Amazon's growth limited by lack of phosphorus
According to new research, the Amazon rainforest's ability to grow amid our atmosphere's rising carbon content may be constrained by phosphate deficiency in the soil. Because plants develop more quickly in environments with higher carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, they store more carbon. This storage, particularly in vast forests like the Amazon, aids in containing growing CO2 levels and reducing climate change. However, plants also require nutrients to develop, and a recent study indicates that the availability of phosphorus in particular may limit the Amazon's potential to boost productivity (growth rate) as CO2 levels rise. The researchers caution that this might also reduce the rainforest's ability to withstand climate change. An international team led by the University of Exeter and Brazil's National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA) conducted the study, which was published in the journal Nature. Lead author Hellen Fernanda Viana Cunha from INPA stated that ...