Abstract
Leafy shoots of Ruppia maritima were incubated in two-compartment chambers, with the roots in one compartment and the leaves in the other. Rates of phosphate and ammonia uptake were compared when roots and leaves were supplied with these nutrients separately and simultaneously. Uptake of phosphate and ammonia by leaves was reduced when these nutrients were supplied to the roots, but uptake by roots was not affected by the availability of these nutrients to leaves. This response suggested root-to-shoot translocation predominated. Vmax for leaf uptake of phosphate was decreased by 31% when roots were supplied with phosphate simultaneously. Leaf uptake of ammonia was not affected by the availability of ammonia to roots unless the plants were starved for nitrogen. Vmax for plants starved for nitrogen was two times greater than for unstarved plants. When roots and leaves of starved plants were exposed simultaneously to ammonia, Vmax for ammonia uptake by leaves did not change but Ks increased by 97% to a value similar to that for unstarved plants. Ammonia supplied to leaves or roots inhibited nitrate uptake by leaves by an average of 52%. Ammonia supplied to leaves, however, had no influence on the rate of nitrate uptake by roots.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature cited
Barko, J. W.: Influence of potassium source (sediment vs open water) and sediment composition on the growth and nutrition of a submersed freshwater macrophyte (Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle). Aquat. Bot. 12, 157–172 (1982)
Barko, J. W. and R. M. Smart: Mobilization of sediment phosphorus by submerged macrophytes. Freshwat. Biol. 10, 229–238 (1980)
Barko, J. W. and R. M. Smart: Sediment-based nutrition of submersed macrophytes. Aquat. Bot. 10, 339–352 (1981)
Best, M. D. and K. E. Mantai: Growth of Myriophyllum: sediment or lake water as the source of nitrogen and phosphorus. Ecology 59, 1075–1080 (1978)
Bird, K. T., C. J. Dawes and J. T. Romeo: Light quality effects on carbon metabolism and allocation in Gracilaria verrucosa. Mar. Biol. 64, 219–223 (1981)
Bristow, J. M. and M. Whitcombe: The role of roots in the nutrition of aquatic vascular plants. Am. J. Bot. 58, 8–13 (1971)
Bole, J. B. and J. R. Allan: Uptake of phosphorus from sediment by aquatic plants, Myriophyllum spicatum and Hydrilla verticillata. Water Res. 12, 353–358 (1978)
Bower, C. E. and T. Holm-Hansen: A salicylate-hypochlorite method for determining ammonia in seawater. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 37, 794–798 (1980)
Brinkhuis, B. H., W. F. Penello and A. C. Churchill: Cadmium and manganese flux in eelgrass Zostera marina II. Metal uptake by leaf and root-rhizome tissues. Mar. Biol. 58, 187–196 (1980)
Carignan, R. and J. Kalff: Phosphorus sources for aquatic weeds: water or sediment? Science, N.Y. 207, 987–989 (1980)
Carpenter, E. J. and R. R. L. Guillard: Intraspecific differences in nitrate half-saturation constants for three species of marine phytoplankton. Ecology 52, 183–185 (1971)
Conover, J. T. and W. P. Dillon: The physical and geological oceanology of Charlestown and Green Hill Ponds, R.I. In: Environmental relationships of benthos in salt ponds (plant relationships). Vols. 1 and 2. Tech. Rpt. 3, WP-00023, NIH, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA 1966
Cram, W. J.: Internal factors regulating nitrate and chloride influx in plant cells. J. exp. Bot. 24, 328–341 (1973)
Demarte, J. A. and T. R. Hartman: Studies on absorption of 32P, 59Fe, and 45Ca by water-milfoil (Myriophyllum exalbescens Fernald). Ecology 55, 188–194 (1974)
Dortch, Q., J. R. Clayton, Jr., S. S. Thoreson, S. L. Bressler and S. I. Ahmed: Response of marine phytoplankton to nitrogen deficiency: decreased nitrate uptake vs enhanced ammonium uptake. Mar. Biol. 70, 13–19 (1982)
Faraday, W. E. and A. C. Churchill: Uptake of cadmium by the eelgrass Zostera marina. Mar. Biol. 53, 293–298 (1979)
Glass, A. D. M.: The regulation of potassium absorption in barley roots. Plant Physiol. 56, 377–380 (1975)
Glass, A. D. M.: Regulation of potassium absorption in barley roots: an allosteric model. Plant Physiol. 58, 33–37 (1976)
Glass, A. D. M.: The regulation of potassium influx into intact roots of barley by internal potassium levels. Can. J. Bot. 56, 1759–1764 (1977)
Healey, F. P. and W. P. D. Stewart: Inorganic nutrient uptake and deficiency in algae. Crit. Rev. Microbiol. 3, 69–113 (1973)
Hipkin, C. R., B. A. Al-Bassam and P. J. Syrett: The roles of nitrate and ammonia in the regulation of the development of nitrate reductase in Chlamydomonas reinhardii. Planta 150, 13–18 (1980)
