Global resorption efficiencies and concentrations of carbon and nutrients in leaves of terrestrial plants

Nutrient resorption in plants influences nutrient availability and cycling and is a key process in biogeochemical models. Improved estimates of resorption parameters are needed for predicting long‐term primary productivity and for improving such models. Currently, most models assume a value of 50% resorption for nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) and lack resorption data for other nutrients and for specific vegetation types. We provide global estimates of resorption efficiencies and nutrient concentrations for carbon (C), N, and P and the first global‐scale estimates for essential nutrients such as potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg). We also examine leaf mass loss during senescence (LML) globally and…

• NS
  National Science Foundation
• UD
  U.S. Department of Energy
• BA
  Biological and Environmental Research
• OR
  Oak Ridge National Laboratory