Résumé
Plant species in phosphorus (P)-impoverished habitats express diverse P-acquisition strategies. However, the effect of soil P concentration ([P]) on the expression of specific P-acquisition strategies and whether these strategies have converged within families remains unknown. We investigated the P-acquisition traits of 12 coexisting species from Proteaceae, Fabaceae, Myrtaceae and Ericaceae, including root carboxylate exudation, in two contrasting habitats and assessed soil [P] in the rhizosphere and bulk soil. The soils in these contrasting habitats differed in depth, volumetric water content and total [P]. Each species exhibited a distinct P-acquisition strategy, with limited convergence within its respective family. The P-acquisition strategies expressed were associated with bulk soil [P]. Notably, soil total [P] and organic [P] strongly affected leaf manganese concentration, a proxy for rhizosphere carboxylates. In P-impoverished habitats, species expressed multiple P-acquisition strategies, including carboxylate and phosphatase exudation and facilitation by P-mobilising plants, reflecting their taxonomic background and bulk soil [P]. This study highlights how contrasting habitats with different soil [P] influenced P-acquisition strategies and demonstrates the variation in P-acquisition strategies among species in severely P-impoverished environments. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how plants obtain P to allow their coexistence in extremely P-limited landscapes.Read the free for this article on the Journal blog.