Response of belowground communities to short-term phosphorus addition in a phosphorus-limited woodland

Uffe N. Nielsen; Samantha Prior; Brendan Delroy; Jennifer K M Walker; David S. Ellsworth; Jeff R. Powell

doi:10.1007/s11104-015-2432-6

Response of belowground communities to short-term phosphorus addition in a phosphorus-limited woodland

Uffe N. Nielsen, Samantha Prior, Brendan Delroy, Jennifer K M Walker, David S. Ellsworth, Jeff R. Powell^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Aberdeen Centre For Environmental Sustainability

University of Western Australia

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

36 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Aims Soil biota regulate essential ecosystem processes but our understanding of how soil fertility constrains biotic interactions remains limited. We investigated belowground responses to short-term phosphorus (P) fertilization in a P-limited woodland.

Methods Ten Eucalyptus tereticornis were randomly selected and five fertilized with superphosphate equivalent to 50 kg P ha(-1) over 6 months. We estimated aboveground (understory) and belowground plant biomass, and collected samples for soil chemistry, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) root colonization, soil fungal abundance and community composition, and extraction of nematodes and microarthropods.

Results P-fertilization increased root biomass, abundance of non-AM fungi, and abundances of Collembola, and altered fungal community structure, but was associated with a decrease in predatory nematodes. Structural equation modelling indicated that effects on Collembola and fungal abundances were mediated by direct effects of the fertilizer treatment and/or indirect effects via root biomass responses. However, fungal community compositional changes and reductions in predatory nematodes resulted primarily due to fertilization-mediated changes in soil pH.

Conclusion Our study shows that understory plant communities and soil biota are P-limited at the study site but that some biotic groups appear to be more sensitive to changes in soil pH than to increases in P availability.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	321-331
Number of pages	11
Journal	Plant and Soil
Volume	391
Issue number	1 - 2
Early online date	12 Mar 2015
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-015-2432-6
Publication status	Published - Jun 2015

Bibliographical note

Acknowledgments
Dr Kaushal Tewari and Sarah Beck provided technical assistance with sample processing. This work was supported by the Australian Reseach Council Discovery Grants scheme (DP110105102 and DP130102501). EucFACE is supported by the Australian Commonwealth government in collaboration with the University of Western Sydney. This is part of a TERN Super-site facility. EucFACE was built as an initiative of the Australian government as part of the Nation-building Economic
Stimulus Package.

Keywords

Cumberland plain woodland
fungi
microarthropods
nematoda
phosphorus fertilization
pH
arbuscular-mycorrhizal fungi
soil food-web
terrestrial ecosystems
forest soil
land-use
nitrogen
biodiversity
fertilization
grasslands
limitation

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1007/s11104-015-2432-6Licence: Unspecified

Cite this

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title = "Response of belowground communities to short-term phosphorus addition in a phosphorus-limited woodland",

abstract = "Aims Soil biota regulate essential ecosystem processes but our understanding of how soil fertility constrains biotic interactions remains limited. We investigated belowground responses to short-term phosphorus (P) fertilization in a P-limited woodland.Methods Ten Eucalyptus tereticornis were randomly selected and five fertilized with superphosphate equivalent to 50 kg P ha(-1) over 6 months. We estimated aboveground (understory) and belowground plant biomass, and collected samples for soil chemistry, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) root colonization, soil fungal abundance and community composition, and extraction of nematodes and microarthropods.Results P-fertilization increased root biomass, abundance of non-AM fungi, and abundances of Collembola, and altered fungal community structure, but was associated with a decrease in predatory nematodes. Structural equation modelling indicated that effects on Collembola and fungal abundances were mediated by direct effects of the fertilizer treatment and/or indirect effects via root biomass responses. However, fungal community compositional changes and reductions in predatory nematodes resulted primarily due to fertilization-mediated changes in soil pH.Conclusion Our study shows that understory plant communities and soil biota are P-limited at the study site but that some biotic groups appear to be more sensitive to changes in soil pH than to increases in P availability.",

keywords = "Cumberland plain woodland, fungi, microarthropods, nematoda, phosphorus fertilization, pH, arbuscular-mycorrhizal fungi, soil food-web, terrestrial ecosystems, forest soil, land-use, nitrogen, biodiversity, fertilization, grasslands, limitation",

author = "Nielsen, {Uffe N.} and Samantha Prior and Brendan Delroy and Walker, {Jennifer K M} and Ellsworth, {David S.} and Powell, {Jeff R.}",

