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Global Phosphorus Enrichment Reshapes Terrestrial Phosphorus Cycling
Zixin Chen1,2,3, Kai Dong4, Julian Helfenstein5
1State Key Laboratory of Forage Breeding-By-Design and Utilization; Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Global Change Biology
|April 2, 2026
Summary
Anthropogenic phosphorus (P) additions significantly increase P concentrations across plants and soils globally. This impacts nutrient cycling, with declines in leaf P-resorption efficiency and soil phosphatase activity, affecting ecosystem management.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Ecology
- Biogeochemistry
Background:
- Anthropogenic phosphorus (P) inputs are altering terrestrial P cycling.
- Global patterns and mechanisms of these changes are poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To globally analyze the effects of P addition on terrestrial P cycling.
- To identify mechanisms driving P cycling changes in natural ecosystems.
Main Methods:
- Global meta-analysis of 1315 observations from 176 studies.
- Analysis across diverse natural terrestrial ecosystems.
Main Results:
- P addition increased P concentrations in foliage, stems, roots, and litter (62-114%).
- Soil P and microbial P concentrations rose significantly (43-221%).
- Leaf P-resorption efficiency and soil phosphatase activity declined (23% and 15%).
Conclusions:
- Phosphorus inputs alter terrestrial P cycling globally.
- Responses vary by ecosystem and plant type, regulated by soil P, climate, and P addition factors.
- Findings inform ecosystem management under global change.
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