Plant Adaptation and Phosphorus Limitation in Tropical Forests: A Theoretical and Empirical Assessment

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Abstract
Ecosystem dynamics are shaped by plant adaptation to environmental stress, yet the conditions under which this occurs remain poorly understood. We developed a theoretical framework to predict how strategies used by tropical trees to cope with low-phosphorus (P) availability (that is, traits related to P uptake, and use) influence growth under P limitation. We then tested this framework against data on tree species in Borneo and a meta-analysis of results from pantropical nutrient addition experiments. Our theoretical framework predicts that plant traits associated with low-P environments, including enhanced P allocation to leaves, efficient P resorption, and root phosphatase activity, alleviate the negative effects of P scarcity more strongly for “inefficiently” growing plants, represented by large trees and old-growth forests, compared with saplings or secondary forests. In agreement with this prediction, changes in traits related to low-P environments increased the potential relative growth rate of large trees more than small trees in Borneo. Finally, theoretical expectation was supported by a meta-analysis which revealed stronger P limitation in saplings and secondary forests than in old-growth forests. Together, these findings provide a novel framework to interpret the relationship between resource constraints and plant performance and reinforce the importance of accounting for plant adaption to predict ecosystem responses to P limitation in tropical forests.
Funding Information
  • Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (A grant-in-aid / 18KK0206, A grant-in-aid / 22255002, A grant-in-aid / 22H02390, A grant-in-aid / 23H02554, JSPS Fellowship for Japanese Young Scientists / 19)
  • the Ministry of Environment, Japan (Global Environment Research Fund/ D-1006, 1-140)

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