Elevation-dependent shifts in soil phosphorus forms and phosphorus-solubilizing microbial diversity suggest enhanced bioavailable phosphorus cycling with rising temperatures.

ABSTRACT: Phosphorus is a crucial nutrient for plant growth, primarily found as insoluble phosphates in soil. The impact of climate change on the phosphorus cycle, particularly through geochemical cycling in forest soils, is underexplored. To address this gap, we investigated soil phosphorus distribution across five elevation gradients in different forest types using the modified Hedley fractionation method and high-throughput sequencing to assess phosphorus-solubilizing microorganisms (PSMs). Our study included evergreen broadleaf forest, coniferous and broadleaf mixed forest, coniferous forest, subalpine dwarf forest, and alpine meadow. We observed that with increasing elevation, organic phosphorus forms such as NaOH-Po and HCl-Po significantly increased, while H₂O-Po and NaHCO₃

SUBMITTER: Zhou C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12323630 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature