The Mineral Nutrition of Wild Plants

TLDR

Plant mineral nutrition research has mainly focused on herbaceous crops derived from ruderal species adapted to nutrient‑rich disturbed sites, and breeding for high productivity has reduced selective pressure for efficient nutrient use, leaving many natural low‑nutrient adaptations underexplored. This review compares crop responses to nutrient stress with those of naturally evolved species, especially in low‑nutrient environments. The authors focus on nitrogen and phosphorus nutrition studies, as these elements most frequently limit growth and their roles in plant metabolism are best characterized.

Abstract

Our understanding of plant mineral nutrition comes largely from studies of herbaceous crops that evolved from ruderal species characteristic of nutri­ ent-rich disturbed sites (52). With the development of agriculture, these ancestral species were bred for greater productivity and reproductive output at high nutrient levels where there was little selective advantage in efficient nutrient use. This paper briefly reviews the nature of crop responses to nutrient stress and compares these responses to those of species that have evolved under more natural conditions, particularly in low-nutrient envi­ ronments. I draw primarily upon nutritional studies of nitrogen and phos­ phorus because these elements most commonly limit plant growth and because their role in controlling plant growth and metabolism is most clearly understood (51). Other more specific aspects of nutritional plant ecology not discussed here include ammonium/nitrate nutrition (79), cal­ cicole/calcifuge nutrition (51,88), heavy metal tolerance (4), and serpentine ecology (133).