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10.3390/f16020360
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Article

Nitrogen-Fixing Plants Enhance Soil Phosphorus Availability by Promoting Transformations Among Phosphorus Fractions in a Subtropical Karst Forest

by
Yu Zhu
1,2,
Zhizhuo Gao
1,2,
Lijun Liu
2,
Jie Li
1,
Tongbin Zhu
2,
Jiangming Ma
1,
Thomas H. DeLuca
3 and
Min Duan
1,*
1
Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Ministry of Education) & Guangxi Key Laboratory of Landscape Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization in Lijiang River Basin, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541006, China
2
Key Laboratory of Karst Dynamics, Ministry of Natural and Resources & Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomy Region, Institute of Karst Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Guilin 541004, China
3
College of Forestry, 311 Peavy Forest Science Center (PFSC), Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Forests 2025, 16(2), 360; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16020360
Submission received: 27 January 2025 / Revised: 13 February 2025 / Accepted: 14 February 2025 / Published: 17 February 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Variation & Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in Forests)
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Abstract

Nitrogen (N)-fixing plants are commonly employed in the restoration of degraded terrestrial ecosystems due to their ability to increase soil N capital and boost ecosystem productivity. Given the close coupling between N and phosphorus (P) in soil, the effects of N-fixing plants on soil P fractions and availability in karst forests remain largely unexplored. Herein, we compared soil P pools, fractions, and availability in the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils of N-fixing and non-N-fixing plants, and explored associated drivers, such as soil, microbial, and plant properties, in a subtropical karst forest. The results showed that the N-fixing plants increased total P, inorganic P, and available P in both the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils. The nitrogen-fixing plants increased soil labile P (LP) and non-labile P (NLP), but decreased moderately labile P (MLP), particularly in the rhizosphere soils, due to transformations among different soil P fractions. Soil P fractions were primarily influenced by soil inorganic P, root and leaf N, and microbial biomass N in the N-fixing plant treatment, whereas soil inorganic P, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and dissolved organic N (DON) were the key factors in the non-N-fixing plant treatment. Consequently, soil properties, microbial attributes, plant nutrients, and soil P fractions collectively exerted both direct and indirect effects to increase soil P availability in the N-fixing plant treatment. In contrast, soil P fractions directly and soil properties indirectly influenced soil P availability in the non-N-fixing plant treatment. Our results revealed the unique role of N-fixing plants in driving soil P availability in subtropical karst forests. These findings are essential for developing effective strategies for P nutrient management and guiding the selection of appropriate plant species for vegetation restoration in karst regions.
Keywords: karst forest; nitrogen-fixing plant; rhizosphere soil; soil phosphorus fraction; soil phosphorus availability karst forest; nitrogen-fixing plant; rhizosphere soil; soil phosphorus fraction; soil phosphorus availability

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Zhu, Y.; Gao, Z.; Liu, L.; Li, J.; Zhu, T.; Ma, J.; DeLuca, T.H.; Duan, M. Nitrogen-Fixing Plants Enhance Soil Phosphorus Availability by Promoting Transformations Among Phosphorus Fractions in a Subtropical Karst Forest. Forests 2025, 16, 360. https://doi.org/10.3390/f16020360

AMA Style

Zhu Y, Gao Z, Liu L, Li J, Zhu T, Ma J, DeLuca TH, Duan M. Nitrogen-Fixing Plants Enhance Soil Phosphorus Availability by Promoting Transformations Among Phosphorus Fractions in a Subtropical Karst Forest. Forests. 2025; 16(2):360. https://doi.org/10.3390/f16020360

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhu, Yu, Zhizhuo Gao, Lijun Liu, Jie Li, Tongbin Zhu, Jiangming Ma, Thomas H. DeLuca, and Min Duan. 2025. "Nitrogen-Fixing Plants Enhance Soil Phosphorus Availability by Promoting Transformations Among Phosphorus Fractions in a Subtropical Karst Forest" Forests 16, no. 2: 360. https://doi.org/10.3390/f16020360

APA Style

Zhu, Y., Gao, Z., Liu, L., Li, J., Zhu, T., Ma, J., DeLuca, T. H., & Duan, M. (2025). Nitrogen-Fixing Plants Enhance Soil Phosphorus Availability by Promoting Transformations Among Phosphorus Fractions in a Subtropical Karst Forest. Forests, 16(2), 360. https://doi.org/10.3390/f16020360

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