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Updated: Aug 30, 2025
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Laboratory-determined Phosphorus Flux from Lake Sediments as a Measure of Internal Phosphorus Loading
Published on: March 6, 2014
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Phosphorus additions imbalance terrestrial ecosystem C:N:P stoichiometry
Yuan Sun1,2, Cuiting Wang2, Xinli Chen3
1Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Bioresources of Saline Soils, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng, China.
Global Change Biology
|September 3, 2022
Summary
Phosphorus (P) additions decrease nitrogen (N):P and carbon (C):P ratios in plants and soils, impacting ecosystem functions. These effects intensify with higher P application rates and longer study durations.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Biogeochemistry
Background:
- Terrestrial ecosystem productivity and nutrient cycling are governed by Carbon (C):Nitrogen (N):Phosphorus (P) stoichiometry.
- Increasing anthropogenic phosphorus (P) inputs necessitate understanding their impact on ecosystem C:N:P ratios.
Approach:
- A meta-analysis synthesized 1413 paired observations from 121 publications.
- Examined the effects of P addition on plant, soil, and microbial biomass C:N:P ratios.
Key Points:
- P addition significantly reduced N:P and C:P ratios in plants, soil, and microbial biomass, with no significant effect on C:N ratios.
- The magnitude of N:P and C:P ratio reduction increased with P application rates and experimental duration.
- P addition effects were consistent across ecosystem types and climates, but linked to changes in soil pH and fungi:bacteria ratios.
Conclusions:
- P additions enhanced net primary productivity, microbial biomass, soil respiration, N mineralization, and N nitrification.
- Decreases in plant N:P and C:P ratios correlated with increased net primary productivity and soil respiration, but also with higher ammonium and nitrate content.
- The study highlights that P additions can disrupt C:N:P stoichiometry, potentially altering terrestrial ecosystem functions.
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