Articles | Volume 14, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1111-2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1111-2017
Research article
 | 
09 Mar 2017
Research article |  | 09 Mar 2017

Symbiosis revisited: phosphorus and acid buffering stimulate N2 fixation but not Sphagnum growth

Eva van den Elzen, Martine A. R. Kox, Sarah F. Harpenslager, Geert Hensgens, Christian Fritz, Mike S. M. Jetten, Katharina F. Ettwig, and Leon P. M. Lamers

Data sets

``Mini-Ilperveld'' data on Sphagnum and diazotrophs from experiment in water bath lab in Radboud University Nijmegen with deep peat monoliths and Sphagnum from Ilperveld E. van den Elzen, S. F. Harpenslager, and L. P. M. Lamers https://doi.org/10.17026/dans-x3w-c9f6

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Short summary
Peatlands are important because they sequester large amounts of carbon, for which nitrogen is needed. In peatlands dominated by peat mosses, atmospheric nitrogen is fixed by associated microorganisms. We here show for the first time experimentally that phosphorus availability and acid buffering, both showing large variations among peatlands, can explain the strong differences reported for nitrogen fixation. This improves our understanding of peatland functioning in relation to global change.
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