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Soil microbial biomass and the fate of phosphorus during long-term ecosystem development

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Abstract

Background

Soil phosphorus availability declines during long-term ecosystem development on stable land surfaces due to a gradual loss of phosphorus in runoff and transformation of primary mineral phosphate into secondary minerals and organic compounds. These changes have been linked to a reduction in plant biomass as ecosystems age, but the implications for belowground organisms remain unknown.

Methods

We constructed a phosphorus budget for the well-studied 120,000 year temperate rainforest chronosequence at Franz Josef, New Zealand. The budget included the amounts of phosphorus in plant biomass, soil microbial biomass, and other soil pools.

Results

Soil microbes contained 68–78 % of the total biomass phosphorus (i.e. plant plus microbial) for the majority of the 120,000 year chronosequence. In contrast, plant phosphorus was a relatively small pool that occurred predominantly in wood. This points to the central role of the microbial biomass in determining phosphorus availability as ecosystems mature, yet also indicates the likelihood of strong competition between plants and saprotrophic microbes for soil phosphorus.

Conclusions

This novel perspective on terrestrial biogeochemistry challenges our understanding of phosphorus cycling by identifying soil microbes as the major biological phosphorus pool during long-term ecosystem development.

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Acknowledgements

This manuscript is a product of an ARC–NZ Network for Vegetation Function workshop held at the University of Western Australia. We thank V.J. Allison, S.J. Davies, A.E. Herre, E. Laliberté and P. Thrall for their contributions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Apartado, 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama

    Benjamin L. Turner

  2. School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia

    Benjamin L. Turner, Hans Lambers, Michael D. Cramer & Alan E. Richardson

  3. Agriculture and Life Sciences, PO Box 84, Lincoln University, Lincoln, 7647, Canterbury, New Zealand

    Leo M. Condron

  4. Department of Botany, University of Cape Town, University Private Bag, Rondebosch, 7700, South Africa

    Michael D. Cramer

  5. Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK

    Jonathan R. Leake

  6. CSIRO Plant Industry, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia

    Alan E. Richardson

  7. School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia

    Sally E. Smith

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  1. Benjamin L. Turner
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  2. Hans Lambers
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  3. Leo M. Condron
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  4. Michael D. Cramer
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  5. Jonathan R. Leake
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  6. Alan E. Richardson
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  7. Sally E. Smith
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Benjamin L. Turner.

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Responsible Editor: Nico Eisenhauer.

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Turner, B.L., Lambers, H., Condron, L.M. et al. Soil microbial biomass and the fate of phosphorus during long-term ecosystem development. Plant Soil 367, 225–234 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1493-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1493-z

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