Presentation of chronosequence research and nutrient acquisition/use. Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama. BAMBI talk. Jan 10, 2013.

1. Plant mineral nutrition from young
to old soils
Etienne Laliberté and Hans Lambers
School of Plant Biology
The University of Western Australia
www.elaliberte.info
BCI, January 10, 2013

2. Soil P during pedogenesis
Apatite
(phosphate minerals)
Mineral P
Total P
Organic P
Soil age
Walker & Syers (1976) Geoderma

3. P-poor soils in southwestern Australia
<0.02% or
<200 mg kg-1
http://www.anra.gov.au/topics/soils/pubs/national/agriculture_asris_phos.html

4. Leaf [P] very low in SW Australia
Lambers et al. (2011) Plant Physiol

5. N/P ratios of mature leaves
Westman Rundel/ Wright et al./ Han et al. Grigg et al.
Region & Rogers Diehl et al. Niinimets et
al.
Australia 23.1 24.2 25.8/ 26.6
31.2
SW Australia 24.2 24.2
California, USA 10.8 N/P ratios >20: P limited;
Chile 9.2/ N/P ratios <10: N limited
12.1
France 14.9
Greece 15.7
S. Africa (fynbos) 26.4 22.9
China 14.4
“World” 17.6 18.2
Lambers et al. (2010) Plant Soil

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Amax expressed per leaf
s )
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A m a x ( m o le C O m
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area, mass and [P]
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Denton, M.D., Veneklaas, E.J., Freimoser, F.M. & Lambers,
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H. 2007. Plant Cell Environ. 30: 1557-1565.
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7. Habitats of plants measured in Lesueur
National Park
Photos: Marion Cambridge

8. We measured [P] and
photosynthesis of young
expanding leaves, and
mature leaves
Banksia attenuata
young
Hakea neurophylla
Photos: Marion Cambridge

9. Rates of photosynthesis of mature leaves are
quite high; those of expanding leaves are not
Lambers et al (2012) New
Phytol

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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

14. Proportions of species with different nutrient-acquisition strategies
All plants All Western Australian Plants
Orc
ECM
NM
NM
AM AM
AM
NM
ECM
Ericoid
Orchid
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.

15. 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.

16. Respiration and carboxylate exudation in
cluster roots of Hakea prostrata
10
Respiration
8
C use (nmol g-1 FW s-1)
6
Carboxylate
4 exudation
2
Shane et al. 2004.
0
Plant Physiol. 135: 549-
0 10 20 30 560.
Time (days)

17. CYTOSOL Lambers, H., Chapin, F.S.III & Pons, T.L. 2008. Plant Physiological Ecology, 2nd
edition. Springer, New York.
carboxylates Fe2+
H+ Pi
ATP ADP+Pi
phosphatases
H+ phosphatases H+
H+ Fe2+
H+ carboxylates Pi carboxylates
Po Pi
SOIL Al-, Ca-, Fe-
Al-Po Al-Pi
carboxylates
Fe-Po Fe-Pi
Ca-Po Ca-Pi elution/
precipitation

18. Long-term soil chronosequences
Franz Josef glacier
New Zealand

19. Jurien Bay >2-million-year dune Jurien
Bay
chronosequence
Perth
0-7 ky
120-500 ky
>2000 ky

20. Soil chronosequences as [P] gradients
Franz Josef, New Zealand Jurien Bay, SW Australia
101 102 103 104 105
Approx. soil age (years)
Richardson et al. (2004) Oecologia
Laliberté et al. (2012) J Ecol

21. Soil [N] during soil development
Franz Josef, New Zealand Jurien Bay, SW Australia
101 102 103 104 105
Approx. soil age (years)
Laliberté et al. (2012) J Ecol
Richardson et al. (2004) Oecologia

22. Shift from N to P limitation
Total P
Total N
Soil age

23. Shift from N to P limitation
Total P
Total N
N-limited
Soil age

24. Shift from N to P limitation
Total P
Total N
N-limited
Soil age
N/P co-limited

25. Shift from N to P limitation
Total P
Total N
N-limited
P-limited
Soil age
N/P co-limited

26. Nutrient limitation bioassays
N limitation
N/P co-limitation
P limitation
Vitousek and Farrington (1997) Biogeochemistry

27. Nutrient limitation bioassays
Laliberté et al. (2012) J Ecol

28. Plant nutrient-use efficiency
NUE = carbon fixed per
unit nutrient taken up
Green leaf nutrient concentration
Leaf lifespan
Resorption from senescing leaves
• profiency = concentration
• efficiency = % of green Photo: Patrick Hayes

29. Franz Josef glacier
Leaf [N] ⇧ then ⇩ with soil
age
Leaf [P] ⇧ then ⇩ with soil
age
Both N and P resorption efficiency
⇧ with soil age
N resorption efficiency NOT high in
young soils
Richardson et al. (2004) Oecologia

30. 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
0-7 ky
120-500 ky
>2000 ky

31. Phosphorus-acquisition strategies
P ‘scavengers’ = Mycorrhizal fungi P ‘miners’ = non-mycorrhizal/cluster roots
Read et al. 1985 New Phytol.
Lambers et al (2008) Trends Ecol Evol

32. Nitrogen fixation
Acacia lasiocarpa, root nodules
young dunes, Jurien Bay, SW Australia

33. 2nd AIM: To investigate differences in leaf [N] and [P] and
resorption between contrasting nutrient-acquisition strategies
Ectomycorrhizal Arbuscular mycorrhizal Nitrogen fixing
Cluster root Dauciform roots
Sand-binding root

34. 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)

35. Cluster roots and Mn accumulation
Hakea prostrata (Proteaceae)
Shane and Lambers (2005) Physiol Plantarum

36. Manganese accumulation
• 3rd AIM: To assess Mn accumulation across a
range of contrasting nutrient-acquisition
strategies
Cluster root
(Proteaceae)
Dauciform
(sedges)
Sand-binding
(monocots)
(Shane et al. 2011)

37. Hypotheses
1. Leaf [P] ⇩ and resorption ⇧ with soil age
2. Leaf [N] ⇧ then ⇩ and resorption ⇩ with soil
age
3. NM strategies ⇩ leaf [P] and ⇧ P resorption
4. Mn accumulation ⇧ in NM strategies, but
only in older, P-limited sites

38. Students Graham Zemunik
Patrick Hayes PhD student
Honours student vegetation surveys
Leaf nutrient analyses

39. Collaboration
between UWA
and STRI (Ben
Turner)

40. Stage 1: very young dunes
(10’s—100 years)
Laliberté et al. (2012) J Ecol

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

42. Stage 3: young dunes
(~7000 years)

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

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

45. 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

46. Leaf P resorption efficiency

47. 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

48. Leaf [N]

49. N resorption greater in very young and
old soils

50. 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?

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

52. 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)

53. • Hans Lambers
• Patrick Hayes
Acknowledgements • Graham Zemunik
• Ben Turner
• Thanks to STRI for the invitation • François Teste
• Stuart Pearse
• Thomas Costes
• several field workers...