Do rhizosphere priming effects enhance plant nitrogen uptake under elevated CO2?

Ming Nie, Elise Pendall

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Numerous studies suggest that rhizosphere priming can mediate decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM), but direct evidence of priming-induced soil SOM decomposition on plant N uptake under elevated CO2 (eCO2) is very rare. By using a continuous dual labelling technique with 13C-depleted CO2 and 15N-enriched soil, we investigated priming of SOM decomposition and its relationship with plant N uptake of C4 and C3 grasses from a grassland ecosystem under eCO2. We observed that eCO2 induced increases in plant biomass, plant N uptake, rhizosphere priming, and total SOM decomposition in both grasses at an early plant life stage. Increased total SOM decomposition was positively related with plant N uptake by both C4 and C3 grasses under eCO2. However, the C3 grass was more dependent on N acquired from rhizosphere priming of SOM than the C4 grass. Our findings highlight that plant N uptake could be enhanced under eCO2 via accelerated SOM decomposition, and rhizosphere priming effects on SOM decomposition could play a more important role in N availability of the C3 grass in comparison with the C4 grass.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)50-55
Number of pages6
JournalAgriculture, Ecosystems and Environment
Volume224
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016

Keywords

  • carbon dioxide
  • decomposition
  • nitrogen
  • rhizosphere
  • soils

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