Factors Affecting The Assimilation of Nitrogen

ABSORPTION OF NITROGEN BY MYCORRHIZAL
ROOTS OF BEECH
I. FACTORS AFFECTING THE ASSIMILATION OF NITROGEN
BY B. B. C A R R O D U S *
Department of Agriculture, Oxford
{Received ig January 1966)
SUMMARY
Beech mycorrhizas are capable of absorbing ammonia and simple organic compounds from
solution but nitrate is a poor source of nitrogen if it is absorbed at all. The absorption of
ammonia is associated with synthesis of organic nitrogen compounds in the tissues amongst
which glutamine appears as the most prominent. The factors which affect absorption are those
expected to affect metabolic activity. The rate of ammonia absorption is stimulated especially
at certain times of year by exogenous sugars applied during or immediately before ammonia
absorption. Prefeeding with either glucose or fructose stimulates absorption and so it may be
concluded that trehalose, glycogen and mannitol may all be utilized in the process. Low
concentrations of bicarbonate, up to 7.5 mM, enhance ammonia absorption as do succinic,
fumaric and malic acids. Other organic acids applied exogenously either do not affect uptake
or reduce its rate.
INTRODUCTION
Special properties in the absorption of nitrogenous compounds have often been ascribed
to ectotrophic mycorrhizas but there has been little detailed investigation of the processes
concerned. Melin and Nilsson (1952, 1953) have shown that labelled nitrogen derived
from '*NH4NO3 and [^^N] glutamic acid absorbed by the fungal symbiont can he
translocated to the host tissues of Pinus seedlings in culture. Wilson (1957) showed that
ammonium ions affected the rate of absorption of alkali metal ions. Ammonium dim-
inished the absorption of potassium and rubidium ions when presented to mycorrhizas
in solution as chlorides; by contrast, potassium ions had a much lesser effect on ammonium
uptake, Budd and Harley in unpublished work showed that ammonia absorption was
much more rapid than that of the alkali metal ions, and it resulted in the formation of
organic nitrogen compounds with no accumulation of ammonium compounds in the
tissues.
In work on the respiratory response of beech mycorrhizas to salts, Harley, McCready
and Geddes (1954) found that the response to ammonium salts was the greatest of all
salts used except, on occasion, phosphate, Jennings (1956) observed that there was greater
utilization of soluble and insoluble carbohydrates in mycorrhizas kept in ammonium
chloride under conditions where ammonia could be absorbed, than in those kept in
other conditions.
The ability of mycorrhizas to absorb nitrogen compounds other than ammonium salts
is little known. There is a general belief that nitrate is little utilized. There is no ground
for believing that mycorrhizas themselves fix atmospheric nitrogen.
* Present address: Geography Department, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
358
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Nitrogen absorption by beech mycorrhiza 359
In this paper the results of experiments on the absorption of ammonium compounds,
nitrate and simple amino acids by excised beech mycorrhizas are described.
METHODS
Experimental procedure
Mycorrhizal roots of beech were collected, sampled and prepared for experimenta-
tion as described previously (Harley and McCready, 1952). This produces samples of
acceptable uniformity within one collection but subject to seasonal variation between
collections which in the case of nitrogen absorption was important.
The number and weight of mycorrhizas in each sample varied with the purpose of the
experiment but was usually 50-100 apices per sample. The samples were treated with
25 ml of the experimental solution in conical flasks at constant temperature (18-20° C)
in a water-bath.
Analyses were performed both on the external solutions and upon the plant material.
At the conclusion of the uptake period the roots were separated by filtration on to a
sintered glass funnel, washed three times in ice-cold water before extraction or digestion.
The washings were, where necessary, used in dilution of the experimental solution.
Extraction of plant material

Mycorrhizas were extracted at 35-40° C thrice with 80% ethanol, twice with water
and finally with 80% ethanol. The bulked extracts were concentrated to a smaller volume
in a rotary evaporator at reduced pressure at 40° C and made up to standard volume
with water. The procedure was designed to reduce the formation of 2,5-pyrrolidone
carboxylic acid by keeping the temperature as low as possible (Jacobson, 1955; Harley,
1964).
Estimation of nitrogen compounds

