Record ID No. |
1853 |
Author(s) |
Lambers H., Raven J.A., Shaver G.R., Smith S.E , 2008 |
Affiliation |
Univ Western Australia, Fac Nat & Agr Sci, Sch Plant Biol, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawlay, WA 6009, AUSTRALIA |
Title |
Plant nutrient-acquisition strategies change with soil age |
Source. Vol.(no):Page |
Trends in Ecology & Evolution.23(2):95-103p. |
Categories |
Mycorrhiza General |
Subjects |
Biochemistry |
Sub-subjects |
Miscellaneous |
Organism |
n.a. |
Country |
AUSTRALIA, Oceania |
Abstracts |
Nitrogen (N) tends to limit plant productivity on young soils; phosphorus (P)
becomes increasingly limiting in ancient soils because it gradually disappears through leaching
and erosion. Plant traits that are regarded as adaptations to N- and P-limited conditions include
mycorrhizas and cluster roots. Mycorrhizas 'scavenge' P from solution or 'mine' insoluble organic
N. Cluster roots function in severely P-impoverished landscapes, 'mining' P fixed as insoluble
inorganic phosphates. The 'scavenging' and 'mining' strategies of mycorrhizalspecies without and
non-mycorrhizal species with cluster roots, respectively, allow functioning on soils that differ
markedly in P availability. Based on recent advances in our understanding of these contrasting
strategies of nutrient acquisition, we provide an explanation for the distribution of mycorrhizal
species on less P-impoverished soils, and for why, globally, cluster-bearing species dominate on
severely P-impoverished, ancient soils, where P sensitivity is relatively common. |