Tight control of nitrogen and sulfur assimilation is an adaptive mechanism for Hakea prostrata, a plant from a severely phosphorus-impoverished habitat

Harsh hakea (Proteaceae) has evolved in a severely phosphorus-impoverished environment in south-western Australia, a global biodiversity hotspot. I discovered some remarkable mechanisms of this species to cope with severe phosphorus limitation. It tightly controls its nitrogen and sulfur acquisition, because most of the total nitrogen and sulfur in plant would go to proteins. However, protein synthesis requires phosphorus for ribosomal RNA, a major component of phosphorus in leaves. Maintaining a set point of nitrogen and sulfur acquisition is a fundamental mechanism that underlies the survival of this species in a severely phosphorus-impoverished environment.