Blueberries are certainly not legumes (Leguminosae); they are heaths (Ericaceae). I have never heard of them being involved in nitrogen fixation. I haven't seen any nodules on their roots similar to those on legumes and alders either, but perhaps I just missed that? Given that they are not legumes, exactly what is the mechanism that they use to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere? Is it like red alder? Can you give me a source for this? I've measured them as a component of forest biomass and nutrients, but only seen them as playing a small role in forest nutrient cycling, certainly not a "key role". However, they can certainly be present in amounts high enough to be significant in some forests. In addition, just the act of fixing nitrogen doesn't make an organism play a "key role" in nutrient cycling. It must be abundant enough to fix significant nitrogen in relation to the ecosystems sources, pools and loss mechanisms. For instance, Red Alder in the Pacific Northwest certainly serves a key role in nutrient cycling both from the standpoint of being a very abundant species in terms of biomass, and in terms of the amounts of nitrogen it fixes into some forests. Again, I'd appreciate your sources for estimates of the amounts of N fixed into forests by blueberries. Rob Harrison > > In a message dated Thu, 9 Apr 1998 01:58:17 EDT, DavidOrr wrote: > > If I remember my plant ecology correctly, blueberries are nitrogen-fixing > leguminous plants, and so play a key role in nutrient cycling in the forest > ecosystem. > > David Orr
Mail converted by
MHonArc 1.1.0