A 'Get-Save-Return' process continuum runs on phosphorus economy among subtropical tree species

1. Plants allocate nutrients to new leaves via making a cost-benefit trade-off between root nutrient absorption (‘get’) and leaf nutrient resorption (‘save’). This active trade-off in nutrient acquisition pathways may cause a passive trade-off between resorption and decomposition (‘return’). However, whether these nutrient-associated processes are linked and form a ‘get-save-return’ (GSR) continuum, and its linkages with the aboveground leaf economics spectrum (LES) and the belowground mycorrhizal association remain unclear. 2. Here, we present the first empirical evidence of a direct link among multiple nutrient-associated processes and tested this continuum hypothesis by synchronously integrating root nutrient absorption, leaf nutrient resorption, and leaf litter decomposition of 15 co-occurring tree species hosting either arbuscular mycorrhizal or ectomycorrhizal fungi in subtropical forests of China. 3. Across species, there was an active trade-off between phosphorus (P) absorpt..., ,