Ammonia was estimated, in the absence of compounds yielding ammonia on de-
composition, by steam distillation in the presence of alkali into buffer and titration
against N/140 HCI. In the presence of organic nitrogen compounds and in plant extracts
ammonia was estimated by distillation at reduced pressure in the presence of a buffer
pH 10 (Archibald, 1943) and titration as above.
Samples for total nitrogen were digested in H2SO4 in the presence of a selenium
catalyst (Conway, 1962). Nitrate was reduced with reduced iron in acid solution (Willis
and Yemm, 1955). Amides were hydrolysed with 2 N H2SO4 in a boiling water-bath and
the amide group of glutamine was separately estimated after hydrolysis in the buffer,
pH 6.5 (Vickery et al, 1935; Yemm, 1937). In each case the resultant ammonia was
estimated either by steam or low pressure distillation as appropriate.
a-Amino nitrogen was estimated in an aliquot of the digest in 2 N H2SO4 using the
ninhydrin method (Yemm and Cocking, 1955).
Estimation of organic acids

The extracts of mycorrhizas prepared as above were run sequentially through 6 cm
columns of 200-400 mesh Dowex AG. 50W x 8 and Dowex AG i x 10 resins in the
hydrogen and formate forms respectively. The acids on Dowex i x 10 were eluted with a
gradient of formic acid (zero to 8 N). Peaks were located and amounts estimated by titra-
tion with 0.005 N NaOH after drying the 3 -ml samples in a stream of air. During titration
360 B. B. CARRODUS
the samples were stirred with a stream of C02-free air. After de-ionizing to remove
sodium introduced during titration the acids were identified by co-chromatography
with pure substances on paper.
Paper chromatography
Organic acids were separated using two-way ascending chromatography on What-
man No, I paper. Solvents used were «-butanol-acetic acid-water (120 : 30 : 50, v/v),
followed by H-propanoI-eucalyptol-98% formic acid (50 : 50 : 20, v/v). The latter was
made permanently cloudy with water and allowed to stand 48 hours before use (Smith,
Location reagents used were acridine (0.1% in ethanol) giving spots which fluoresce
under UV in the presence of organic acids; Altman's reagent (/> idimethylaminobenzalde-
hyde in acetic anhydride) which gives colour reactions with some acids of the TCA
cycle; aniline xylose; 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol reagent; and chlorination followed
by starch iodine reagent for pyrrolidone carboxylic acid,
Aniino acids were separated in a similar manner using n-butanol-acetic-water
followed by phenol-ammonia SG,88 (200 : i v/v with a trace of KCN), The spots were
located with the ninhydrin-collidine reagent of Levy and Chung (1953).
RESULTS
Absorption of ammonia
When excised beech mycorrhizas are shaken in ammonium chloride solution they
absorb ammonia at a rate which varies with the season. In the samples used in 1963, for
instance, there was a variation of uptake rate between 400 and 900 /jg of ammonia nitrogen
per 100 mg of dry tissue in 20 hours from solution of 20 mM NH4CI at 20° C. The causes
of this variation require investigation but will not be considered in this paper in detail.
Table i. Increase in nitrogen fractio?is of the e.xtract of mycorrhizas, after 21.5

