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Negative effects of long-term phosphorus additions on understory plants in a primary tropical forest
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Negative effects of long-term phosphorus additions on understory plants in a primary tropical forest

Qinggong Mao, Hao Chen, Geshere Abdisa Gurmesa, Per Gundersen, David Scott Ellsworth, Frank S. Gilliam, Cong Wang, Fiefei Zhu, Qing Ye, Jiangming Mo, …
The Science of the total environment, Vol.798(1), 149306
12/01/2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149306
PMID: 34340072
Web of Science ID: WOS:000701817200011

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Abstract

Human activities have disturbed global phosphorus (P) cycling by introducing substantial amounts of P to natural ecosystems. Although natural P gradients and fertilization studies have found that plant community traits are closely related to P availability, it remains unclear how increased P supply affects plant growth and diversity in P-deficient tropical forests. We used a decadal P-addition experiment (2007–2017) to study the effects of increased P input on plant growth and diversity in understory layer in tropical forests. We monitored the dynamics of seedling growth, survival rate, and diversity of understory plants throughout the fertilization period under control and P addition at 15 g P m−2 yr−1. To identify the drivers of responses, P concentration, photosynthesis rate and nonstructural carbon were analyzed. Results showed that long-term P addition significantly increased P concentrations both in soil pools and plant tissues. However, P addition did not increase the light-saturated photosynthesis rate or growth rate of the understory plants. Furthermore, P addition significantly decreased the survival rate of seedlings and reduced the species richness and density of understory plants. The negative effects of P addition may be attributed to an increased carbon cost due to the tissue maintenance of plants with higher P concentrations. These findings indicate that increased P supply alone is not necessary to benefit the growth of plants in ecosystems with low P availability, and P inputs can inhibit understory plants and may alter community composition. Therefore, we appeal to a need for caution when inputting P to tropical forests ecosystems. [Display omitted] •Effects of long-term P addition on understory plants were studied in a primary tropical forest.•P addition increased plant P concentration, but not photosynthetic capability and growth.•P addition decreased the survival rate of young seedlings.•P addition reduced the species richness and density of understory plants.•Negative effects due to C imbalance from increased cost to maintain higher P concentration

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