Abstract
Symbiotic nitrogen (N)-fixing plants can enrich ecosystems with N, which can alter the cycling and demand for other nutrients. Researchers have hypothesized that fixed N could be used by plants and soil microbes to produce extracellular phosphatase enzymes, which release P from organic matter. Consistent with this speculation, the presence of N-fixing plants is often associated with high phosphatase activity, either in the soil or on root surfaces, although other studies have not found this association, and the connection between phosphatase and rates of N fixation—the mechanistic part of the argument—is tenuous. Here, we measured soil phosphatase activity under N-fixing trees and non-fixing trees transplanted and grown in tropical and temperate sites in the USA: two sites in Hawaii, and one each in New York and Oregon. This provides a rare example of phosphatase activity measured in a multi-site field experiment with rigorously quantified rates of N fixation. We found no difference in soil phosphatase activity under N-fixing vs. non-fixing trees nor across rates of N fixation, though we note that no sites were P limited and only one was N limited. Our results add to the literature showing no connection between N fixation rates and phosphatase activity.
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This material was supported by the National Science Foundation under grant nos. DEB-1457650 and DEB-1457444. We are grateful for assistance from Starker Forests, April Strid and Chris Catricala for their help at the Oregon site; Angel Magno, Eric Magno, Angalee Kirby, JB Friday, and Rebecca Ostertag for their help at the Hawaii sites; the staff at Black Rock Forest, Rachel Arkebauer, Alex Huddell, and Tom Bytnerowicz for their support at the New York site; the assistance from dozens of undergraduates and other field and lab assistants; and the enzyme assay advice from Steven Allison. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U. S. Government.
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DNLM, AAW, JLF, and SSP designed the study. All authors collected data. EAJ and DNLM analyzed data and wrote the manuscript. All authors edited the manuscript.
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Jager, E.A., Quebbeman, A.W., Wolf, A.A. et al. Symbiotic nitrogen fixation does not stimulate soil phosphatase activity under temperate and tropical trees. Oecologia 201, 827–840 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-023-05339-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-023-05339-4