Time: 15:30-16:30, 11th January 2018
Venue: Lecture Hall (221), Building No.16,Weijin Campus, Tianjin University
Speaker: Prof. LIU Xueyan, Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, Tianjin University
Topic: Nitrogen isotope records in terrestrial mosses, ten years later
Abstract: Mosses, a pioneer plant community transferring from aquatic to terrestrial systems, is known to be peculiarly sensitive to environmental changes. Nearly 17 years ago, the nitrogen isotope records in mosses were first applied to indicate atmospheric reactive nitrogen. Since 2007 we have started to measure moss N isotope in China. However, the abiotic and biotic mechanisms behind moss nitrogen isotope variations have not yet been examined in the light of recent advances regarding the complexity of moss nitrogen sources and metabolisms. Thus, this talk gives a review on studies of moss nitrogen isotope as a function of N sources and processes. We discuss new evidences leading to challenge the assumptions of moss nitrogen isotope itself as accurate tool in assessing atmospheric N deposition, and explore the biogeochemistry of atmosphere-organic substrates/bed rocks system bridged by mosses.