Hofmann, G. (Ed.): ISCO Tables: a handbook of data for biological and physical scientists, 7th ed., 52pp. Instrumentation Specialties Co., Nebraska (pamphlet) 1977
Iizumi, H. and A. Hattori: Growth and organic production of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) in temperate water of the Pacific coast of Japan. III. The kinetics of nitrogen uptake. Aquat. Bot. 12, 245–256 (1982)
Iizumi, H., A. Hattori and C. P. McRoy: Ammonium regeneration and assimilation in eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds. Mar. Biol. 66, 59–65 (1982)
Kester, D. R., I. W. Duedall, D. N. Connors and R. M. Pytkowicz: Preparation of artificial seawater. Limnol. Oceanogr. 12, 176–178 (1967)
Losada, M., J. Herrera, J. M. Maldonada and A. Paneque: Mechanism of nitrate reductase reversible inactivation by ammonia in Chlamydomonas. Plant Sci. Lett. 1, 31–37 (1973)
McRoy, C. P. and R. J. Barsdate: Phosphate absorption in eelgrass. Limnol. Oceanogr. 15, 6–13 (1970)
McRoy, C. P. and J. J. Goering: Nutrient transfer between the seagrass Zostera marina and its epiphytes. Nature, Lond. 248, 173–174 (1974)
Neame, K. D. and T. G. Richards: Elementary kinetics of membrane carrier transport, 120 pp. New York: John Wiley 1972
Nichols, D. S. and D. R. Keeney: Nitrogen nutrition of Myriophyllum spicatum: variation of plant tissue nitrogen concentration with season and site in Lake Wingra. Freshwat. Biol. 6, 137–144 (1976a)
Nichols, D. S. and D. R. Keeney: Nitrogen nutrition of Myriophyllum spicatum: uptake and translocation of 15N by shoots and roots. Freshwat. Biol. 6, 145–154 (1976b)
Patriquin, D. G.: The origin of nitrogen and phosphorus for growth of the marine angiosperm Thalassia testudinum. Mar. Biol. 15, 35–46 (1972)
Sculthorpe, C. D.: The biology of aquatic vascular plants, 610 pp. London: Arnold 1967
Siddiqi, M. Y. and A. D. M. Glass: Simultaneous consideration of tissue and substrate potassium concentration in K+ uptake kinetics: a model. Plant Physiol. 69, 283–285 (1982)
Smith, I. K.: Sulfate transport in cultured tobacco cells. Plant Physiol. 55, 303–307 (1975)
Snedecor, G. W. and W. C. Cochran: Statistical methods, 7th ed., 507 pp Iowa State University Press 1980
Strickland, J. D. H. and T. R. Parsons: A practical handbook of seawater analysis. Bull. Fish. Res. Bd, Can. 167, 1–310 (1972)
Syrett, P. J. and I. Morris: The inhibition of nitrate assimilation by ammonium in Chlorella. Biochem. biophys. Acta 67, 566–575 (1963)
Terry, K. L.: Nitrate uptake and assimilation in Thalassiosira weissflogii and Phaeodactylum tricornutum: interaction with photosynthesis and with the uptake of other ions. Mar. Biol. 69, 21–30 (1982)
Thorne-Miller, B., M. M. Harlin, G. B. Thursby, M. M. Brady-Campbell and B. A. Dworetzky: Variation in the distribution and biomass of submerged macrophytes in five coastal lagoons in Rhode Island, U.S.A. Bot. Mar. 26, 231–242 (1983)
Thursby, G. B.: Nutritional requirements of the submerged angiosperm Ruppia maritima in algae-free culture. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 16, 45–50 (1984a)
Thursby, G. B.: Root exuded oxygen in the aquatic angiosperm Ruppia maritima. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 16, 303–305 (1984b)
Thursby, G. B. and M. M. Harlin: Leaf-root interaction in the uptake of ammonia by Zostera marina. Mar. Biol. 72, 109–112 (1982)
Twilley, R. R., M. M. Brinson and G. J. Davis: Phosphorus absorption, translocation, and secretion in Nuphar luteum. Limnol. Oceanogr. 28, 1022–1032 (1977)
Verhoeven, J. T. A.: The ecology of Ruppia dominated communities in western Europe. I. Distribution of Ruppia representatives in relation to their autecology. Aquat. Bot. 6, 197–268 (1979)
Voskresenskaya, N. P.: Blue light and carbon metabolism. Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol. 23, 219–234 (1972)
Waisel, Y., M. Agami and Z. Shapira: Uptake and translocation of 86Rb, 32P, 36Cl and 22Na by four submerged hydrophytes. Aquat. Bot. 13, 179–186 (1982)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by S. K. Pierce, College Park
Contribution No. 579 of the Environmental Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency. Use of product names does not imply endorsement by USEPA
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Thursby, G.B., Harlin, M.M. Interaction of leaves and roots of Ruppia maritima in the uptake of phosphate, ammonia and nitrate. Marine Biology 83, 61–67 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00393086
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00393086