Global meta-analysis shows pervasive phosphorus limitation of aboveground plant production in natural terrestrial ecosystems
File version
Version of Record (VoR)
Author(s)
Luo, Yiqi
Kuang, Yuanwen
Chen, Chengrong
Lu, Xiankai
Jiang, Lifen
Luo, Xianzhen
Wen, Dazhi
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Date
Size
File type(s)
Location
Abstract
Phosphorus (P) limitation of aboveground plant production is usually assumed to occur in tropical regions but rarely elsewhere. Here we report that such P limitation is more widespread and much stronger than previously estimated. In our global meta-analysis, almost half (46.2%) of 652 P-addition field experiments reveal a significant P limitation on aboveground plant production. Globally, P additions increase aboveground plant production by 34.9% in natural terrestrial ecosystems, which is 7.0–15.9% higher than previously suggested. In croplands, by contrast, P additions increase aboveground plant production by only 13.9%, probably because of historical fertilizations. The magnitude of P limitation also differs among climate zones and regions, and is driven by climate, ecosystem properties, and fertilization regimes. In addition to confirming that P limitation is widespread in tropical regions, our study demonstrates that P limitation often occurs in other regions. This suggests that previous studies have underestimated the importance of altered P supply on aboveground plant production in natural terrestrial ecosystems.
Journal Title
Nature Communications
Conference Title
Book Title
Edition
Volume
11
Issue
1
Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
Publisher link
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement
© The Author(s) 2020. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject
Environmental sciences
Science & Technology
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Science & Technology - Other Topics
NUTRIENT LIMITATION
NITROGEN LIMITATION
Persistent link to this record
Citation
Hou, E; Luo, Y; Kuang, Y; Chen, C; Lu, X; Jiang, L; Luo, X; Wen, D, Global meta-analysis shows pervasive phosphorus limitation of aboveground plant production in natural terrestrial ecosystems, Nature Communications, 2020, 11 (1), pp. 46