I googled glutamic acid for seagrass and found a study. Here is a pertinent quote: "A noteworthy observation was the inability of in vitro cultures of H. engelmannii to grow when nitrate was supplied as the only nitrogen source, whereas growth was supported by glutamic acid or ammonium. H. engelmannii showed better growth when the nitrogen source was provided as glutamic acid as opposed to ammonium."
From Sarah Lardizabal's excellent article on seagrasses: "While biologists typically provide nitrogen to plants with ammonium or organic sources like glutamic acid, both of these tend to spark nuisance algae blooms in aquaria. Aquarists are lucky to have access to several forms of nitrate salts from a few different sources, making nitrate additions practical and simple."
From another study (not related to glutamic acid): "Seagrasses physically and chemically change the sediment through release of oxygen, decomposition of subterranean parts, and by bioturbidation through growth of their roots and rhizomes (Moriarty and Boon, 1989). Chemical changes wrought by the below-ground components are critical for survival because the high levels of sulfides in the anoxic sediments are toxic to the plant... Ammonium is the most abundant form of nitrogen in the sediment. It is dissolved in the interstitial water (5 to 100 ""M to 15mM), bound with organic matter and clays (exchangeable)…Based on growth rates, seagrasses require large amounts of fixed nitrogen (10 to 450 mg N m-2 d-I), with ammonium being the preferred source. By contrast, nitrate and nitrite concentrations are usually low «5 ""M) in the anaerobic sediments, presumably due to their rapid utilization by denitrifying and other anaerobic bacteria...However, in the Indian River Lagoon, ammonium was found to be the limiting nutrient during peak growth of Syringodium filiforme. Mean concentrations of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the leaves of 27 species of seagrasses were 34, 2, and 0.2%, respectively, of the dry weight giving a mean C:N
ratio of 474:24:1."
Lot's of good info. I also found that you can buy glutamic acid (a.k.a MSG) as a nutritional supplement in tablets. Maybe I'll try pushing some of those into the substrate, and avoid the algae problems mentioned. Again, it would be great to find preferred nutrient sources specific to manatee grass. I may have to experiment with different nutrients to see what my grass prefers. I could push different nutrients into the substrate in deliniated sections to find out…SCIENCE!
From Sarah Lardizabal's excellent article on seagrasses: "While biologists typically provide nitrogen to plants with ammonium or organic sources like glutamic acid, both of these tend to spark nuisance algae blooms in aquaria. Aquarists are lucky to have access to several forms of nitrate salts from a few different sources, making nitrate additions practical and simple."
From another study (not related to glutamic acid): "Seagrasses physically and chemically change the sediment through release of oxygen, decomposition of subterranean parts, and by bioturbidation through growth of their roots and rhizomes (Moriarty and Boon, 1989). Chemical changes wrought by the below-ground components are critical for survival because the high levels of sulfides in the anoxic sediments are toxic to the plant... Ammonium is the most abundant form of nitrogen in the sediment. It is dissolved in the interstitial water (5 to 100 ""M to 15mM), bound with organic matter and clays (exchangeable)…Based on growth rates, seagrasses require large amounts of fixed nitrogen (10 to 450 mg N m-2 d-I), with ammonium being the preferred source. By contrast, nitrate and nitrite concentrations are usually low «5 ""M) in the anaerobic sediments, presumably due to their rapid utilization by denitrifying and other anaerobic bacteria...However, in the Indian River Lagoon, ammonium was found to be the limiting nutrient during peak growth of Syringodium filiforme. Mean concentrations of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the leaves of 27 species of seagrasses were 34, 2, and 0.2%, respectively, of the dry weight giving a mean C:N
ratio of 474:24:1."Lot's of good info. I also found that you can buy glutamic acid (a.k.a MSG) as a nutritional supplement in tablets. Maybe I'll try pushing some of those into the substrate, and avoid the algae problems mentioned. Again, it would be great to find preferred nutrient sources specific to manatee grass. I may have to experiment with different nutrients to see what my grass prefers. I could push different nutrients into the substrate in deliniated sections to find out…SCIENCE!
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