COMPETITION FOR NITROGEN BETWEEN PLANTS AND SOIL-MICROORGANISMS

Experiments suggest that plants and soil microorganisms are both limit ed by inorganic nitrogen, even on relatively fertile sites. Consequent ly, plants and soil microorganisms may compete for nitrogen. While pas t research has focused on competition for inorganic nitrogen, recent s tudies have found that plants/mycorrhizae in a wide range of ecosystem s can use organic nitrogen. A new view of competitive interactions bet ween plants and soil microorganisms is necessary in ecosystems where p lant uptake of organic nitrogen is observed.