Abstract
Leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry might reflect the biogeochemical features of ecosystems, yet the potential range of stoichiometric flexibility under geochemically P-enriched soils (GPES) is still unclear. Leaf N and P of 126 plant species in 70 vegetation plots in GPES were investigated in central Yunnan, southwestern China, and leaf P fractions (i.e., inorganic vs. organic P) of the dominant species were examined. Our objectives were to improve the understanding of the role of soil N and P variability in controlling leaf N and P stoichiometry of plant communities in GPES. We found that plants in GPES had higher mean leaf P (4.07 mg/g) and lower N:P ratios (4.94) than average plant values that have been recorded in other parts of the world so far. Some fast-growing plants had extremely high leaf P (>10 mg/g). Community leaf N and P contents increased as soil N availability increased, but soil N variability was unrelated to community leaf N:P. Instead, community leaf P and N:P ratios were primarily determined by soil P; as soil P availability increased, leaf P increased and leaf N:P significantly decreased. Greater accumulation of inorganic P relative to organic P in leaf was the direct driving factor for community leaf P and N:P ratio patterns in GPES. Although soil P availability was the main controlling factor of leaf N:P patterns, community composition could be manipulated to restore the balance of N and P stoichiometry based on the different responses across species and plant types.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Prof. Shengrui Wang from Chinese research academy of environmental sciences, Prof. Cindy Q. Tang from Yunnan University, Prof. Masahiko Ohsawa from the University of Tokyo, Anne Serra from Macalester College and anonymous reviewers, whose valuable comments and suggestions greatly helped us to improve the paper. We thank associate Prof. Guosheng Zhang from Yunnan University for soil identification, and also associate Prof. Huanchong Wang from Yunnan University for plant identification. This research was sponsored by National Key Sciences and Technology Program for Water Solutions of China (2012ZX07102-003), National Natural Science Foundation of China (U1133604, 30760049), the Scientific Research and Technological Development Project of Yunnan (2012T001).
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Yan, K., Duan, C., Fu, D. et al. Leaf nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometry of plant communities in geochemically phosphorus-enriched soils in a subtropical mountainous region, SW China. Environ Earth Sci 74, 3867–3876 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4519-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4519-z