hours in 20 mu XH^Cl in the presence of i % glucose {pH 6.0, temperature
20° C)
N(mg/ioo g dry weight)
Fraction Without With
NH4CI NH.jCl Increase
Alcohol soluble
a-Amino 0.68 1.01 0,33
Unstable amide 0.15 0.65 0.50
Stable amide 0.07 0.17 0,10
Others 0-13 0,03 — 0,10
Alcohol insoluble 2,94 3-33 0,39
Total 3-97 5-19 1,22
Experiment 4 June 1963, Each value a mean of three samples.
The absorbed ammonia is at once assimilated into organic compounds and does not
accumulate in the tissues. Table i gives an example of these changes. Both soluble
and insoluble organic nitrogen compounds increase. In the soluble fraction the readily
hydrolysable amide (amide group of glutamine) and a-amino acids are responsible for
the main increase.
The course of ammonia absorption during 4 hours from solutions of 10 and 20 mM
is shown in Fig, i. There is a short initial period of rapid uptake followed by a slower rate
Nitrogen absorption by beech mycorrhisa 361
700-
•S 50C
E501
-400
£
300
200
100
1-5 2-0 3-0 4-0

Time (hoursi
Fig I. Uptake of ammonia from 10 mivi ( • ) and 20 mM (C ) solutions of NH4CI over a period
of4hours. pH 6.0; temperature 20° C, For 20 mM, V = 160.9.V+3S.S • (7 = 8 ^
For l o m M , ^ = 8o.25.v + 22.6;(T = 0.991 ( P < i % ) ^ "'
16 20
Time (hours]
Fig. 2. Uptake of ammonia over a period of 20 hours for 10 mM (-.) and i, mM ( • ) solutions
of NH4CI. p H 6.0; temperature 20° C.
N.P.
^62 B. B. CARRODUS
•J
which is constant over the remainder of the 4 hours. Over more prolonged periods of
time the rate of absorption from concentrations of 10 mM NH4CI or greater, gradually
falls. Fig. 2 shows a comparison between uptake from 10 mM and 3 mM NH4CI. An
almost steady rate of uptake over 20 hours is maintained at 3 mM whereas from
10 mM uptake rate is low after 12 hours. This decline in rate is probably due to the pro-
gressive utilization of available carbon compounds in the formation of organic nitrogen
compounds and in the increased respiration which follows the application of ammonium
salts to beech mycorrhizas (Harley et al, 1954). In consequence of this decline the
relationship of ammonium uptake to concentration studied over a long period in hours
reflects more the capacity for ammonia absorption than its rate. In Fig. 3 the curve for
absorption during a 4-hour period shows that uptake rate increases with concentration
over a wide range.
10 12 u 16
Concentration NH^Cl (mM )
Fig. 3. The effect of the concentrations of NH4CI upon annmonia uptake during a 4-hour
period ( • ) and an 18-hour period ( " ) . pH 6.0; temperature 20° C.
The rapid initial period of uptake shown in Fig. i which is of short duration is expli-
cable in terms of physical equilibration of the plant material with the experimental solu-
tion. If mycorrhizas are removed from experimental solutions, blotted and washed in
ice-cold water, a small quantity of ammonia is lost to the washing solution. If they are
subsequently washed in potassium chloride a further quantity of ammonium is displaced.
These two fractions correspond to ammonium ions held in water spaces and on exchange
sites. In any event the magnitude of the error involved in experiments of the kind per-
formed here can be seen from Fig. i to be small.
The efl^ect of pH over the range 3.2-7.1 upon the rate of ammonia absorption is shown
in Fig. 4. The buffer used was citrate-phosphate (Gomori, 1955) at 0.015 M. The pH
fell not more than 0.3 even when the uptake of ammonia was greatest and no ammonia
was lost to the atmosphere at pH 7.1. The rate of absorption is greatly depressed below
pH 6.0.
Temperature affects ammonia absorption markedly between 5 and 20° C but much less
so above this range (Fig. 5). The ^ l o over the range 10-20° C was about 1.9 but much
lower in the range 20-25° C. This observation agrees with previous results that at tem-
peratures above 20° C absorption of substances by beech mycorrhizas is adversely
afl"ected. Uptake of phosphate and alkali metal ions from low concentrations have shown a
similar effect (Harley, McCready and Brierley, 1958; Harley and Wilson, 1959), but
differences between the concentration ranges used in the present experiments with
ammonia and those with phosphate and potassium prevent a detailed comparison.
iOO
1 2 3 4 - 5 5 7 8
pH
Fig. 4. The effect of pH upon the uptake of ammonia for 20 mM NH4.CI in 4 hours. 20° C,
o. 15 M citrate phosphate buffer.
350
E3OO
:250
2 200
,150
10 15 20 25
Temperature (°C )
Fig. 5. The effect of temperature on ammonia uptake for 10 mM NH4CI in 4 hours. pH 6.5.
Qio 10-20° C = 1.9.
However, the observed effect of temperature upon ammonia absorption resembles more
closely the effect upon phosphate, which is also assimilated in part into organic com-
pounds, than the effect upon potassium.
364 B. B. CARRODUS
The absorption of ammonia by mycorrhizas is affected by metabolic inhibitors in the
expected fashion. Table 2 shows the results of one experiment using azide and DNP at
5 X 1 0 ^ % . Both inhibit ammonia uptake about 70%. Hence one may reasonably con-
clude that ammonia uptake and assimilation are associated with normal respiratory
metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation in the tissues.
Table 2. The effect of metabolic inhibitors upon uptake of ammonia from 10 mm

