Plant growth is usually constrained by the availability of nutrients, water, or temperature,
rather than photosynthetic carbon (C) fixation. Under these conditions leaf growth is …

In their natural environment, plants are part of a rich ecosystem including numerous and
diverse microorganisms in the soil. It has been long recognized that some of these microbes …

Nitrogen is the major nutrient limiting plant growth in terrestrial ecosystems, and the
transformation of inert nitrogen to forms that can be assimilated by plants is mediated by soil …

Soil net nitrogen mineralization rate (Nmin), which is critical for soil nitrogen availability and
plant growth, is thought to be primarily controlled by climate and soil physical and/or …

Elemental stoichiometry constitutes an inherent link between biogeochemistry and the
structure and processes within food webs, and thus is at the core of ecosystem functioning …

Background Knowledge of biological and climatic controls in terrestrial nitrogen (N) cycling
within and across ecosystems is central to understanding global patterns of key ecosystem …

Soil contains more carbon than the atmosphere and vegetation combined. Understanding
the mechanisms controlling the accumulation and stability of soil carbon is critical to …

Demand of all living organisms on the same nutrients forms the basis for interspecific
competition between plants and microorganisms in soils. This competition is especially …

While there is an emerging view that roots and their associated microbes actively alter
resource availability and soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition, the ecosystem …

Background Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form mutualistic symbioses with c. two-
thirds of all land plants. Traditionally, it was thought that they played no role in nitrogen (N) …