Stem, root, and older leaf N:P ratios are more responsive indicators of soil nutrient availability than new foliage

Schreeg, Laura A.; Santiago, Louis S.; Wright, S. Joseph; Turner, Benjamín L.

doi:10.1890/13-1671.1

Cited by 163 publications

(129 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

116

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Furthermore, this hypothesis explained the seemingly contradictory results in previous cognition. For example, coordinated pattern of multielement variability in the leaves and roots and consistent response for soil nutrient availability in different organs showed convergence (Schreeg, Santiago, Wright, & Turner, ; Zhao et al, ). However, differences in the economic spectrums of the leaf and root showed divergence in trait characteristics (Ma et al, ; Wright et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation and evolution of C:N ratio among different organs enable plants to adapt to N‐limited environments

Zhang

Liu

et al. 2020

Global Change Biology

168

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) are the primary elements involved in the growth and development of plants. The C:N ratio is an indicator of nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and an input parameter for some ecological and ecosystem models. However, knowledge remains limited about the convergent or divergent variation in the C:N ratios among different plant organs (e.g., leaf, branch, trunk, and root) and how evolution and environment affect the coefficient shifts. Using systematic measurements of the leaf–branch–trunk–root of 2,139 species from tropical to cold‐temperate forests, we comprehensively evaluated variation in C:N ratio in different organs in different taxa and forest types. The ratios showed convergence in the direction of change but divergence in the rate of change. Plants evolved toward lower C:N ratios in the leaf and branch, with N playing a more important role than C. The C:N ratio of plant organs (except for the leaf) was constrained by phylogeny, but not strongly. Both the change of C:N during evolution and its spatial variation (lower C:N ratio at midlatitudes) help develop the adaptive growth hypothesis. That is, plants with a higher C:N ratio promote NUE under strong N‐limited conditions to ensure survival priority, whereas plants with a lower C:N ratio under less N‐limited environments benefit growth priority. In nature, larger proportion of species with a high C:N ratio enabled communities to inhabit more N‐limited conditions. Our results provide new insights on the evolution and drivers of C:N ratio among different plant organs, as well as provide a quantitative basis to optimize land surface process models.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation and evolution of C:N ratio among different organs enable plants to adapt to N‐limited environments

Zhang

Liu

et al. 2020

Global Change Biology

168

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The N:P ratio in plant leaves has been introduced as a parameter that can be used to estimate nutrient limitation in ecosystems; increasing N:P ratios indicate more P limitation than N (Koerselman and Meuleman 1996;Schreeg et al 2014). Accordingly, high N resorption is expected in low N:P conditions, while high P resorption may appear at high N:P ratios.…”

Section: Patterns Of N-and P-resorption Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phosphorus amendment mitigates nitrogen addition-induced phosphorus limitation in two plant species in a desert steppe, China

Huang

Lin

et al. 2015

Plant Soil

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background and aims The increasing deposition of atmospheric nitrogen (N) due to anthropogenic activities has significantly enhanced N inputs to ecosystems, resulting in an imbalance in the N: phosphorus (P) ratios in plants and soils. This study aimed to determine whether, and to what extent, P addition alleviates Ninduced P limitation in a desert steppe ecosystem. Methods We conducted a multi-level N:P supply experiment (i.e., constant N with varied P-addition levels) for a grass species, Pennisetum centrasiaticum, and a Nfixing species, Glycyrrhiza uralensis. Results With increasing amounts of P addition (thereby decreasing the N:P ratio), green-leaf P concentrations of the two species studied tended to increase, while Presorption proficiency and efficiency tended to decrease.There were no consistent trends in green-leaf N concentrations in response to P addition. However, both species exhibited high N-resorption proficiency, especially in G. uralensis, with high P addition. Generally, the carbon (C):P and N:P ratios both in soils and in green leaves had positive relationships with green-leaf N concentration and P-resorption proficiency of P. centrasiaticum as well as P-resorption traits of G. uralensis, but negative relationships with green-leaf P concentrations in both species. Conclusions Our study indicates that P addition can alter P-conservation strategy and thereby releasing plant species from the N-induced imbalance of N:P ratios. However, large amounts of P addition could overcompensate and pose a risk of N limitation in desert steppe ecosystems.Plant Soil

show abstract

“…Generally, green leaf N:P ratio can indicate plant nutrition limitation, providing suggestive guide to the practice of vegetation management [3, 9–11]. Leaf N:P ratio (mass ratio) has been suggested to be useful for indicating the shift between N—and P -limitation [12]. Researchers based on fertilization experiments proposed that low leaf N:P ratios (<14) reflect N limitation, that high N:P ratios (>16) likely reflect P limitation[3, 13, 14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil, Leaf and Root Ecological Stoichiometry of Caragana korshinskii on the Loess Plateau of China in Relation to Plantation Age

2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Caragana korshinskii, a leguminous shrub, a common specie, is widely planted to prevent soil erosion on the Loess Plateau. The objective of this study was to determine how the plantation ages affected soil, leaf and root nutrients and ecological stoichiometry. The chronosequence ages of C. korshinskii plantations selected for this study were 10, 20 and 30 years. Soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (STN) of C. korshinskii plantations significantly increased with increase in the chronosequence age. However, soil total phosphorous (STP) was not affected by the chronosequence age. The soil C: N ratio decreased and the soil C: P and N: P ratios increased with increasing plantation age. The leaf and root concentrations of C, N, and P increased and the ratios C: N, C: P, and N: P decreased with age increase. Leaf N: P ratios were >20, indicating that P was the main factor limiting the growth of C. korshinskii. This study also demonstrated that the regeneration of natural grassland (NG) effectively preserved and enhanced soil nutrient contents. Compared with NG, shrub lands (C. korshinskii) had much lower soil nutrient concentrations, especially for long (>20 years) chronosequence age. Thus, the regeneration of natural grassland is an ecologically beneficial practice for the recovery of degraded soils in this area.

show abstract

Stem, root, and older leaf N:P ratios are more responsive indicators of soil nutrient availability than new foliage

Cited by 163 publications

References 36 publications

Variation and evolution of C:N ratio among different organs enable plants to adapt to N‐limited environments

Variation and evolution of C:N ratio among different organs enable plants to adapt to N‐limited environments

Phosphorus amendment mitigates nitrogen addition-induced phosphorus limitation in two plant species in a desert steppe, China

Soil, Leaf and Root Ecological Stoichiometry of Caragana korshinskii on the Loess Plateau of China in Relation to Plantation Age

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About