suggesting a process of starch catabolism to generate energy with the consequent production of smaller monosaccharide products. The starch content of rhizomes decreased significantly during the light incubations with nitrate but not with ammonium. These results suggest that carbohydrate mobilization is necessary for Z.noltei to account for extra energetic costs needed for the uptake and assimilation of nitrate. Furthermore, our results suggest that nitrate uptake, at least during the day, requires the mobilization of starch whereas the uptake of ammonium does not.

2016-10Journal article

Restricted access

Effects of elevated CO2 and nutrients on the community metabolism of a Cymodocea nodosa bed

Publication . Khan, Faisal; Alexandre, Ana; Ullah, Hadayet; Santos, Rui

We assessed the combined effects of elevated CO2 and nutrients on the metabolism of a benthic community dominated by the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Ascherson in a mesocosm experiment. C. nodosa plants and their associated community were exposed to two CO2 levels simulating future (700 ppm, pH 7.84) and current (360 ppm, pH 8.12) conditions, and two nutrient levels (enriched and ambient concentration) in a total of four treatments (-C-N, -C+N, +C-N, +C+N). Net community production (NCP) was estimated from changes in the concentration of dissolved inorganic carbon in the seawater in light incubations using benthic chambers. The variation pattern of NCP with the ordinance was consistent for all treatments. Although differences among treatments were not statistically significant, average NCP values were lowest under CO2 enrichment conditions. NCP was lower at a high CO2 level and ambient nitrogen concentration compared to when nutrient availability was higher, suggesting that the low nutrient availability may modulate the community response to CO2 enrichment. The results obtained suggest that the stimulation of the net community production of C. nodosa by elevated CO2 concentrations may be curtailed by low nutrient availability.

2016Journal article

Open access