NHJJl at pH 5.0 in the presence and absence of glucose {time 4 hours,
temperature 20" C)
Uptake
Treatment (mg/ioog
dry weight)
10 mM NH4CI 0.27
io mM NHiCl+i";, glucose 0.28
10 mM NH4CI + SX 10-•'M DNP 0.07
10 mM NH4CI + 5 X 10" •'M D N P + I ° O glucose 0.07
10 mM NH-'Cl + s X io--*M N N 0.08
Experiment 9 February 1965. Each value a mean of two samples.
The ejfect oj carbohydrate on absorption of ammonia

At most times of the year an external supply of carbohydrate stimulates the rate of
ammonia absorption by excised beech mycorrhizas. Fig. 6 shows this effect in an experi-
ment where io g/1 of glucose or fructose were applied over a range of ammonium chloride
concentrations from 4 to io mM. Both sugars greatly stimulate absorption at all concen-
trations. Table 3 shows that a pretreatment period in either carbohydrate also stimulates
2€00h
+1Vo glucose
0
—
_- 0
1500-
/ o • 1 % fructose
—0
o
J200 -
//
o >. No external
•"•o 800 carbohydrate
™ 400
20
C o n c e n t r a t i o n of NH^ Cl ( m M )
Fig. 6. The effect of exogenous carbohydrate and the uptake of ammonia from solutions of
NH4CI. pH6o;2o''C
uptake. This demonstrates that it is the internal availability of carbon compounds that is
effective and these may clearly be derived from glucose or fructose during absorption, or
from the storage substances that are formed from them, i.e. trehalose and glycogen from
glucose and mannitol from fructose (Lewis and Harley, 1965^1). Moreover since Lewis and
Harley also showed that carbohydrate incorporation was mainly into the fungal sheath
from exogenous carbohydrate it follows that ammonia absorption probably results in
incorporation of nitrogen mainly into the fungal sheath in the kinds of time period used
here.
These effects of exogenous supply of carbohydrate were observed to be seasonal.
For instance in 1963 stimulation by carbohydrate was observed to result in about a
doubled rate of ammonia absorption in spring and summer. In autumn carbohydrate
only raised the rate by about one fifth and during winter very small stimulations were
observed. In Table 2 there is an example of an experiment carried out in February 1965
where no significant effect of carbohydrate supply was observed.
Table 3. Uptake of ammonia in 6 hours from 10 mM solutions ofNH^Cl in the

presence or absence of 1% glucose or fructose, after pretreatment in distilled
water or in 1°/ glucose or fructose for 20 hours {temperature 18° C, pH 6.0)
Carbohydrate Uptake % increase
Pretreatment in (ug N/IOO mg due to
medium dry weight) carbohydrate
Water - 750 _
Glucose 1060 141
Fructose "55 154
i°o glucose - 1050 140
Glucose 1170
Fructose 1230 161
1% fructose _ 1040 •39
Glucose 1130 151
Fructose I2CO 161
Experiment 28 July 1965. Each value a mean of two samples.
The effect of respiratory intermediates on absorption

