Nutrients are known to limit productivity of plant communities around the world. In the Brazilian Cerrado, indirect evidences point to phosphorus as the main limiting nutrient, but some fertilization experiments suggest that one or more micronutrients might play this role. Boron is one of the essential micronutrients for plants. Agronomically, it received some attention, but it has mostly been neglected in ecological studies assessing the effects of nutrients on plant growth. Through field fertilization and mesocosm experiments in a degraded area in the Cerrado, we show that boron addition increased biomass production of herbaceous vegetation. This could be related to a lower aluminum uptake in the boron fertilized plants. Even considering that plant growth was promoted by boron addition due to aluminum toxicity alleviation, this is the first study reporting boron limitation in natural, noncultivated plant communities and also the first report of this kind in vegetative grasses. These results contribute to disentangling patterns of nutrient limitation among plant species of the species‐rich, aluminum‐rich, and nutrient‐poor Cerrado biome and highlight the potential role of micronutrients, such as boron, for growth of noncrop plants. Understanding how nutrient limitation differs among functional groups in the highly biodiverse areas founded on ancient tropical soils may help managing these plant communities in a changing world.

中文翻译：

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硼的施用增加了巴西Cerrado草的生长。

营养素已知会限制世界各地植物群落的生产力。在巴西的塞拉多（Cerrado），间接证据表明磷是主要的限制性营养素，但一些施肥实验表明一种或多种微量营养素可能发挥了这种作用。硼是植物必需的微量元素之一。从农业角度讲，它受到了一定的关注，但是在生态学评估营养素对植物生长影响的研究中却被忽略了。通过在塞拉多退化地区的田间施肥和中观试验，我们发现添加硼增加了草本植物的生物量生产。这可能与硼肥中较低的铝吸收量有关。即使考虑到由于铝毒性的缓解，硼的添加也促进了植物的生长，这是第一个报道天然，非栽培植物群落中硼限制的研究，也是第一个在营养草中进行此类报道的研究。这些结果有助于弄清物种丰富，铝丰富和营养贫乏的塞拉多生物群落植物物种中养分限制的模式，并突出了微量营养元素（如硼）对非农作物生长的潜在作用。了解在古代热带土壤上高度生物多样化的地区中各个功能组之间养分限制的差异可能有助于管理不断变化的世界中的这些植物群落。这些结果有助于弄清物种丰富，铝丰富和营养贫乏的塞拉多生物群落植物物种中养分限制的模式，并突出了微量营养元素（如硼）对非农作物生长的潜在作用。了解在古代热带土壤上高度生物多样化的地区中各个功能组之间养分限制的差异可能有助于管理不断变化的世界中的这些植物群落。这些结果有助于弄清物种丰富，铝丰富和营养贫乏的塞拉多生物群落的植物物种中养分限制的模式，并突出了微量营养元素（如硼）对非作物植物生长的潜在作用。了解在古代热带土壤上高度生物多样化的地区中各个功能组之间养分限制的差异可能有助于管理不断变化的世界中的这些植物群落。