Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations increase wheat root phosphatase activity when growth is limited by phosphorus

Wheat seedlings were grown in solution culture under adequate and limited phosphorus treatments at current ambient and elevated (approximately 2X ambient) CO2 concentrations. Acid phosphomonoesterase ('phosphatase') activity of root segments was measured using p-nitrophenyl phosphate as substrate. When plant growth was P-limited, elevated CO2 concentrations increased phosphatase activity more than at ambient CO2. This result (1) was evident when expressed on a unit root dry weight or root length basis, indicating that increased root enzyme activity was unlikely to be associated with CO2-induced changes in root morphology; (2) occurred when plants were grown aseptically, indicating that the increase in phosphatase activity originated from root cells rather than root-associated microorganisms; (3) was associated with shoot P concentrations below 0.18%; (4) occurred only when wheat roots were grown under P deficiency but not when a transient P deficiency was imposed; and (5) suggest that a previously reported increase in phosphatase activity at elevated CO2 by an Australian native pasture grass (Gifford, Lutze and Barrett 1996; Plant and Soil 187, 369-387) was also a root mediated response. The observed increase in phosphatase activity by plant roots at elevated CO2, if confirmed for a wide range of field pasture and crop species, is one factor which may increase mineralisation of soil organic P as the anthropogenic increase of atmospheric CO2 concentrations continues. But, whether a concomitant increase in plant uptake of P occurs will depend on the relative influence of root and microbial phosphatases, and soil geochemistry in determining the rate of mineralisation of soil organic P for any given soil.