  We mathematically model the uptake of phosphorus by a soil community
consisting of a plant and two bacterial groups: copiotrophs and oligotrophs.
Four equilibrium states emerge, one for each of the species monopolising the
resource and dominating the community and one with coexistence of all species.
We show that the dynamics are controlled by the ratio of chemical adsorption to
bacterial death permitting either oscillatory states or quasi-steady uptake. We
show how a steady state can emerge which has soil and plant nutrient content
unresponsive to increased fertilization. However, the additional fertilization
supports the copiotrophs leading to community reassembly. Our results
demonstrate the importance of time-series measurements in nutrient uptake
experiments.
