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Science 12 February 1988:
Vol. 239. no. 4841, pp. 764 - 765
DOI: 10.1126/science.239.4841.764
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Articles

Capture of Atmospheric Ammonium by Grassland Canopies

G. W. Heil 1, M. J. A. Werger 1, W. de Mol 1, D. van Dam 1, and B. Heijne 1

1 Department of Plant Ecology, University of Utrecht, Lange Nieuwstraat 106, 3512 PN Utrecht, the Netherlands

Air pollution can cause a decline in species through acidification of the habitat. New data suggest that the decline may be due to eutrophication rather than acidification. In Western Europe, eutrophication largely results from atmospheric ammonium deposition. The amount deposited on vegetation is a function of its canopy structure. Deposition on grasslands has been underestimated, and a significant amount of the deposited ammonium appears to be assimilated by the plant canopy. These quantities are sufficient to initiate changes in the competitive relations among the plant species.

Submitted on September 15, 1987
Accepted on December 28, 1987


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Response to ammonium and nitrate by a mycorrhizal annual invasive grass and native shrub in southern California.
L. C. Yoshida and E. B. Allen (2001)
Am. J. Botany 88, 1430-1436
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)