Plant mineral nutrition from young to old soils

Etienne Laliberté and Hans LambersSchool of Plant BiologyThe University of Western Australiawww.elaliberte.infoBCI, January 10, 2013

Soil P during pedogenesis

Soil age

Mineral P

Organic P

Total P

Apatite(phosphate minerals)

Walker & Syers (1976) Geoderma

http://www.anra.gov.au/topics/soils/pubs/national/agriculture_asris_phos.html

P-poor soils in southwestern Australia

<0.02% or <200 mg kg-1

Leaf [P] very low in SW Australia

Lambers et al. (2011) Plant Physiol

Region Westman & Rogers

Rundel/Diehl et al.

Wright et al./Niinimets et

al.

Han et al. Grigg et al.

Australia 23.1 24.2 25.8/31.2

  26.6

SW Australia   24.2 24.2  

California, USA   10.8      

Chile   9.2/12.1

     

France   14.9      

Greece   15.7      

S. Africa (fynbos)   26.4 22.9    

China       14.4  

“World”   17.6 18.2    

N/P ratios >20: P limited; N/P ratios <10: N limited

N/P ratios of mature leaves

Lambers et al. (2010) Plant Soil

Am

ax

(m

ole

CO

2 m

-2 s

-1)

0

5

10

15

20

25A

ma

x (n

mol

e C

O2 g

-1 s

-1)

0

20

40

60

80

100

B. atte

nuat

a

B. men

ziesii

B. prio

note

s

B. bur

dettii

B. cha

mae

phyto

n

B. hoo

keria

na

B. lana

ta

B. laric

ina

B. sca

brell

aAm

ax

(mm

ole

CO

2 [g

leaf

P]-1

s-1

)

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

(a)

(b)

(c)

abc

ab

bc

a aab abc

ab

c

bcdab ab

cd cdbcd

bc

a

d

abcd

ab

cd cdd

bcd

e

abc a

Amax expressed per leaf area, mass and [P]

Denton, M.D., Veneklaas, E.J., Freimoser, F.M. & Lambers, H. 2007. Plant Cell Environ. 30: 1557-1565.

Habitats of plants measured in Lesueur National Park

Photos: Marion Cambridge

We measured [P] and photosynthesis of young

expanding leaves, and mature leaves

Hakea neurophylla

Banksia attenuatayoung

Photos: Marion Cambridge

Rates of photosynthesis of mature leaves are quite high; those of expanding leaves are not

Lambers et al (2012) New Phytol

Leaf [P] in Proteaceae declines sharply when leaves mature

Lambers, H., Cawthray, G.R., Giavalisco, P., , Juo, J., Laliberté, E., Pearse, S.J., Scheible, W.-R., Stitt, M. Teste, F. & Turner, B.L. 2012. New Phytol.

Where might mature leaves of P-efficient Proteaceae economise?

Lambers, H., Finnegan, P.M., Laliberté, E., Pearse, S.J., Ryan, M.H., Shane, M.W., & Veneklaas, E.J.. 2011. Phosphorus nutrition of Proteaceae in severely phosphorus-impoverished soils: are there lessons for future crops? Plant Physiol. 156: 1058-1066.

All six Proteaceae species showed a shift from P-lipids to other lipids when leaves matured

Lambers, H., Cawthray, G.R., Giavalisco, P., Kuo, J., Laliberté, E., Pearse, S.J., Scheible, W.-R., Stitt, M. Teste, F. & Turner, B.L. 2012. Proteaceae from severely phosphorus-impoverished soils replace phospholipids by galactolipids and sulfolipids to achieve a high photosynthetic phosphorus-use efficiency. In prep.

What special features allow the non-mycorrhizal plants in Western

Australia to acquire nutrients from very poor soils?

Many have cluster roots, as illustrated here

All plants

AM

NM

ECM

Ericoid

Orchid

All Western Australian Plants

AM

NM

Orc

AM

NM

ECM

Proportions of species with different nutrient-acquisition strategies

Brundrett, M.C. 2009. Mycorrhizal associations and other means of nutrition of vascular plants: Understanding the global diversity of host plants by resolving conflicting information and developing reliable means of diagnosis Plant Soil 320: 37-77.

Developmental aspects of cluster roots

0 1-2 4-5 7-8 12-13 20-21

Shane, M.W., Cramer, M.D., Funayama-Noguchi, S., Cawthray, G.R., Millar, A.H., Day, D.A. & Lambers, H. 2004. Plant Physiol. 135: 549-560.

Respiration and carboxylate exudation in cluster roots of Hakea prostrata

0

2

4

6

8

10

0 10 20 30

Time (days)

C u

se

(n

mo

l g

-1 F

W s-1)

Respiration

Carboxylate exudation

Shane et al. 2004. Plant Physiol. 135: 549-560.

CYTOSOL

SOIL

carboxylates

phosphatases

Al-Pi

Fe-Po Fe-Pi

Ca-Pi

Al-Po

Ca-Po

carb

oxyl

ate

chan

nel

Fe2+

tran

spor

ter

Pi

ADP+PiATP

H+

Fe2+

Fe2+

Al-, Ca-, Fe-carboxylates

elution/ precipitation

H+

H+

H+

phosphatases

carboxylates

carboxylatesPo

H+

Pi

Pi

H+ -A

TPas

e

Pi : H+ co-transport

Fe3+

reductase

Lambers, H., Chapin, F.S.III & Pons, T.L. 2008. Plant Physiological Ecology, 2nd edition. Springer, New York.

