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Key Elements for Plant Nutrition

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Like all living organisms, plants require organic and inorganic nutrients to survive, reproduce, grow and maintain homeostasis. To identify nutrients that are essential for plant functioning, researchers have leveraged a technique called hydroponics. In hydroponic culture systems, plants are grown—without soil—in water-based solutions containing nutrients. At least 17 nutrients have been identified as essential elements required by plants. Plants acquire these elements from the...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 6, 2025

Hydroponics: A Versatile System to Study Nutrient Allocation and Plant Responses to Nutrient Availability and Exposure to Toxic Elements

Hydroponics: A Versatile System to Study Nutrient Allocation and Plant Responses to Nutrient Availability and Exposure to Toxic Elements

Published on: July 13, 2016

Coordination Between Bioelements Induce More Stable Macroelements Than Microelements in Wetland Plants.

Zhenjun Zuo^1,2, Peter B Reich^3,4, Xiujuan Qiao⁵

¹The National Field Station of Freshwater Ecosystems of Liangzi Lake, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.

Ecology Letters

|December 3, 2024

Summary

Plant elementome composition reflects environmental adaptation. Highly concentrated bioelements are more stable, while environmental stresses like cold and salinity reduce plant elementome stability and complexity.

Keywords:

Tibetan plateau ecological stoichiometry evolutionary conservatism functional biogeography stability of well‐coordinated elements hypothesis

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Last Updated: Jun 6, 2025

Hydroponics: A Versatile System to Study Nutrient Allocation and Plant Responses to Nutrient Availability and Exposure to Toxic Elements

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Published on: July 13, 2016

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Published on: February 15, 2021

Two-Dimensional Visualization and Quantification of Labile, Inorganic Plant Nutrients and Contaminants in Soil

Two-Dimensional Visualization and Quantification of Labile, Inorganic Plant Nutrients and Contaminants in Soil

Published on: September 1, 2020

Area of Science:

Ecology
Plant Biology
Biogeochemistry

Background:

Plant element composition reflects adaptation to environmental conditions.
The drivers of species-specific plant elementomes and bioelemental correlations remain unclear.
Understanding plant elementome stability is crucial for predicting responses to environmental change.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the drivers of plant elementome composition and bioelemental correlations.
To test the hypothesis that well-coordinated bioelements exhibit greater stability.
To assess the impact of environmental stresses on plant elementome network properties.

Main Methods:

Analysis of 1058 leaf samples from 84 plant species across 232 wetland sites.
Examined element composition and bivariate bioelemental correlations.
Assessed the effects of cold and saline stresses on elementome network metrics.

Main Results:

Bioelements with higher concentrations were found to be more stable and evolutionarily constrained.
A stability of well-coordinated elements hypothesis was proposed, explaining stable ratios for functionally linked elements.
Cold and saline stresses significantly reduced plant stoichiometric network connectivity, complexity, and stability.

Conclusions:

Plant elementome composition is shaped by both functional coordination and environmental availability.
Environmental stresses like cold and salinity disrupt elementome stability, impacting plant adaptation.
This study enhances understanding of plant-environment interactions in climate-sensitive wetland regions.