Leaf manganese concentrations reveal phosphorus-mining strategies and trait diversification of Myrtaceae in south-eastern Australia.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Phosphorus (P)-impoverished soils shape plant adaptation in biodiverse ecosystems worldwide, from Australian heathlands to Amazonian rainforests to southern China's karst regions. While non-mycorrhizal lineages like Proteaceae and Cyperaceae use carboxylate exudation that mobilise P, and are celebrated for such strategies, the mechanisms allowing mycorrhizal Myrtaceae-especially eucalypts-to thrive in these soils without fungal assistance remain unclear. Given Myrtaceae's dominance in P-impoverished Australian ecosystems, a key question arises: How do mycorrhizal plants succeed in P-impoverished environments without relying on fungal symbiosis? We challenge the paradigm that carboxylate-driven P acquisition is exclusive to non-mycorrhizal species.

Methods

SUBMITTER: Yan L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12682836 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature