Microbial competition for phosphorus limits the CO₂ response of a mature forest.

ABSTRACT: The capacity for terrestrial ecosystems to sequester additional carbon (C) with rising CO₂ concentrations depends on soil nutrient availability^1,2. Previous evidence suggested that mature forests growing on phosphorus (P)-deprived soils had limited capacity to sequester extra biomass under elevated CO₂ (refs. ^3-6), but uncertainty about ecosystem P cycling and its CO₂ response represents a crucial bottleneck for mechanistic prediction of the land C sink under climate change⁷. Here, by compiling the first comprehensive P budget for a P-limited mature forest exposed to elevated CO₂, we show a high likelihood that P captured by soil microorganisms constrains ecosystem P recycling and availability for plant uptake. Tr

SUBMITTER: Jiang M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11186757 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature