Soil Phosphorus

AUS-TSR-CON-SOP General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

60 mg/kg
Direction: Higher is desirable ↑
Form: MaximumOnly

Scoring Curve

This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context. The scoring engine uses 2 benchmarks together — the Point form drives the primary score, while 1 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

Evidence & Context

For naturally eutrophic systems (e.g., on basalt), the threshold would be defined as any significant enrichment above their already high natural baseline (e.g., >60 mg/kg), as this would still represent an unnatural input that could alter species dynamics.

Metric Definition:

Available Phosphorus: This measures the fraction of phosphorus that is readily available for plant uptake.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark represents the upper detrimental threshold of available phosphorus for naturally eutrophic rainforest systems in Australia.

Justification:

This threshold represents an unnatural input that could alter species dynamics and degrade ecological integrity.

Sources (1)

Preview of Nutrient relationships of tree species in a New South Wales Subtropical rainforest (Turner & Lambert 1990)
Nutrient relationships of tree species in a New South Wales Subtropical rainforest (Turner & Lambert 1990) GreyLiterature

Tool 2.8: Soil nutrient critical limits (Meat & Livestock Australia 2020)

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Supporting Sources (1)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of Plant-soil nutrient relationships in the wet tropical rainforests of north Queensland, Australia (Maycock 1998)
Plant-soil nutrient relationships in the wet tropical rainforests of north Queensland, Australia (Maycock 1998)
Contextual Support Journal

Plant-soil nutrient relationships in the wet tropical rainforests of north Queensland, Australia (Maycock 1998)

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