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Updated: Oct 29, 2025

Measuring Phosphorus Release in Laboratory Microcosms for Water Quality Assessment
Published on: July 22, 2019
Plant phosphorus-acquisition and -use strategies affect soil carbon cycling
Wenli Ding1, Wen-Feng Cong1, Hans Lambers2
1Department of Plant Nutrition, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, China Agricultural University, 100193 Beijing, China.
Abstract:
Increased anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition is driving N-limited ecosystems towards phosphorus (P) limitation. Plants have evolved strategies to respond to P limitation which affect N cycling in plant-soil systems. A comprehensive understanding of how plants with efficient P-acquisition or -use strategies influence carbon (C) and N cycling remains elusive. We highlight how P-acquisition/-use strategies, particularly the release of carboxylates into the rhizosphere, accelerate soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition and soil N mineralisation by destabilising aggregates and organic-mineral associations. We advocate studying the effects of P-acquisition/-use strategies on SOM formation, directly or through microbial turnover.
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