Researchers have found that nitrogen-fixing legume trees can support themselves and surrounding trees not only with increased access to nitrogen but with other key nutrients through enhanced mineral weathering.
Researchers have found that nitrogen-fixing legume trees can support themselves and surrounding trees not only with increased access to nitrogen but with other key nutrients through enhanced mineral weathering.
The team, led by the University of Sheffield and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, have published their findings in the journal PNAS which provide new insights into the role of nitrogen-fixing trees in safeguarding the function of tropical forests within the biosphere.
The findings may also help inform practitioners and policy makers on how best to approach reforestation on degraded land and help meet climate change mitigation targets.
The researchers discovered how the nitrogen-fixing legume trees overcome the constraints of growing on ancient, nutrient-poor tropical soils by accelerating weathering processes, releasing vital nutrients for themselves and surrounding trees in the forest.
Read more at University of Sheffield
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