How does phosphorus deficiency influence respiratory rates in plant species adapted to contrasting habitats?
Supervisors: Dr Owen Atkin, Adrienne Nicotra Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are the two most important nutrients affecting plant metabolic capacity. Plant tissue nitrogen concentration ([N]) has been shown to scale with R in both leaves and roots, and this knowledge has been used to parameterize large scale models predicting future rates of CO2 exchange between vegetation and the atmosphere. In contrast, much less is known about the extent to which tissue phosphorus concentration ([P]) influences R in natural environments, or whether the relative abundances of P and N are important in determining R in leaves and roots. In addition, the impact of P deficiency on the temperature response of plant R is unknown, even though it is widely recognized that quantification of the response by R to warming needs to be improved. Phosphorus supply is thought to be limiting in approximately 30% of terrestrial ecosystems; and because of this, together with likely future global shortages of phosphorus