note = "Acknowledgments Dr Kaushal Tewari and Sarah Beck provided technical assistance with sample processing. This work was supported by the Australian Reseach Council Discovery Grants scheme (DP110105102 and DP130102501). EucFACE is supported by the Australian Commonwealth government in collaboration with the University of Western Sydney. This is part of a TERN Super-site facility. EucFACE was built as an initiative of the Australian government as part of the Nation-building Economic Stimulus Package.",

year = "2015",

month = jun,

doi = "10.1007/s11104-015-2432-6",

language = "English",

volume = "391",

pages = "321--331",

journal = "Plant and Soil",

issn = "0032-079X",

publisher = "Springer Netherlands",

number = "1 - 2",

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T1 - Response of belowground communities to short-term phosphorus addition in a phosphorus-limited woodland

AU - Nielsen, Uffe N.

AU - Prior, Samantha

AU - Delroy, Brendan

AU - Walker, Jennifer K M

AU - Ellsworth, David S.

AU - Powell, Jeff R.

N1 - Acknowledgments Dr Kaushal Tewari and Sarah Beck provided technical assistance with sample processing. This work was supported by the Australian Reseach Council Discovery Grants scheme (DP110105102 and DP130102501). EucFACE is supported by the Australian Commonwealth government in collaboration with the University of Western Sydney. This is part of a TERN Super-site facility. EucFACE was built as an initiative of the Australian government as part of the Nation-building Economic Stimulus Package.

PY - 2015/6

Y1 - 2015/6

N2 - Aims Soil biota regulate essential ecosystem processes but our understanding of how soil fertility constrains biotic interactions remains limited. We investigated belowground responses to short-term phosphorus (P) fertilization in a P-limited woodland.Methods Ten Eucalyptus tereticornis were randomly selected and five fertilized with superphosphate equivalent to 50 kg P ha(-1) over 6 months. We estimated aboveground (understory) and belowground plant biomass, and collected samples for soil chemistry, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) root colonization, soil fungal abundance and community composition, and extraction of nematodes and microarthropods.Results P-fertilization increased root biomass, abundance of non-AM fungi, and abundances of Collembola, and altered fungal community structure, but was associated with a decrease in predatory nematodes. Structural equation modelling indicated that effects on Collembola and fungal abundances were mediated by direct effects of the fertilizer treatment and/or indirect effects via root biomass responses. However, fungal community compositional changes and reductions in predatory nematodes resulted primarily due to fertilization-mediated changes in soil pH.Conclusion Our study shows that understory plant communities and soil biota are P-limited at the study site but that some biotic groups appear to be more sensitive to changes in soil pH than to increases in P availability.

AB - Aims Soil biota regulate essential ecosystem processes but our understanding of how soil fertility constrains biotic interactions remains limited. We investigated belowground responses to short-term phosphorus (P) fertilization in a P-limited woodland.Methods Ten Eucalyptus tereticornis were randomly selected and five fertilized with superphosphate equivalent to 50 kg P ha(-1) over 6 months. We estimated aboveground (understory) and belowground plant biomass, and collected samples for soil chemistry, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) root colonization, soil fungal abundance and community composition, and extraction of nematodes and microarthropods.Results P-fertilization increased root biomass, abundance of non-AM fungi, and abundances of Collembola, and altered fungal community structure, but was associated with a decrease in predatory nematodes. Structural equation modelling indicated that effects on Collembola and fungal abundances were mediated by direct effects of the fertilizer treatment and/or indirect effects via root biomass responses. However, fungal community compositional changes and reductions in predatory nematodes resulted primarily due to fertilization-mediated changes in soil pH.Conclusion Our study shows that understory plant communities and soil biota are P-limited at the study site but that some biotic groups appear to be more sensitive to changes in soil pH than to increases in P availability.

KW - Cumberland plain woodland

KW - fungi

KW - microarthropods

KW - nematoda

KW - phosphorus fertilization

KW - pH

KW - arbuscular-mycorrhizal fungi

KW - soil food-web

KW - terrestrial ecosystems

KW - forest soil

KW - land-use

KW - nitrogen

KW - biodiversity

KW - fertilization

KW - grasslands

KW - limitation

U2 - 10.1007/s11104-015-2432-6

DO - 10.1007/s11104-015-2432-6

M3 - Article

SN - 0032-079X

VL - 391

SP - 321

EP - 331

JO - Plant and Soil

JF - Plant and Soil

IS - 1 - 2

ER -

Response of belowground communities to short-term phosphorus addition in a phosphorus-limited woodland

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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