Since amides (especially glutamine) and amino acids appear to increase during
ammonia absorption it might be assumed that their carbon radicles are derived from
intermediates in the TCA cycle. In addition it has been shown (Harley, 1964) that in-
corporation of ^'''COj into beech mycorrhizas is stimulated when ammonia is being
absorbed and that this results in the labelling of glutamine, glutamic acid and aspartic
acid as well as malic and other acids of the TCA cycle.
In a series of experiments, acids of the cycle and some related compounds were added
at 10 mM concentrations to buffered media containing 10 mM NH4CL The effects of
these compounds upon absorption of ammonia is shown in Table 4. The 4-carbon acids,
acids, succinate, fumarate and malate caused significant stimulations of uptake. By
contrast the keto-acids, pyruvate, oxaloacetate and of-ketoglutarate had little effect and
citrate, aconitate and acetate all diminished uptake.
These results are not readily explicable. The drainage of acids from the cycle for the
synthesis of amino acids and amides consequent upon ammonia uptake requires second-
ary replenishment reactions to maintain the cycle such as the increased rate of CO 2
fixation noted by Harley (1964). Such reactions which may be limiting ammonia uptake,
appear to be successfully supplemented by succinate, fumarate and malate. Two factors,
penetration into the cells and enzyme inhibition, may be important in the inhibition or
lack of effect of citrate, isocitrate, a-ketoglutarate and oxaloacetate on ammonia uptake.
With regard to penetration, in other experiments at low pH values some slight stimula-
tion by citrate was observed. As far as enzyme inhibition is concerned, Permeggiani
and Bowman (1962) and Passoneau and Lowry (1963) have reported that citrate may
inhibit enzymatic reactions early in the glycolytic cycle, e.g. phosphofructokinase. Hence
^ B. B. CARRODUS
a complex of effects depending upon penetration to reaction sites and upon inhibition may
occur with this acid. Although marked inhibition of ammonia uptake by acetate is un-
expected, it is perhaps not surprising that acetate and pyruvate might well of themselves
fail to add to the carbon skeletons available for synthesis owing to their rapid oxidation and
elimination as CO^. It is interesting that Budd (1965) has reported that pyruvate, acetate,
citrate, a-ketoglutarate, succinate and malate in addition to glucose all stimulate ammo-
nium absorption by the fungus Neocosmospora vasinfecta.
Table 4. Uptake of ammonia from 10 mM NH^Cl in the presence of compounds

belonging or related to the tricarboxylic acid cycle {pH 6.0, temperature 20° C,
time 20 hours); all additions at 10 mM concentration
Uptake
(me N / i o o mg dry weight) Uptake
Medium +TCA (% of control)
Control compounds
-I-pyruvate 0.85 0.90 105
-(-citrate 0.65 0.55 85
0.92 0.83 89
-l-aconitate 0.85 0.70 83
-I-<3-ketoglutarate 0.85 0.85 100
-I-succinate 0.65 0.89 I37
0.92 1.20 130
-ffumarate 0.85 0.98 117
-I-malate 0.73 0.92 126
0.92 1.61 174
-I-oxaloacetate 0.85 0.88 104
+ bicarbonate 0.92 0.68 73
-I-acetate 0.73 0.34 47
0.92 0.51 SS
-I-glucose 0.65 1.77 270
Each value a mean of two samples.
Bicarbonate and ammonia absorption

Ulrich (1941) showed that uptake of cations in excess of anions was associated with
organic acid formation and low RQ in barley roots. Jacobson and Ordin (1954) have
reported a stimulation of cation uptake in the presence of bicarbonate. Using beech mycor-
rhizas Harley (1964) observed greater fixation of ^^COi from bicarbonate in the presence
of ammonium chloride than in its absence. An experiment was therefore performed to
determine whether bicarbonate might facilitate ammonia absorption. The results given
in Table 4, where 10 mM bicarbonate was applied over a period of 20 hours, show an
inhibition of ammonia uptake.
In Table 5, further results of experiments using a range of bicarbonate concentrations
are shown. At concentrations of 2.5-7.5 ™i^ bicarbonate causes a small but consistent
increase of ammonia absorption.
Changes in the quantity of organic acids

