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Enlightening the dark side of the phosphorus cycle in terrestrial ecosystems: Turnover of organic phosphorus in soils

Project description

Study offers new insight into phosphorus dynamics and cycling in terrestrial ecosystems

The EU-funded PHOSCYCLE project plans to develop a new method for studying the decomposition and turnover of organic phosphorus in soils. Given that phosphorus is a macronutrient strongly affecting fundamental processes (e.g. plant growth), the new method will enable researchers to answer some long-standing questions about phosphorus cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Project findings will have far-reaching implications for the sustainable use of phosphorus and for maintaining soil fertility. They will improve understanding of soil organic matter dynamics and interactions between element cycles in terrestrial ecosystems.

Objective

Phosphorus (P) is a macronutrient whose availability strongly affects many processes in terrestrial ecosystems. P is recycled through organic P (OP) decomposition, resulting in the generation of inorganic P available for plant uptake. Despite the importance of this process for P cycling and other related biogeochemical cycles, our understanding of OP decomposition is to date very poor, largely due to the lack of methods to determine the decomposition and turnover of OP in soils. In PHOSCYCLE, I will develop a novel approach to study the decomposition and turnover of OP in soils. I will lead my team to develop compound-specific isotope methods to analyze the isotope signature of carbon (C) in OP compounds, enabling us to determine for the first time the isotope signature of all important phosphomono- and diesters present in soils. We will utilize these new methods that make use of different C isotopes to quantify the decomposition rate and turnover time of OP compounds in comparison to the soil total organic C pool and non-phosphorylated organic compounds in soils on three continents under various forms of land use. In addition, we will establish how OP quality and soil minerals affect the sorption and persistence of OP in soils. Finally, we will model the turnover of the soil total OP pool as well as the cycling of P between soil and plants in a large range of ecosystems, revealing how soil OP turnover affects P cycling in these ecosystems. Besides leading to a step-change in the way we study and understand the P cycle in terrestrial ecosystems, PHOSCYCLE will also provide a new starting point for our understanding of soil organic matter dynamics and interactions between element cycles in terrestrial ecosystems.

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) ERC-2021-COG

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Host institution

SVERIGES LANTBRUKSUNIVERSITET
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 930 839,00
Address
ALMAS ALLE 8
750 07 Uppsala
Sweden

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Region
Östra Sverige Östra Mellansverige Uppsala län
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 930 839,00

Beneficiaries (1)

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