title: Root-surface phosphatase activity in shrublands across a European gradient: effects of warming.
abstract: Root-surface phosphatase activities were measured in natural and semi-natural shrublands across an European climatic gradient of temperature and rainfall including Wales (WL), Denmark (DK), Netherlands (NL), Hungary (HU), Italy (IT) and Spain (SP). In each site a warming experiment was conducted since 1999 or 2001 by means of passive night-time warming using reflective curtains that covered the vegetation at night. The treatments increased yearly average soil temperatures around 0. 8 degrees C in most of sites. Root-surface phosphatase activity values ranged between 56 mg PNP g(-1) h(-1) in IT and 3.5 mg PNP g(-1) h(-1) in HU. Warming had no effect on root-surface phosphatase activity across the sites and only in Hungary a slight increase was detected. Plants at Mediterranean sites (IT, SP) showed a higher root-surface phosphatase activity than plants at temperate sites (WL, NL, DK). We suggest it might be an adaptation of plant species evolved under Mediterranean climate that allows them a) to compensate in wet period for the decrease in phosphatase activity, and thus P uptake, during drought periods, and/or b) to benefit from soluble organic P flushes following the frequent drying-rewetting episodes experienced by soils in Mediterranean ecosystems.
authors.affiliation: Ecophysiology and Global Change Unit CSIC-CEAB-CREAF, CREAF (Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications), Edifici C, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. m.estiarte@creaf.uab.cat
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Estiarte
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peuuelas
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sardans
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Emmett
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sowerby
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Beier
authors.forename: I K
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tietema
authors.forename: M J M
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Van Meeteren
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kovacs-Lang
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mathe
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Angelis
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Dato
mesh_terms: D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005060:Europe; D005843:Geography; D017752:Greenhouse Effect; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000201:enzymology*; D010944:Plants / Q000201:enzymology*; D011891:Rain; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases