Bacteria on old-growth trees may help forests grow
Tuesday, June 7, 2011 - 12:30
in Earth & Climate
The growth and development of many forests is thought to be limited by the availability of nitrogen. By collecting mosses on the forest floor and then at 15 and 30 meters up into the forest canopy, researchers were able to show both that the cyanobacteria are more abundant in mosses high above the ground, and that they "fix" twice as much nitrogen as those associated with mosses on the forest floor.