skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Tropical dry forest response to nutrient fertilization: a model validation and sensitivity analysis

Journal Article · · Biogeosciences (Online)
; ; ; ORCiD logo

Abstract. Soil nutrients, especially nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), regulate plant growth and hence influence carbon fluxes between the land surface and atmosphere. However, how forests adjust biomass partitioning to leaves, wood, and fine roots in response to N and/or P fertilization remains puzzling. Recent work in tropical forests suggests that trees increase fine root production under P fertilization, but it is unclear whether mechanistic models can reproduce this dynamic. In order to better understand mechanisms governing nutrient effects on plant allocation and improve models, we used the nutrient-enabled ED2 model to simulate a fertilization experiment being conducted in a secondary tropical dry forest in Costa Rica. We evaluated how different allocation parameterizations affected model performance. These parameterizations prescribed a linear relationship between relative allocation to fine roots and soil P concentrations. The slope of the linear relationship was allowed to be positive, negative, or zero. Some parameterizations realistically simulated leaf, wood, and fine root production, and these parameterizations all assumed a positive relationship between relative allocation to fine roots and soil P concentration. Model simulations of a 30-year timeframe indicated strong sensitivity to parameterization and fertilization treatment. Without P fertilization, the simulated aboveground biomass (AGB) accumulation was insensitive to the parameterization. With P fertilization, the model was highly sensitive to the parameterization and the greatest AGB accumulation occurred when relative allocation to fine roots was independent of soil P. Our study demonstrates the need for simultaneous measurements of leaf, wood, and fine root production in nutrient fertilization experiments and for longer-term experiments. Models that do not accurately represent allocation to fine roots may be highly biased in their simulations of AGB, especially on multi-decadal timescales.

Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0014363
OSTI ID:
2282656
Journal Information:
Biogeosciences (Online), Journal Name: Biogeosciences (Online) Vol. 21 Journal Issue: 2; ISSN 1726-4189
Publisher:
Copernicus GmbHCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
Germany
Language:
English

References (87)

