Different mechanisms drive the performance of native and invasive woody species in response to leaf phosphorus supply during periods of drought stress and recovery

The effects of drought stress and leaf phosphorus (Pi) supply on photosynthetic metabolism in woody tropical species are not known, and given the recent global environmental change models that forecast lower precipitation rates and periods of prolonged drought in tropical areas, this type of study is increasingly important. The effects of controlled drought stress and Pi supply on potted young plants of two woody species, Anadenanthera colubrina (native) and Prosopis juliflora (invasive), were determined by analyzing leaf photosynthetic metabolism, biochemical properties and water potential. In the maximum stress, both species showed higher leaf water potential (Ψl) in the treatment drought +Pi when compared with the respective control −Pi. The native species showed higher gas exchange under drought +Pi than under drought –Pi conditions, while the invasive species showed the same values between drought +Pi and −Pi. Drought affected the photochemical part of photosynthetic machinery more in the invasive species than in the native species. The invasive species showed higher leaf amino acid content and a lower leaf total protein content in both Pi treatments with drought. The two species showed different responses to the leaf Pi supply under water stress for several variables measured. In addition, the strong resilience of leaf gas exchange in the invasive species compared to the native species during the recovery period may be the result of higher efficiency of Pi use. The implications of this behavior for the success of this invasive species in semiarid environments are discussed. •Invasive and native species from dry tropical forest.•Effects of drought and phosphorus supply on photosynthetic metabolism.•High foliar phosphorus content may alleviate photosynthetic rate.•Invasive and native are different in drought tolerance strategy.