Age-Dependent Phosphorus Fractions Underpin Above - Belowground Nutrient Strategies in Plantation Forests.

Relative phosphorus limitation is strongest in young plantation trees and diminishes with age, driven by coordinated shifts in resource-use strategies.

• Why it matters: Understanding how nutrient limitations and resource strategies change with stand age is crucial for managing plantation productivity and sustainability amid rising nitrogen deposition.
• What they did: The study synthesized 926 observations from Chinese plantations and conducted two field experiments, including a seedling P-addition bioassay and a 15-year N-addition trial across a larch chronosequence.
• The result: Findings show young trees increase P resorption and rhizosphere acquisition under N enrichment, while mature trees reallocate leaf P, enabling age-specific nutrient management strategies.