Root morphological and physiological plasticity of perennial grass species and the exploitation of spatial and temporal heterogeneous nutrient patches journal January 1999
Multiple soil nutrient competition between plants, microbes, and mineral surfaces: model development, parameterization, and example applications in several tropical forests journal January 2016
Coupling of Phosphorus Processes With Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles in the Dynamic Land Ecosystem Model: Model Structure, Parameterization, and Evaluation in Tropical Forests journal October 2020
The biophysics, ecology, and biogeochemistry of functionally diverse, vertically and horizontally heterogeneous ecosystems: the Ecosystem Demography model, version 2.2 – Part 2: Model evaluation for tropical South America journal January 2019
The Ecology of Soil Carbon: Pools, Vulnerabilities, and Biotic and Abiotic Controls journal November 2017
How do tropical tree species maintain high growth rates on low-phosphorus soils? journal August 2022
Effects of Nutrient Limitation on Aboveground Carbon Dynamics during Tropical Dry Forest Regeneration in Yucat�n, Mexico journal April 2004
Costs of acquiring phosphorus by vascular land plants: patterns and implications for plant coexistence journal January 2018
A global model of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles for the terrestrial biosphere journal January 2010
Diversity in plant hydraulic traits explains seasonal and inter-annual variations of vegetation dynamics in seasonally dry tropical forests journal May 2016
Evaluating nitrogen cycling in terrestrial biosphere models: a disconnect between the carbon and nitrogen cycles journal August 2023
Carbon–concentration and carbon–climate feedbacks in CMIP6 models and their comparison to CMIP5 models journal January 2020
Contribution of Root Proliferation in Nutrient-Rich Soil Patches to Nutrient Uptake and Growth of Maize journal December 2012
Economic strategies of plant absorptive roots vary with root diameter journal January 2016
Localized application of phosphorus and ammonium improves growth of maize seedlings by stimulating root proliferation and rhizosphere acidification journal November 2010
Multiple phosphorus acquisition strategies adopted by fine roots in low-fertility soils in Central Amazonia journal February 2019
Modeling Global Carbon Costs of Plant Nitrogen and Phosphorus Acquisition journal August 2022
Intra-annual variation in microclimatic conditions in relation to vegetation type and structure in two tropical dry forests undergoing secondary succession journal May 2022
Competition for Water and Light in Closed-Canopy Forests: A Tractable Model of Carbon Allocation with Implications for Carbon Sinks journal March 2013
Direct evidence for phosphorus limitation on Amazon forest productivity journal August 2022
Rapid responses of root traits and productivity to phosphorus and cation additions in a tropical lowland forest in Amazonia journal February 2021
Soil fertility limits carbon sequestration by forest ecosystems in a CO2-enriched atmosphere journal May 2001
Aggravated phosphorus limitation on biomass production under increasing nitrogen loading: a meta-analysis journal January 2016
Key role of symbiotic dinitrogen fixation in tropical forest secondary succession journal September 2013
A representation of the phosphorus cycle for ORCHIDEE (revision 4520) journal January 2017
Patterns in root traits of woody species hosting arbuscular and ectomycorrhizas: implications for the evolution of belowground strategies journal July 2014
The above-ground coarse wood productivity of 104 Neotropical forest plots journal May 2004
Plant root proliferation in nitrogen–rich patches confers competitive advantage journal March 1999
Tragedy of the commons as a result of root competition journal August 2001
Tropical carbon sink accelerated by symbiotic dinitrogen fixation journal December 2019
Complementarity in nutrient foraging strategies of absorptive fine roots and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi across 14 coexisting subtropical tree species journal April 2015
Observed variation in soil properties can drive large variation in modelled forest functioning and composition during tropical forest secondary succession journal April 2019
Root phosphatase activity aligns with the collaboration gradient of the root economics space journal December 2021
Carbon allocation in forest ecosystems journal October 2007
Maximum rooting depth of vegetation types at the global scale journal December 1996
Vegetation demographics in Earth System Models: A review of progress and priorities journal October 2017
Factors causing variation in fine root biomass in forest ecosystems journal January 2011
Plant responses to nutrient addition experiments conducted in tropical forests journal July 2019
The responses of plants to non-uniform supplies of nutrients journal August 1994
Nutrient limitation reduces land carbon uptake in simulations with a model of combined carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling journal January 2012
Root Life Span, Efficiency, and Turnover book March 2002
Plant phosphorus‐use and ‐acquisition strategies in Amazonia journal February 2022
Architecture and Biomass Allocation as Components of the Plastic Response of Root Systems to Soil Heterogeneity book January 1994
N : P ratios in terrestrial plants: variation and functional significance: Tansley review journal September 2004
Increased soil phosphorus availability induced by faba bean root exudation stimulates root growth and phosphorus uptake in neighbouring maize journal August 2015
Plant responses to fertilization experiments in lowland, species‐rich, tropical forests journal March 2018
Representing Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Carbon Interactions in the E3SM Land Model: Development and Global Benchmarking journal July 2019
Tragedy of the commons in plant water use: TRAGEDY OF COMMONS IN PLANT WATER USE journal April 2006
Plant Responses to Multiple Environmental Factors journal January 1987
Functional traits determine tree growth and ecosystem productivity of a tropical montane forest: Insights from a long-term nutrient manipulation experiment journal October 2017
The linkages between photosynthesis, productivity, growth and biomass in lowland Amazonian forests journal March 2015
Terrestrial Phosphorus Cycling: Responses to Climatic Change journal November 2023
Root depth and morphology in response to soil drought: comparing ecological groups along the secondary succession in a tropical dry forest journal June 2015
Global plant–symbiont organization and emergence of biogeochemical cycles resolved by evolution-based trait modelling journal January 2019
Nitrogen, phosphorus, and cation use efficiency in stands of regenerating tropical dry forest journal March 2015
Global meta-analysis shows pervasive phosphorus limitation of aboveground plant production in natural terrestrial ecosystems journal January 2020
Evolutionary history resolves global organization of root functional traits journal February 2018
Water Influx Characteristics and Hydraulic Conductivity for Roots of Agave deserti Engelm. journal January 1990
A new model of the coupled carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles in the terrestrial biosphere (QUINCY v1.0; revision 1996) journal January 2019
Leaf surface water, not plant water stress, drives diurnal variation in tropical forest canopy water content journal March 2021
Measuring net Primary Production in Forests: Concepts and Field Methods journal April 2001
The plastic plant: root responses to heterogeneous supplies of nutrients journal April 2004
Development of microbial-enzyme-mediated decomposition model parameters through steady-state and dynamic analyses journal January 2013
The biophysics, ecology, and biogeochemistry of functionally diverse, vertically and horizontally heterogeneous ecosystems: the Ecosystem Demography model, version 2.2 – Part 1: Model description journal January 2019
A Method for Scaling Vegetation Dynamics: the Ecosystem Demography Model (ed) journal November 2001
Resource Limitation in Plants-An Economic Analogy journal November 1985
Rapid physiological adjustment of roots to localized soil enrichment journal March 1990
Facilitating feedbacks between field measurements and ecosystem models journal May 2013
Nitrogen addition enhanced water uptake by affecting fine root morphology and coarse root anatomy of Chinese pine seedlings journal May 2017
Plant functional type classifications in tropical dry forests in Costa Rica: leaf habit versus taxonomic approaches: Leaf habit and functional traits of dry forest trees journal March 2010
Plant community responses to stand‐level nutrient fertilization in a secondary tropical dry forest journal April 2019
Evolutionarily Stable Strategy Carbon Allocation to Foliage, Wood, and Fine Roots in Trees Competing for Light and Nitrogen: An Analytically Tractable, Individual-Based Model and Quantitative Comparisons to Data journal February 2011
A global analysis of fine root production as affected by soil nitrogen and phosphorus journal June 2012
Why plants bother: root proliferation results in increased nitrogen capture from an organic patch when two grasses compete journal July 1999
Potassium, phosphorus, or nitrogen limit root allocation, tree growth, or litter production in a lowland tropical forest journal August 2011
Representation of the phosphorus cycle in the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (vn5.5_JULES-CNP) journal July 2022
Phylogenetic trait conservation in the partner choice of a group of ectomycorrhizal trees journal September 2014
The demography of fine roots in response to patches of water and nitrogen journal November 1993
An Arabidopsis MADS Box Gene That Controls Nutrient-Induced Changes in Root Architecture journal January 1998
Linking root traits to nutrient foraging in arbuscular mycorrhizal trees in a temperate forest journal May 2015
Mechanistic scaling of ecosystem function and dynamics in space and time: Ecosystem Demography model version 2 journal January 2009
Toward an allocation scheme for global terrestrial carbon models journal October 1999
Nitrogen Limitation of net Primary Productivity in Terrestrial Ecosystems is Globally Distributed journal February 2008
The role of nutrients in drought-induced tree mortality and recovery journal November 2016
The role of phosphorus dynamics in tropical forests – a modeling study using CLM-CNP journal January 2014
Long-term effects of a high nitrogen supply to soil on the growth and nutritional status of young Norway spruce trees journal August 1998
Future productivity and carbon storage limited by terrestrial nutrient availability journal April 2015

Similar Records

Related Subjects