Each tropical tree species specializes in getting the nutrients it needs


Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute


A super-sized experiment at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) to address this paradox showed that each species has its own unique nutrient-capture strategies, underscoring the importance of biodiversity for successful reforestation projects. People speculated that nitrogen-fixing species might channel extra nitrogen into making the phosphatase enzyme to capture phosphorus, said Jefferson Hall, director of the Smithsonian’s Panama Canal watershed experiment–the Agua Salud Project. We were hoping to find evidence for the nutrient trading hypothesis–that nitrogen fixers invest in nitrogen-rich phosphatase enzymes, which would resolve the paradox of why there are more nitrogen-fixing trees in these nitrogen-rich tropical forest soils, Batterman said. So then we considered the nutrient balance hypothesis–that trees adjust their nutrient-capture strategies to satisfy their needs–fixing more nitrogen in nitrogen-poor soils, making more phosphatase in phosphorus-poor soils. The lead author also received support from Princeton University, a STRI short-term fellowship program and a United Kingdom Natural Environment Research Council grant.


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