CONCLUSIONS

Both B. attenuata and B. sessilis exhibited a unique pattern of allocating P to different P fractions within the leaves under P limitation. Banksia sessilis allocated more P to nucleic acids than B. attenuata . This investment in nucleic acid may support greater protein synthesis, which is likely needed for greater protein turnover. The observations that B. attenuata had a higher LMA and lower N concentration, PPUE, allocation of P to nucleic acids and N:P ratios than B. sessilis are possibly adaptive traits to growth in more severely P-impoverished soils, and may account for the different distributions of the two species. We surmise that P-allocation patterns are likely the functional basis explaining why plants can reduce foliar P concentrations on P-poor soils. The foliar nutrient-allocation patterns and distinct foliar traits of the two Banksia species reveal different adaptive strategies in response to soil P availability and match their differences in growth strategies.