Tigabu, Mulualem
- Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
Abstract
BackgroundUnder natural conditions, soil nutrients are heterogeneously distributed, and plants have developed adaptation strategies to efficiently forage patchily distributed nutrient. Most previous studies examined either patch strength or patch size separately and focused mainly on root morphological plasticity (increased root proliferation in nutrient-rich patch), thus the effects of both patch strength and size on morphological and physiological plasticity are not well understood. In this study, we examined the foraging strategy of Neyraudia reynaudiana (Kunth) Keng ex Hithc, a pioneer grass colonizing degraded sites, with respect to patch strength and size in heterogeneously distributed phosphorus (P), and how foraging patchily distributed P affects total plant biomass production. Plants were grown in sand-culture pots divided into 1/2, 1/4, 1/6 compartments and full size and supplied with 0+0/30, 0+7.5/30 and 7.5+0/30mg P/kg dry soil as KH2PO4 or 0+15/15, 0+18.5/ 18.5, 7.5+15/15mgkg-1 in the homogenous treatment. The first amount was the P concentration in the central region, and that the second amount was the P concentration in the outer parts of the pot.ResultsAfter 3months of growth under experimental conditions, significantly (p
Keywords
Nutrient foraging; Nutrient patches; Root morphological plasticity; Root physiological plasticity; Phosphorus stress
Published in
BMC Plant Biology
2020, volume: 20, number: 1, article number: 545
Publisher: BMC
SLU Authors
UKÄ Subject classification
Forest Science
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-020-02738-0
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/109507