Oxygen isotope in phosphate, a new approach to study the soil/plant system
Plant Nutrition
Phosphorus (P) is a major nutrient and an important constituent in cell membranes, DNA and RNA, and energy transporters. In most natural environments, inorganic orthophosphate is often limiting, P cycling and turnover are rapid, and organic compounds represents the main phosphate source to organisms.
We use a relatively new stable isotopic tracer, oxygen isotopes bound to phosphorus in phosphate to better understand the aspects of the P biogeochemical cycle which are still unclear, since many biological processes cannot be easily identified and quantified in natural settings. The O-P bond is highly stable at ambient temperature and in most environments on Earth, and only biological processes promote a significant change in the isotope signature of the phosphate.
In soil sciences, the use of δ18O-P is still in its infancy and relatively little has been published. We are working in optimizing existing preparation techniques for soil studies, combining sequential extraction of P to isotopic analysis. Our projects aim at characterizing and understand the processes influencing the isotopic signature in the soil and plants. We also work on the isotopic characterization of P sources in agricultural systems (plant residues, organic manure, mineral fertilizers) aiming at tracing them and assess their behavior in the environment.
Research topics
Phosphorus cycle in the environment
Isotopic tools (oxygen stable isotope in phosphate) in the soil/plant/water ecosystem
Soil formation
Sources and sinks of phosphorus in agricultural systems
Interdisciplinary
Plant physiology
Enzymatic processes in soils
