Nitrogen limitation of production in a Californianannual grassland: The contribution of arbuscularmycorrhizae

Nutrient availability limits plant production acrossa wide range of terrestrial ecosystems. In this studyof a Californian annual grassland community, theinfluence of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) associationson plant nutrient acquisition was investigated usingfactorial combinations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P)and benomyl fungicide. N additions resulted in asignificant increase in shoot biomass demonstratingthat plant productivity in these soils was N-limited. The effect of P additions consistently depended onfungicide treatment. In the absence of benomyl, shootP accumulation was unaltered by P addition. In thepresence of benomyl, P addition significantlyincreased shoot P accumulation and was associated witha consistent trend towards enhanced shoot biomass.The induction of P-deficiency with benomylapplication suggests that effective P acquisition byAM may contribute to the strong N-limitation ofproduction observed in many terrestrial ecosystems.