Martins et al. (2026): Amazonian understory forests change phosphorus acquisition strategies under elevated CO₂
Nathielly P. Martins, Lucia Fuchslueger, Laynara F. Lugli, Oscar J. Valverde-Barrantes, Richard J. Norby, Iain P. Hartley, Izabela Aleixo, Fabricio B. Baccaro, Barbara N. S. Brum, Crisvaldo Cássio Silva de Souza, Carine M. Cola, Raffaello Di Ponzio, Amanda Damasceno, Tomas F. Domingues, Vanessa R. Ferrer, et al., IN: Nature Communications, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-72098-0
The potential for the Amazon forest to continue functioning as a carbon (C) sink strongly depends on soil nutrient availability, particularly phosphorus (P), and on plants’ ability to adjust nutrient acquisition strategies. However, limited experimental evidence constrains the mechanistic representation of nutrient–carbon interactions in climate change models. Here, they conducted an experiment in a P-depleted Amazonian understory forest, increasing atmospheric CO₂ in-situ by approximately 300 ppm using open-top chambers.