Gradient elution of extracts of mycorrhiza containing organic acids using the method
of Canvin and Beevers (1961) shows the presence of sufficient quantities of succinic,
malic and citric acids to be determinable by direct titration. In Table 6 the amounts of
these acids in fresh mycorrhizas and in those kept in water or 10 mM NH^Cl for 20 hours
are given.
There was a depletion of total acids in each of the stored samples amounting to 10-
12% of the total titrable acidity. The greater part of this loss was due to decrease of
malic acid. The somewhat greater decrease of malic aid in the presence of ammonium
chloride buffered with potassium phosphate may be significant but the smaller changes
of the other acids need further investigation for credence. In any event the experiment
Table 5. Uptake of ammonia in the presence and absence of CO 2; all media

contain 10 mm. NH^Cl, and CO2 levels were adjusted by mixing zvith 10 mM
NH^HCO^ {pH 6.5)
Uptake
Date C O , level Temperature iug N/ioo mg
(mM) (°C) dry weight)
22 February 1965 - IS 600
5SO
2-S 590
620
s
7-S 680
10 610
- 2S 670
600
2-S 730
760
s 840
7-S
10 760
24 February 1965 - 25 860
840
7-S 910
910
I March 1965 - 15 700
700
7-S 780
780
- 2S 830
850
7-S 990
930
Table 6. Changes in amounts {nEqjg dry weight) of the principal adds of the
TCA cycle in freshly collected mvcorrhizas and in those kept for 20 hours or in
10 mM NH^C1+ 10 mM KH2PO4. at pH 6.5 and 20*' C; samples of approxi-
mately 1.1 fresh weight
fqIg dry weight
Acid Fresh Water (Change) NH^Cl (Change)
Succinic 12.4 8.8 —3.6 14.i +i-7
Malic 336.5 294.0 -42-5 277-5 -59-O
Citric 1410 130.0 — II-5 1450 +3-5
Total 490-4 432-8 ~57-6 436-6 —53-8
Experiment i March 1965.
demonstrates that storage in water alone, which results in considerable decrease in

respiratory rate (see Harley et al., 1954) is associated with only a small decrease (some
11%) of the acids. Moreover storage in ammonium chloride (or in phosphate) which
results in a more maintained respiratory rate (both of oxygen uptake and CO2 emission,
see Jennings, 1956), also causes a similar reduction in the quantity of total acid. It follows,
therefore, that the acid pools are either very largely compartmented and play little direct
part in ammonia absorption and respiration (a conclusion which appears at variance with
368
B. B. CARRODUS
effect of ammonia on COj fixation) or they are effectively maintained in quantity by
synthesis. It would follow from this that during ammonia assimilation more endogenous
carbon storage would be mobilized in the presence than in the absence of ammonia.
Absorption of nitrate
A series of experiments was performed on the absorption and utilization of nitrate.
In these, time periods of 20 hours were used in case the development of a nitrate reduc-
tion system had a lengthy induction period. The results showed so small a loss of nitrate
from the medium as to be insignificant at the 5% level (Table 7).
Table 7. Absorption of nitrate from solutions of KNO3 by mycorrhizas in 20

