Direct evidence for phosphorus limitation on Amazon forest productivity

Hellen Fernanda Viana Cunha (), Kelly M. Andersen, Laynara Figueiredo Lugli, Flavia Delgado Santana, Izabela Fonseca Aleixo, Anna Martins Moraes, Sabrina Garcia, Raffaello Ponzio, Erick Oblitas Mendoza, Bárbara Brum, Jéssica Schmeisk Rosa, Amanda L. Cordeiro, Bruno Takeshi Tanaka Portela, Gyovanni Ribeiro, Sara Deambrozi Coelho, Sheila Trierveiler Souza, Lara Siebert Silva, Felipe Antonieto, Maria Pires, Ana Cláudia Salomão, Ana Caroline Miron, Rafael L. Assis, Tomas F. Domingues, Luiz E. O. C. Aragão, Patrick Meir, José Luis Camargo, Antonio Ocimar Manzi, Laszlo Nagy, Lina M. Mercado, Iain P. Hartley and Carlos Alberto Quesada
Additional contact information
Hellen Fernanda Viana Cunha: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Kelly M. Andersen: Nanyang Technological University
Laynara Figueiredo Lugli: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Flavia Delgado Santana: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Izabela Fonseca Aleixo: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Anna Martins Moraes: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Sabrina Garcia: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Raffaello Ponzio: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Erick Oblitas Mendoza: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Bárbara Brum: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Jéssica Schmeisk Rosa: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Amanda L. Cordeiro: Colorado State University
Bruno Takeshi Tanaka Portela: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Gyovanni Ribeiro: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Sara Deambrozi Coelho: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Sheila Trierveiler Souza: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Lara Siebert Silva: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Felipe Antonieto: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Maria Pires: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Ana Cláudia Salomão: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Ana Caroline Miron: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Rafael L. Assis: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Tomas F. Domingues: Universidade de São Paulo
Luiz E. O. C. Aragão: University of Exeter
Patrick Meir: University of Edinburgh
José Luis Camargo: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Antonio Ocimar Manzi: National Institute for Amazonian Research
Laszlo Nagy: University of Campinas
Lina M. Mercado: University of Exeter
Iain P. Hartley: University of Exeter
Carlos Alberto Quesada: National Institute for Amazonian Research

Nature, 2022, vol. 608, issue 7923, 558-562

Abstract: Abstract The productivity of rainforests growing on highly weathered tropical soils is expected to be limited by phosphorus availability1. Yet, controlled fertilization experiments have been unable to demonstrate a dominant role for phosphorus in controlling tropical forest net primary productivity. Recent syntheses have demonstrated that responses to nitrogen addition are as large as to phosphorus2, and adaptations to low phosphorus availability appear to enable net primary productivity to be maintained across major soil phosphorus gradients3. Thus, the extent to which phosphorus availability limits tropical forest productivity is highly uncertain. The majority of the Amazonia, however, is characterized by soils that are more depleted in phosphorus than those in which most tropical fertilization experiments have taken place2. Thus, we established a phosphorus, nitrogen and base cation addition experiment in an old growth Amazon rainforest, with a low soil phosphorus content that is representative of approximately 60% of the Amazon basin. Here we show that net primary productivity increased exclusively with phosphorus addition. After 2 years, strong responses were observed in fine root (+29%) and canopy productivity (+19%), but not stem growth. The direct evidence of phosphorus limitation of net primary productivity suggests that phosphorus availability may restrict Amazon forest responses to CO2 fertilization4, with major implications for future carbon sequestration and forest resilience to climate change.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05085-2

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