Species diversity influences water availability and nutrient-related strategies in native and exotic Cerrado plants
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-21252026v3914130rcKeywords:
Biodiversity. Mycorrhiza. Phosphatase. Productivity. Water availability.Abstract
Acid phosphatase activity in roots and root association with mycorrhizal fungi enhance nutrient extraction from the soil. However, environmental changes, such as drought and biodiversity loss, can significantly influence these mechanisms. In this study, we investigated how water availability in pots, with varying numbers of species, influences acid phosphatase activity and mycorrhizal colonization. We conducted an experiment in a greenhouse with three herbaceous species found in the Cerrado biome: Melinis repens (a naturalized grass), Urochloa decumbens (an invasive exotic grass), and Calopogonium mucunoides (a native legume). The experiment followed a completely randomized design, using a replacement-series approach, with a constant plant density per pot and variation in species composition and richness. We determined total biomass, root acid phosphatase activity, and mycorrhizal colonization in monocultures and combinations of two and three species. Our results highlight that: (1) as biodiversity increases, there is a decrease in water mass, indicating the effect of niche complementarity on water use; (2) water depletion positively affects root acid phosphatase activity, suggesting that severe droughts may disrupt the phosphorus cycle; (3) biodiversity promotes an increase in mycorrhizal colonization across all three species, indicating the importance of species diversity in supporting mycorrhizal associations; (4) the naturalized grass Melinis repens utilizes alternative strategies for nutrient acquisition, evidencing its phenotypic plasticity; (5) the highly invasive grass Urochloa decumbens benefits from higher biodiversity, showing increased mycorrhizal colonization, and invests acid phosphatase production into biomass. These results are essential for understanding the impacts of biodiversity on water availability and biological invasions in the Cerrado.
References
ABRAHÃO, A. et al. Soil types select for plants with matching nutrient-acquisition and -use traits in hyperdiverse and severely nutrient-impoverished campos rupestres and cerrado in Central Brazil. Journal of Ecology, 107: 1302-1316, 2019.
ALENCAR, A. et al. Mapping three decades of changes in the Brazilian savanna native vegetation using Landsat data. Remote Sensing, 12: 924, 2020.
CEULEMANS, T. et al. Phosphorus resource partitioning shapes phosphorus acquisition and plant species abundance in grasslands. Nature Plants, 3: 1-7, 2017.
DAMASCENO, G. et al. Impact of invasive grasses on Cerrado under natural regeneration. Biological Invasions, 20: 3621-3629, 2018.
FRESCHET, G. T. et al. Root traits as drivers of plant and ecosystem functioning: current understanding, pitfalls and future research needs. New Phytologist, 232: 1123-1158, 2021.
HACKER, N. et al. Plant diversity shapes microbe-rhizosphere effects on P mobilisation from organic matter in soil. Ecology Letters, 18: 1356-1365, 2015.
HIDALGO-TRIANA, N. et al. Melinis repens (Willd.) Zizka subsp. repens (Poaceae) in Europe: distribution, ecology and potential invasion. Botany Letters, 169: 390-399, 2022.
HOULTON, B. Z. et al. A unifying framework for dinitrogen fixation in the terrestrial biosphere. Nature, 454: 327-330, 2008.
HUANG, W. et al. Effects of precipitation on soil acid phosphatase activity in three successional forests in southern China. Biogeosciences, 8: 1901-1910, 2011.
IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In: PACHAURI, R. K.; MEYER, L. A. (Eds.). Climate change 2014: synthesis report. Geneva: IPCC, 2014. 151 p.
LANNES, L. S. et al. Species richness both impedes and promotes alien plant invasions in the Brazilian Cerrado. Scientific Reports, 10: 1-9, 2020.
LEHMANN, A.; TANG, B.; RILLIG, M. C. Meta-analysis of effects of common mycorrhizal networks formed by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on plant and fungal parameters. Functional Ecology, 39: 2758–2771, 2025.