Long-term soil chronosequences

Franz Josef glacierNew Zealand

Soil a

ge

JurienBay

Perth

Jurien Bay >2-million-year dune chronosequence

0-7 ky

120-500 ky

>2000 ky

Soil chronosequences as [P] gradientsJurien Bay, SW AustraliaFranz Josef, New Zealand

Approx. soil age (years)101 102 103 104 105

Richardson et al. (2004) Oecologia

Laliberté et al. (2012) J Ecol

Soil [N] during soil development

Approx. soil age (years)101 102 103 104 105

Jurien Bay, SW AustraliaFranz Josef, New Zealand

Richardson et al. (2004) OecologiaLaliberté et al. (2012) J Ecol

Shift from N to P limitation

Soil age

Total N

Total P

Shift from N to P limitation

Soil age

Total N

Total P

N-limited

Shift from N to P limitation

Soil age

Total N

Total P

N-limited

N/P co-limited

Shift from N to P limitation

Soil age

Total N

Total P

N-limited

N/P co-limited

P-limited

Nutrient limitation bioassays

Vitousek and Farrington (1997) Biogeochemistry

N limitation

N/P co-limitation

P limitation

Nutrient limitation bioassays

Laliberté et al. (2012) J Ecol

Plant nutrient-use efficiency

Resorption from senescing leaves• profiency = concentration• efficiency = % of green

NUE = carbon fixed per unit nutrient taken up

Green leaf nutrient concentration

Leaf lifespan

Photo: Patrick Hayes

Leaf [N] ⇧ then ⇩ with soil age

Both N and P resorption efficiency ⇧ with soil age

N resorption efficiency NOT high in young soils

Leaf [P] ⇧ then ⇩ with soil age

Franz Josef glacier

Richardson et al. (2004) Oecologia

0-7 ky

120-500 ky

>2000 ky

Primary AIM: To assess how leaf [N] and [P] and resorption were influenced by soil age across a 2-million year dune chronosequence in southwestern Australia

Phosphorus-acquisition strategiesP ‘scavengers’ = Mycorrhizal fungi P ‘miners’ = non-mycorrhizal/cluster roots

Lambers et al (2008) Trends Ecol EvolRea

d et

al.

198

5 N

ew P

hyto

l.

Nitrogen fixation

Acacia lasiocarpa, root nodulesyoung dunes, Jurien Bay, SW Australia

2nd AIM: To investigate differences in leaf [N] and [P] and resorption between contrasting nutrient-acquisition strategies

Ectomycorrhizal Arbuscular mycorrhizal Nitrogen fixing

Cluster root Sand-binding rootDauciform roots

Non-mycorrhizal strategies Successful in P-poor soils Combine specialised structure and metabolism Release large amounts of carboxylates to mobilised sorbed P Can also mobilise metals such as Mn

Lambers et al. (2008)

Cluster roots and Mn accumulation

Hakea prostrata (Proteaceae)

Shane and Lambers (2005) Physiol Plantarum

• 3rd AIM: To assess Mn accumulation across a range of contrasting nutrient-acquisition strategies

Manganese accumulation

(Shane et al. 2011)

Dauciform(sedges)

Cluster root (Proteaceae)

Sand-binding (monocots)

1. Leaf [P] ⇩ and resorption ⇧ with soil age2. Leaf [N] ⇧ then ⇩ and resorption ⇩ with soil

age3. NM strategies ⇩ leaf [P] and ⇧ P resorption4. Mn accumulation ⇧ in NM strategies, but

only in older, P-limited sites

Hypotheses

StudentsPatrick HayesHonours studentLeaf nutrient analyses

Graham ZemunikPhD studentvegetation surveys

Collaboration between UWA and STRI (Ben Turner)

Stage 1: very young dunes(10’s—100 years)

Laliberté et al. (2012) J Ecol

NFAMAM

NF: N2-fixing

AM: Arbuscular mycorrhizal

NFEM

EM: Ectomycorrhizal

NM (sand-binding)

NM: Non-mycorrhizal (sand-binding, dauciform and cluster roots)

Stage 2: young dunes(100’s-1000’s years)

AM NFEMNM (sand-binding)

NM (dauciform)

Stage 3: young dunes(~7000 years)

AM NFEMNM (sand-binding)

NM (dauciform)

Stage 4: old dunes(~120,000 years)

AM NFNFEMNM (dauciform)

NM (cluster)

Stage 5: very old dunes(>2,000,000 years)

AM NFEMNM (dauciform)

NM (cluster)

NM (cluster)

Leaf [P]: nutrient-acquisition strategies

- NM species: lowest leaf [P] regardless of soil age- Variation between strategies highest in youngest dunes - All strategies converged on similarly very low leaf [P] in the oldest soils: mean = 229 µg P g-1

-Similar pattern for senesced leaf [P] and resorption efficiency

Leaf P resorption efficiency

Leaf [N]: nutrient-acquisition strategies

- High amount of variation between strategies-N-fixing and AM species show consistently higher leaf [N]- little variation with soil age

Leaf [N]

N resorption greater in very young and old soils

Mn accumulation

-All of the different NM strategies showed higher leaf [Mn] compared to other strategies regardless of soil age

- Large amounts of carboxylates into the rhizosphere?

Mn accumulation

-Mn accumulation is highest in NM species compared to other strategies- Interestingly, leaf [Mn] increased with soil age for all strategies

Summary• Extreme range of leaf [P]• Leaf [P] ⇩ with soil age• Leaf P resorption efficiency and proficiency ⇧

with soil age• AM and NF ⇧ leaf [N]• Little difference in leaf [N] with soil age• N resorption highest in very young and old soils• Mn accumulation in NM species and in older

soils: carboxylate release?• Ecosystem-level consequences? (e.g. litter

decomposition)

• Hans Lambers• Patrick Hayes• Graham Zemunik• Ben Turner• François Teste• Stuart Pearse• Thomas Costes• several field workers...

Acknowledgements• Thanks to STRI for the invitation