hours under various conditions {pH 6.0, temperature 20° C)
Sample Loss from Increase in
number medium tissue N
Date of Medium (fig N/ioo mg iug N/ioo mg
mycorrhizas dry weight) dry weight)
14 March 1963 200 2 mM KNO3 3
3
4
18 March 1963 200 2 mM KNO3 3
(i hour) 6
2 mM KNO3 -4
(21 hours) 0
2 mM KNO3 13
-|-i°o glucose
(21 hours) 17
18 April 1963 100 20 mM KNO3 30 IS
30 II
29 25
30 -7
4 May 1963 80 8.8 mM KNO3 -13 S
-4 4
20 mM KNO3 -4 -7
-4 -7
impare absorption of ammonia under similar cond ltions to Experiment 4, May i
4 May 1963 80 8.8 mM NH4CI 630 700
(23 hours) 650
20 mM NH4CI 700 780
(23 hours) 700 770
Mycorrhizal roots of beech show a respiratory response to ammonium ions but not to
nitrate (Harley et al, 1954) although other plant material often responds to both (e.g.
Willis and Yemm, 1955). Figs. 7 and 8 show further results confirming the respiratory
response of mycorrhiza to a number of salts. The two most active ions in this respect are,
as expected, ammonia and phosphate. The stimulation due to KNO3 is shown in Fig. 8
to be associated with potassium rather than nitrate, since NaNOj gives very small stimula-
tions. Although the graphs in Figs. 7 and 8 cover only a 2-hour period, the experiments
continued for 24 hours without the development of any effect ascribable to nitrate. These
results confirm earlier work where the slight stimulations caused by NaN03 were of the
same magnitude as those caused by NaCl and less than those of potassium salts.
The problem was examined further using '^COj and the full results will be examined
in a subsequent paper. There was no greater fixation of ^*C02 into nitrogen compounds
of mycorrhizas in the presence of KNO3 than of KCl.
It may therefore be accepted that uptake and assimilation of nitrate by excised my-
corrhizas is very small under these experimental conditions.
Time (hours) Time Ihoursl

Fig. 7 Fig. 8
Fig. 7. Uptake of oxygen by mycorrhizas in the presence of salts. Values are running means
expressed as percentage of the uptake in a period of 75 minutes before salt application.
C, KH2PO4; A, NH4CI; • , KNO3; A, water.
Fig. 8. Uptake of oxygen by mycorrhizas in the presence of (:), NaNO3 (#) and
water (A). Conditions and values as in Fig. 7.
Uptake of nitrogen from organic compounds

Norkrans (1953) showed that several ectotrophic mycorrhizal fungi are capable of
utilizing amino acids and amides. Table 8 shows that beech mycorrhizas take up nitrogen
from glutamic and aspartic acid and from their amides. The uptake from the acids was
less than would be expected to be absorbed from ammonium solutions of the same mo-
larity even in the absence of carbohydrate. The uptake of nitrogen from the amides is
Table 8. Uptake of nitrogen from io mM solutions of glutamic and aspartic

acids and their amides in 17 hours (pH 6.4, temperature 19° C)
Uptake
Medium (mg N/IOO mg
dry weight)
Glutamic acid O-3S
Aspartic acid 0.36
Glutamine 0.91
Asparagine 1.12
Experiment 4 May 1964.

Each value a mean of two samples.
significantly more than twice as rapid as from the amino acids—a feature observed by
Smith (19600, b) in the lichen Peltigerapolydactyla.
Analyses of the external solution showed no release of free ammonia from amide.
This suggests either that the whole molecule is absorbed or if hydrolysis occurs uptake is
the more rapid process in these present conditions.
370 B. B. CARRODUS
DISCUSSION
It has been reported that in beechwood soils where mycorrhizal development is most
intense, namely acid soil with a tendency to mor formation, the quantities of available
inorganic nitrogen are low. Moreover nitrate is rarely present. Table 9 from Bornebusch
(1930) gives a set of estimates. Rather similar results were reported by Harley (1940).
Soluble organic nitrogen compounds are present in addition in the organic layers of the
mor soils. In such sites there is, as described by Harley (1940), a subsurface concentration
of the living mycorrhizal roots. The present observations on the absorption of nitrogen
compounds therefore have a relevance to the ecological functioning of mycorrhizas.
Table 9. Amounts of nitrogen as ammonia and nitrate in two types of soil under
beech trees; values as ppm nitrogen {data of Bornebusch, 1930)
Soil Layer Ammonia Nitrate
Acid soil Old leaf layer 252 20
(pH 3-7-.=;-6) Upper raw humus (0-4 cm) 388 Trace
Middle raw humus (4-7 cm) 95 Trace
Lower raw humus (7-9 cm) 32 0
Mull Old leaf layer 84 1200

