Phosphorus addition enhances heterotrophic respiration but reduces root respiration in a subtropical plantation forest.

Soil respiration (R) is a major component of the global carbon (C) cycle and is influenced by the availability of nutrients such as phosphorus (P). However, the response of R to P addition in P-limited subtropical forest ecosystems and the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. To address this, we conducted a P addition experiment (50 kg P ha yr) in a subtropical Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) plantation forest.

Divergent soil P accrual in ectomycorrhizal and arbuscular mycorrhizal trees: insights from a common garden experiment in subtropical China.

Tree species establish mycorrhizal associations with both ectomycorrhizal (EM) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM), which play crucial roles in facilitating plant phosphorus (P) acquisition. However, little attention has been given to the effects of EM and AM species on soil P dynamics and the underlying mechanisms in subtropical forests, where P availability is typically low. To address this knowledge gap, we selected two EM species ( - PM and - CC) and two AM species ( - Chinese fir, CF and - MM) in a common garden established in 2012 in subtropical China.