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Partitioning of soil phosphorus among arbuscular and ectomycorrhizal trees in tropical and subtropical forests
Author(s) -
Liu Xubing,
Burslem David F. R. P.,
Taylor Joe D.,
Taylor Andy F. S.,
Khoo Eyen,
MajalapLee Noreen,
Helgason Thorunn,
Johnson David
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
ecology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.852
H-Index - 265
eISSN - 1461-0248
pISSN - 1461-023X
DOI - 10.1111/ele.12939
Subject(s) - tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , subtropics , biology , phosphorus , ecology , ectomycorrhiza , tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests , colonisation , botany , mycorrhiza , agronomy , symbiosis , colonization , chemistry , genetics , organic chemistry , bacteria
Partitioning of soil phosphorus (P) pools has been proposed as a key mechanism maintaining plant diversity, but experimental support is lacking. Here, we provided different chemical forms of P to 15 tree species with contrasting root symbiotic relationships to investigate plant P acquisition in both tropical and subtropical forests. Both ectomycorrhizal ( ECM ) and arbuscular mycorrhizal ( AM ) trees responded positively to addition of inorganic P, but strikingly, ECM trees acquired more P from a complex organic form (phytic acid). Most ECM tree species and all AM tree species also showed some capacity to take up simple organic P (monophosphate). Mycorrhizal colonisation was negatively correlated with soil extractable P concentration, suggesting that mycorrhizal fungi may regulate organic P acquisition among tree species. Our results support the hypothesis that ECM and AM plants partition soil P sources, which may play an ecologically important role in promoting species coexistence in tropical and subtropical forests.