Increased phosphate uptake but not resorption alleviates phosphorus deficiency induced by nitrogen deposition in temperate Larix principis-rupprechtii plantations

The imbalance between nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deposition may shift temperate ecosystems from N- to P-limitation. However, it is unclear how the imbalanced N: P input affects the strategies of plants to acquire P and, therefore, the growth of plants and the competition among species. We condu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The New phytologist 2016-12, Vol.212 (4), p.1019-1029
Main Authors: Deng, Meifeng, Liu, Lingli, Sun, Zhenzhong, Piao, Shilong, Ma, Yuecun, Chen, Yiwei, Wang, Jing, Qiao, Chunlian, Wang, Xin, Li, Ping
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acid Phosphatase - metabolism
Analysis of Variance
Bacteria - metabolism
Biomass
Fatty Acids - metabolism
Fungi - physiology
growth rate hypothesis
Homeostasis
Larix
Larix - metabolism
mycorrhizae
Mycorrhizae - physiology
N deposition
Nitrogen - metabolism
N : P ratio
phosphatase activity
Phosphates - metabolism
Phospholipids - metabolism
Phosphorus - deficiency
Phosphorus - metabolism
Plant Leaves - metabolism
Plant Roots - metabolism
P‐acquiring strategies
Species Specificity
stand age
stoichiometric homoeostasis
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Summary:The imbalance between nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deposition may shift temperate ecosystems from N- to P-limitation. However, it is unclear how the imbalanced N: P input affects the strategies of plants to acquire P and, therefore, the growth of plants and the competition among species. We conducted a 4-yr N-addition experiment in young and mature larch (Larix principisrupprechtii) stands. Plant growth and P acquisition strategies were assessed for larch and understorey vegetation. N addition stimulated the aboveground productivity of understorey vegetation in the young stand and larch in the mature stand, with other species unaffected. The competitive advantages of understorey vegetation in the young stand and larch in the mature stand were associated with their high stoichiometric homoeostasis. To maintain the N: P homoeostasis of these species, an increase in phosphatase activity but not P resorption efficiency increased the supply of P. Additionally, N addition accelerated P mineralization by decreasing the fungal-tobacterial ratios and improved uptake of soil P by increasing the arbuscular mycorrhizas-toectomycorrhizas ratios. Our results suggest that plants with high stoichiometric homoeostasis could better cope with N deposition-induced P-deficiency. Although P resorption efficiency showed little plasticity in response, plants activated a variety of P-acquisition pathways to alleviate the Pdeficiency caused by N deposition.
ISSN:0028-646X
1469-8137
DOI:10.1111/nph.14083