LEITE, M. R.; CASSIOLATO, A. M. R.; LANNES, L. S. Urochloa decumbens has higher mycorrhizal colonization in degraded than in pristine areas in the Brazilian Cerrado. Floresta e Ambiente, 26: e20190060, 2019.
LI, Y. et al. Plant functional diversity regulates ecosystem multifunctionality along soil water gradients in arid ecosystems. Science of the Total Environment, 928: 172365, 2025.
LIRA-MARTINS, D. et al. Soil properties and geomorphic processes influence vegetation composition, structure, and function in the Cerrado Domain. Plant and Soil, 476: 549-588, 2022.
LOPES E SILVA, L. et al. Potential of root acid phosphatase activity to reduce phosphorus fertilization in maize cultivated in Brazil. PLOS ONE, 18: e029254, 2023.
LUDOVICI, K. H.; MORRIS, L. A. Competition-induced reductions in soil water availability reduced pine root extension rates. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 61: 1196-1202, 1997.
O’KEEFE, K.; NIPPERT, J. B.; MCCULLOH, K. A. Plant water uptake along a diversity gradient provides evidence for complementarity in hydrological niches. Oikos Advancing Ecology, 128: 1748-1760, 2019.
OLDE VENTERINK, H. Legumes have a higher root phosphatase activity than other forbs, particularly under low inorganic P and N supply. Plant and Soil, 347: 137-146, 2011.
OLIVEIRA, V. A. et al. Soils of Cerrados, the Brazilian Savannas. In: SCHAEFER, C. E. G. R. (Ed.). The soils of Brazil. Switzerland: Springer Cham, 2023. cap. 5, p. 129-173.
PIVELLO, V. R.; SHIDA, C. N.; MEIRELLES, S. T. Alien grasses in Brazilian savannas: a threat to the biodiversity. Biodiversity and Conservation, 8: 1281-1294, 1999.
SCALON, M. C. et al. Contrasting strategies of nutrient demand and use between savanna and forest species in the Brazilian Cerrado. Biogeosciences, 19: 3649-3665, 2022.
SLETTE, I. J. et al. How ecologists define drought, and why we should do better. Global Change Biology, 25: 3193-3200, 2019.
STRASSBURG, B. B. N. et al. Moment of truth for the Cerrado hotspot. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 1: 0099, 2017.
TEIXEIRA, D. S.; REZENDE, A. A.; LANNES, L. S. Response of vegetation to sheep dung addition in a degraded Cerrado area. Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental, 23: 47-52, 2019.
VAN DER HEIJDEN, M. G. A. et al. Mycorrhizal fungal diversity determines plant biodiversity, ecosystem variability and productivity. Nature, 396: 69-72, 1998.
VAN NULAND, M. E. et al. Global hotspots of mycorrhizal fungal richness and their importance for ecosystem functioning. Nature, 628: 94-101, 2025.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Os Autores que publicam na Revista Caatinga concordam com os seguintes termos:
a) Os Autores mantêm os direitos autorais e concedem à revista o direito de primeira publicação, com o trabalho simultaneamente licenciado sob a Licença Creative Commons do tipo atribuição CC-BY, para todo o conteúdo do periódico, exceto onde estiver identificado, que permite o compartilhamento do trabalho com reconhecimento da autoria e publicação inicial nesta revista, sem fins comerciais.
b) Os Autores têm autorização para distribuição não-exclusiva da versão do trabalho publicada nesta revista (ex.: publicar em repositório institucional ou como capítulo de livro), com reconhecimento de autoria e publicação inicial nesta revista.
c) Os Autores têm permissão e são estimulados a publicar e distribuir seu trabalho online (ex.: em repositórios institucionais ou na sua página pessoal) a qualquer ponto antes ou durante o processo editorial, já que isso pode gerar alterações produtivas, bem como aumentar o impacto e a citação do trabalho publicado (Veja O Efeito do Acesso Livre).
