C:N:P Stoichiometry of Plant, Litter and Soil along an Elevational Gradient in Subtropical Forests of China

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Abstract

The internal correlation of plant, litter and soil stoichiometric characteristics and their responses to the environment are helpful for revealing nutrient cycling mechanisms. However, few studies have assessed the nutrient relationship between plant, litter and soil and nutrient stock along elevational gradients, which limit the understanding of nutrient relationships in the ecosystem. To gain insight into the forces of nutrient stock and its stoichiometric ecological characteristics along the elevational gradients in forest ecosystem, we investigated the carbon (C), nitrogen (N) phosphorus (P) contents and stoichiometric ratios of dominant plants, litter and soil layers at different elevations (900–1600 m) in Daiyun Mountain. The results showed the following: (1) C, N and P contents showed an increasing order as plant > litter > soil in each elevation of Daiyun Mountain. Dominant plants were limited by N each elevation. C, N and P contents of plants at high elevation were higher than those at low elevation and significant correlations were found between plant and litter TN, TP and air and soil temperature (negative), which conforms to the Temperature-Plant Physiological Hypothesis (TPPH). (2) Significant correlations were found between plant C:N and litter C:N (positive); between litter C:P and soil N:P (positive); and between litter C:P and soil C:N (negative). (3) Elevation and slope were essential environmental factors to the stoichiometric ratio of plant and litter, and pH was the main factor that correlated negatively to soil stoichiometry ratio. Litter provided a link between plant and soil, and there was a coupling among plant, litter and soil nutrients. The results could provide a theoretical basis for understanding the nutrient cycling for the subtropical forest ecosystem of China.

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Peter Reich, Jacek Oleksyn (2004)

A global data set including 5,087 observations of leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) for 1,280 plant species at 452 sites and of associated mean climate indices demonstrates broad biogeographic patterns. In general, leaf N and P decline and the N/P ratio increases toward the equator as average temperature and growing season length increase. These patterns are similar for five dominant plant groups, coniferous trees and four angiosperm groups (grasses, herbs, shrubs, and trees). These results support the hypotheses that (i) leaf N and P increase from the tropics to the cooler and drier midlatitudes because of temperature-related plant physiological stoichiometry and biogeographical gradients in soil substrate age and then plateau or decrease at high latitudes because of cold temperature effects on biogeochemistry and (ii) the N/P ratio increases with mean temperature and toward the equator, because P is a major limiting nutrient in older tropical soils and N is the major limiting nutrient in younger temperate and high-latitude soils.

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N : P ratios in terrestrial plants: variation and functional significance

Sabine Güsewell (2004)

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability limit plant growth in most terrestrial ecosystems. This review examines how variation in the relative availability of N and P, as reflected by N : P ratios of plant biomass, influences vegetation composition and functioning. Plastic responses of plants to N and P supply cause up to 50-fold variation in biomass N : P ratios, associated with differences in root allocation, nutrient uptake, biomass turnover and reproductive output. Optimal N : P ratios - those of plants whose growth is equally limited by N and P - depend on species, growth rate, plant age and plant parts. At vegetation level, N : P ratios <10 and >20 often (not always) correspond to N- and P-limited biomass production, as shown by short-term fertilization experiments; however long-term effects of fertilization or effects on individual species can be different. N : P ratios are on average higher in graminoids than in forbs, and in stress-tolerant species compared with ruderals; they correlate negatively with the maximal relative growth rates of species and with their N-indicator values. At vegetation level, N : P ratios often correlate negatively with biomass production; high N : P ratios promote graminoids and stress tolerators relative to other species, whereas relationships with species richness are not consistent. N : P ratios are influenced by global change, increased atmospheric N deposition, and conservation managment. Contents Summary 243 I Introduction 244 II Variability of N : P ratios in response to nutrient supply 244 III Critical N : P ratios as indicators of nutrient limitation 248 IV Interspecific variation in N : P ratios 252 V Vegetation properties in relation to N : P ratios 255 VI Implications of N : P ratios for human impacts on ecosystems 258 VII Conclusions 259 Acknowledgements 259 References 260.