Biodegradation of low molecular weight organic acids in rhizosphere soils from a tropical montane rain forest

Root exudation of organic acids could be an important strategy for plant acquisition of phosphorus (P) from P-deficient soils in tropical rain forests. However, the efficacy of organic acids on P mobilization in the rhizosphere could be reduced due to their rapid biodegradation by rhizosphere microorganisms. To assess the dynamics and function of organic acids in the rhizosphere soils in tropical rain forests, we examined the concentrations of oxalate, citrate, and malate in soil solution and the mineralization kinetics of ¹⁴C-radiolabelled oxalate and citrate in the rhizosphere and bulk soil fractions. We compared two tropical montane rain forests from Mt. Kinabalu, Borneo that share similar parent material (i.e., sedimentary rocks) and climate but differ in terms of soil age. The older soil (Tertiary age materials) was affected by podzolization and had less inorganic labile P compared to the younger soil (Quaternary colluvial deposits). In the P-deficient older soil, the rhizosphere soil solution contained markedly higher concentrations of oxalate, citrate, and malate than did the bulk soil, whereas in the P-rich younger soil, the levels of organic acids in the rhizosphere were lower. The higher levels of organic acids in the rhizosphere of P-deficient soils are caused by greater root exudation and the lower sorption capacity for organic acids. The results of mineralization kinetics showed that oxalate and citrate in soil solution were rapidly mineralized in both rhizosphere and bulk fractions of both P-rich and P-deficient soils, having short mean residence times (2.3–13.1 h for oxalate and 0.8–1.6 h for citrate). The mineralization rates of oxalate and citrate were highest in the rhizosphere fraction of the P-deficient soil, where the pool of organic acids was largest and rapidly replenished by root exudation. Our data indicate that consumption as well as production of organic acids in the rhizosphere could be enhanced in P-deficient soil. The efficacy of organic acids on P mobilization in the rhizosphere in tropical montane rain forests appears to vary depending on the level of soil P availability and the anion sorption capacity, attributable to soil aging with podzolization.