Advances in Phosphorus Cycling in Forest Ecosystems

Introduction:

Phosphorus availability drives patterns of growth, diversity, and species distributions in the world's forests. Earth system models that aim to predict future climate increasingly include phosphorus cycle components to improve vegetation responses to global change drivers. However, these efforts are hampered by the complexity of phosphorus dynamics in soils, variability in forest responses to soil phosphorus, and confusion over methodology to quantify phosphorus availability and chemical speciation in forest soils.

Forest Ecosystems will host an international academic workshop in the spring of 2026. The workshop will bring together scientists with expertise in the ecology, biochemistry, modelling, biogeochemical cycling and analytical chemistry of phosphorus in forest soils. The aim is to address key contemporary questions on phosphorus cycling in forest ecosystems and outline future research needs to improve our understanding of the role of phosphorus in shaping future forests in a changing world. 

Output from the workshop will be in the form of a special issue of Forest Ecosystems on “Advances in Phosphorus Cycling in Forest Ecosystems”. This will include contributions from keynote speakers and a synthesis paper on future directions in forest phosphorus research developed from discussions during the workshop. Additionally, this special issue welcomes original and well-motivated studies outside of the workshop.

Topics covered:

• Developments in analytical chemistry for phosphorus cycling in forest soils: P-k-edge XANES, solution ³¹P NMR spectroscopy, phosphorus fractionation, etc.
• Biological methodologies for insight into phosphorus cycling in forest soils: sequencing and community responses to phosphorus limitation, phosphatase enzyme activities and functional genes, lipid substitution, enzyme stoichiometry, microbial phosphorus, etc.
• Phosphorus and earth system modelling: developments and challenges
• Global change and the response of forest ecosystems to temperature, drought, and CO₂
• Phosphorus acquisition strategies in forests: mycorrhizas, root phosphatases, and organic acid exudation
• Ecological responses to phosphorus availability in forest ecosystems: species distributions, tree growth and limitation
• Physiological and root traits in response to phosphorus limitation and global change
• Forest phosphorus cycling along natural gradients in forests: chronosequences, climosequences, lithosequences, etc. (elevation, latitude, etc.)
• Agroforestry and phosphorus cycling

Submission deadline:

July 31st, 2026

Submission instructions:

All articles in this issue will undergo the journal’s full standard peer review process. Manuscripts should be formatted according to Forest Ecosystems Guide for Authors and be submitted through the online editorial system. Please ensure that you:

• Select the corresponding Special Issue in ‘General Information’ - ‘Selection/Category’ section.
• Mention in the covering letter that the manuscript is to be considered for the thematic series “Advances in Phosphorus Cycling in Forest Ecosystems”.

For any inquiries, please contact the editorial office of Forest Ecosystems at forestecosystems@bjfu.edu.cn.

Guest editors: