Ecosystem nutrient economies are commonly studied from the perspective of primary productivity in relation to nutrient availability, but a plant-specific view limits our ability to predict broader-scale patterns related to nutrient economics, such as ecosystem carbon turnover and storage controlled by soil microbial communities. Viewing nutrient economics from the heterotrophic decomposer community perspective can provide an additional perspective on ecosystem nutrient economics. We used microbial investment in extracellular enzyme production and ecoenzymatic stoichiometry theory as a conceptual framework to study nutrient economics in forest soils of the Northeast United States. Two years after experimentally increasing soil pH and phosphorus availability to offset the effects of chronic acid and nitrogen deposition, we found that belowground microbial communities were consistently investing more energy into phosphorus acquisition relative to nitrogen, in both space and time, suggesting that ecosystem demand for phosphorus might be high relative to nitrogen. Moreover, soil age and weathering, quantified by comparing glaciated vs non-glaciated regions, might not be useful predictors of nutrient economics in these forest systems. This study offers important insight into controls on ecosystem nutrient dynamics and soil microbial resource investment, information that can inform efforts to model soil microbial interactions and ecosystem carbon dynamics.

生态系统养分经济通常从初级生产力与养分可用性的角度进行研究，但植物特定的观点限制了我们预测与养分经济相关的更广泛模式的能力，例如由土壤微生物群落控制的生态系统碳周转和储存. 从异养分解者群落的角度来看养分经济学可以为生态系统养分经济学提供一个额外的视角。我们使用微生物对胞外酶生产和生态酶化学计量理论的投资作为研究美国东北部森林土壤养分经济学的概念框架。在通过实验提高土壤 pH 值和磷的有效性以抵消慢性酸和氮沉降的影响两年后，我们发现，在空间和时间上，地下微生物群落始终将更多的能量投入到磷的获取上，这表明生态系统对磷的需求可能高于氮。此外，通过比较冰川和非冰川区域来量化的土壤年龄和风化可能不是这些森林系统中养分经济学的有用预测指标。这项研究提供了对生态系统养分动态和土壤微生物资源投资的控制的重要见解，这些信息可以为模拟土壤微生物相互作用和生态系统碳动态的努力提供信息。此外，通过比较冰川和非冰川区域来量化的土壤年龄和风化可能不是这些森林系统中养分经济学的有用预测指标。这项研究提供了对生态系统养分动态和土壤微生物资源投资的控制的重要见解，这些信息可以为模拟土壤微生物相互作用和生态系统碳动态的努力提供信息。此外，通过比较冰川和非冰川区域来量化的土壤年龄和风化可能不是这些森林系统中养分经济学的有用预测指标。这项研究提供了对生态系统养分动态和土壤微生物资源投资的控制的重要见解，这些信息可以为模拟土壤微生物相互作用和生态系统碳动态的努力提供信息。