title: A global meta-analysis of soil phosphorus dynamics after afforestation.
abstract: Afforestation significantly affects soil chemistry and biota, but its effects on the potentially growth-limiting nutrient phosphorus (P) had not to our knowledge been analyzed globally. We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of 220 independent sampling sites from 108 articles to evaluate global patterns and controls of soil P change following afforestation. Overall, total P concentration decreased by 11% and total P stock by 12% in the top 20 cm of mineral soil following afforestation, with no change in available P. Time since afforestation had no consistent effect on total P, while available P tended to increase with time. Prior land cover was the most influential factor for soil P change after afforestation, with available P increasing on native vegetation but decreasing on cropland. Afforestation increased available P by 22% without decreasing total P on formerly 'degraded' land, but depleted total P by 15% at nondegraded sites. Climate also influenced soil P response to afforestation, with larger P loss in the tropics. Afforestation did not appear to directly induce P limitation, as available P only decreased on cropland. However, substantial declines in total P may drive tropical plantations toward greater P limitation as the capacity to replenish available P decreases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN, 37209, USA.|Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Devin E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: McMahon
authors.affiliation: Guizhou Institute of Forest Inventory and Planning, Guiyang, 550003, China.
authors.forename: Yangzhou
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN, 37209, USA.
authors.forename: Chih-Li
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Robert B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN, 37209, USA.
authors.forename: Dafeng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hui
mesh_terms: D002980:Climate; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D005843:Geography; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000032:analysis*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D010758:Phosphorus
keywords: biogeochemistry; land-use change; nutrient limitation; plantations; soil available phosphorus; soil nutrients