Use of stable nitrogen isotopes to track plant uptake of nitrogen in a nature-based treatment system.

ABSTRACT: In nature-based treatment systems, such as constructed wetlands, plant uptake of nutrients can be a significant removal pathway. Current methods for quantifying plant uptake of nitrogen in constructed wetlands, which often involve harvesting biomass and assuming that all nitrogen stored in plants was derived from wastewater, are inappropriate in pilot- and full-scale systems where other sources of nitrogen are available. To improve our understanding of nitrogen cycling in constructed wetlands, we developed a new method to quantify plant uptake of nitrogen by using stable isotopes and a mixing model to distinguish between nitrogen sources. We applied this new method to a pilot-scale horizontal levee system (i.e., a subsurface constructed wetland) over a two-year monitoring period, during wh

SUBMITTER: Cecchetti AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7522481 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature