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Evaluating P availability influenced by warming and N deposition in a subtropical forest soil: a bioassay mesocosm experiment

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Abstract

Aims

Phosphorus (P) is a limited nutrient in highly weathered subtropical or tropical forest soils and it is unclear how both the cycling and availability of P will respond to future global warming and nitrogen (N) deposition. This study aims to evaluate the influence of soil warming and N deposition on soil P fractions in relation to plant growth and P uptake.

Methods

We carried out a field mesocosm bioassay experiment with a soil warming and N addition treatment in a factorial design and measured soil Hedley P fraction and P uptake of the Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) seedlings.

Results

Soil warming significantly increased soil easily-available and moderately-available inorganic phosphorus (Pi) but had no effect on soil easily-available and moderately-available organic P (Po), or on plant growth or plant biomass P, and decreased soil microbial biomass P (MBP). Nitrogen addition increased plant growth and leaf biomass P, but had no effect on soil Pi and MBP, and decreased soil moderately-available Po and leaf P concentration. There were no interactions between soil warming and nitrogen on Hedley P fractions. None of the Hedley P fractions had correlated with plant height and diameter growth or with plant P uptake.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that the Hedley P fractions do not reflect soil P availability and that the growth of the Chinese fir is not limited by soil P availability in this subtropical Ultisol, rather it is most likely limited by N and water availability based on the results from this bioassay experiment.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National “973” Program of China (grant number 2014CB954003), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 31300523, 31600433, 31130013) and Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province (2019R11010010-6).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Geographical Science, Fujian Normal University, No. 32 Shangsan Road, Cangshan District, Fuzhou, 350007, China

    Liuming Yang, Zhijie Yang, Yuanzhen Peng, Yanyu Lin, Decheng Xiong, Yiqing Li & Yusheng Yang

  2. Key Laboratory for Subtropical Mountain Ecology (Ministry of Science and Technology and Fujian Province Funded), School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China

    Liuming Yang, Zhijie Yang, Yuanzhen Peng, Yanyu Lin, Decheng Xiong & Yusheng Yang

  3. College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management, University of Hawaii, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA

    Yiqing Li

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  1. Liuming Yang
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Yang, L., Yang, Z., Peng, Y. et al. Evaluating P availability influenced by warming and N deposition in a subtropical forest soil: a bioassay mesocosm experiment. Plant Soil 444, 87–99 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-019-04246-z

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