Plant–soil feedback regulates the trade-off between phosphorus acquisition pathways in Pinus elliottii

Abstract Plant–soil feedback (PSF) is conventionally characterized by plant biomass growth, yet it remains unclear how PSF affects plant nutrient acquisition strategies (e.g., nutrient absorption and nutrient resorption) associated with plant growth, particularly under changing soil environments. A greenhouse experiment was performed with seedlings of Pinus elliottii Englem and conditioned soils of monoculture plantations (P. elliottii and Cunninghamia lanceolata Hook). Soil sterilization was designed to test plant phosphorus (P) acquisition strategy with and without native soil fungal communities. Soils from P. elliottii and C. lanceolata plantations were used to explore the specific soil legacy effects on two different P acquisition pathways (absorption and resorption). Phosphorus addition was also applied to examine the separate and combined effects of soil abiotic factors and soil fungal factors on P acquisition pathways. Due to diminished mycorrhizal symbiosis, PSF prompted plants to increasingly rely on P resorption under soil sterilization. In contrast, P absorption was employed preferentially in the heterospecific soil, where species-specific pathogenic fungi could not affect P absorption. Higher soil P availability diluted the effects of soil fungal factors on the trade-off between the two P acquisition pathways in terms of the absolute PSF. Moreover, P addition plays a limited role in terms of the relative PSF and does not affect the direction and strength of relative PSF. Our results reveal the role of PSF in regulating plant P acquisition pathways and highlight the interaction between mycorrhizal and pathogenic fungi as the underlying mechanism of PSF.