Ben Keane, J. orcid.org/0000-0001-7614-8018, Hartley, I.P. orcid.org/0000-0002-9183-6617, Taylor, C.R. orcid.org/0000-0003-4399-7472 et al. (4 more authors) (2023) Grassland responses to elevated CO2 determined by plant–microbe competition for phosphorus. Nature Geoscience, 16 (8). pp. 704-709. ISSN 1752-0894
Abstract
Rising atmospheric CO2 has stimulated plant productivity, with terrestrial ecosystems currently absorbing nearly one-third of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Increases in photosynthesis can subsequently lead to increased carbon (C) storage in plants and soil. However, there is growing evidence that nitrogen (N) availability constrains elevated CO2 (eCO2) responses, yet we know much less about the role of phosphorus (P) limitation on productivity under eCO2. This is important because P-limited ecosystems are globally widespread, and the biogeochemical cycles of N and P differ fundamentally. In the Peak District National Park of northern England, we conducted a free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiment for three years on two contrasting P-limited grasslands under long-term nutrient manipulation. Here we show that competition between plants and microbes for P can determine plant productivity responses to eCO2. In a limestone grassland, aboveground productivity increased (16%) and microbial biomass P remained unchanged, whereas in an acidic grassland, aboveground productivity and P uptake declined (11% and 20%, respectively), but P immobilization into microbial biomass increased (36%). Our results demonstrate that strong competition with microbes can cause plant P uptake to decline under eCO2, with implications for the future productivity of P-limited ecosystems in response to climate change.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 The Authors. Except as otherwise noted, this author-accepted version of a journal article published in nature geoscience is made available via the University of Sheffield Research Publications and Copyright Policy under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Keywords: | Biogeochemistry; Carbon cycle; Climate-change ecology; Element cycles |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > School of Biosciences (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number NATURAL ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH COUNCIL NE/N010132/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 25 Jan 2024 08:17 |
Last Modified: | 25 Jan 2024 08:17 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Springer Science and Business Media LLC |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1038/s41561-023-01225-z |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:208169 |