Nitrogen concentration within Saxifraga oppositifolia in different successional stages on a glacier foreland in the high Arctic

We measured and compared the δ13C values and nitrogen concentrations within the photosynthetic parts (Np) of phototrophs growing in different successional stages and different soil conditions at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, Norway. At all study sites, the Np value of vascular plants ranged from 1.0 to 2.2%. The Np value for most moss species was less than 1.0%; values for lichens were about 0.5%. No significant correlation was detected between Np and δ13C; however, different plant species occupied distinct fields on a δ13C–Np plot, with minimal overlap between species. The Np value of Saxifraga oppositifolia, which grew at all of the study sites, ranged from 1.1 to 1.5%. Differences in growth form had no effect on Np. The Np and δ13C values obtained for S. oppositifolia were confined to within a narrow range regardless of site conditions.