(pH 5.2-6.1) Worm casts 8 264
Upper mull (0-5 cm) 4 48
Lower mull (5-15 cm) 2 7-5
It is of great interest that beech mycorrhizas show no significant ability to absorb and
utilize nitrate. The problem needs further examination especially as regards the possi-
bility that uninfected Fagus roots might be able to utilize it, whereas the fungal layer
which insulates the Fagus root tissues from the soil has no potential for nitrate reduction.
It is also of interest that beech mycorrhizas utilize simple organic compounds. This
agrees with the work of Melin and Nilsson (1953) who used '^N-labelled compounds
with infected pine seedlings. It is also similar to the findings of Smith (1960^, b) with the
lichen Peltigera which was shown to absorb ammo acid and amide nitrogen. It is perhaps
remarkable that the rate of absorption of organic nitrogen compounds is not more rapid
than ammonia since a carbon supply in the form of carbohydrate and some organic acids
stimulate ammonia uptake. Moreover, glutamic acid and glutamine are synthesized
from absorbed ammonia and it might be expected that they would be more readily
accumulated. This matter deserves more investigation.
The fact that the destination of absorbed ammonia is into organic compounds explains
the dependance of its rate of absorption upon factors which affect metabolic rates and
upon the availability of carbohydrate in the tissues. An exogenous supply of either glucose
or fructose usually increases uptake whether applied during ammonia absorption or
before application of the ammonium salt to the tissue. It has been shown (Lewis and
Harley, I965fl) that glucose absorption leads mainly to trehalose and glycogen synthesis
and fructose absorption mainly to mannitol synthesis in the fungal layer. Hence it may he
concluded that these storage compounds may all be utilized in ammonia absorption.
Moreover since the major part of absorbed carbohydrate is found in the fungal layer it is
likely that the primary destination of much of the ammonia and the site of synthesis
of organic nitrogen compounds is the fungal layer. This foreshadows similar problems
concerning the accumulation in the sheath and translocation to the host of nitrogen
compounds to those which have been investigated during phosphate absorption.
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Factors Affecting The Assimilation of Nitrogen

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Factors Affecting The Assimilation of Nitrogen

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ABSORPTION OF NITROGEN BY MYCORRHIZAL

Department of Agriculture, Oxford

{Received ig January 1966)

Extraction of plant material

Estimation of nitrogen compounds

Estimation of organic acids

Table i. Increase in nitrogen fractio?is of the e.xtract of mycorrhizas, after 21.5

Experiment 4 June 1963, Each value a mean of three samples.

1-5 2-0 3-0 4-0

Table 2. The effect of metabolic inhibitors upon uptake of ammonia from 10 mm

Experiment 9 February 1965. Each value a mean of two samples.

The ejfect oj carbohydrate on absorption of ammonia

Table 3. Uptake of ammonia in 6 hours from 10 mM solutions ofNH^Cl in the

Experiment 28 July 1965. Each value a mean of two samples.

The effect of respiratory intermediates on absorption

Table 4. Uptake of ammonia from 10 mM NH^Cl in the presence of compounds

Bicarbonate and ammonia absorption

Changes in the quantity of organic acids

Table 5. Uptake of ammonia in the presence and absence of CO 2; all media

demonstrates that storage in water alone, which results in considerable decrease in

Table 7. Absorption of nitrate from solutions of KNO3 by mycorrhizas in 20

Time (hours) Time Ihoursl

Uptake of nitrogen from organic compounds

Table 8. Uptake of nitrogen from io mM solutions of glutamic and aspartic

Experiment 4 May 1964.

Mull Old leaf layer 84 1200

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