Ecological stoichiometry in leaves, roots, litters and soil among different plant communities in a desertified region of Northern China

By Yang Yang, Bingru Liu, Shaoshan An. CATENA, 2018

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Abstract Ecological stoichiometry reflects the element content and energy flow, which are important for biogeochemical cycling in ecosystems. However, the ecological stoichiometry in leaves, roots, litter and soil is largely unknown, especially in the desertified region of Northern China. Here, six dominant plant communities (Stipa bungeana, Agropyron mongolicum, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Cynanchum komarovii, Artemisia ordosica, and Sophora alopecuroides) were collected, and the carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) contents of leaves, roots, litters and soil were measured to explore the C:N:P stoichiometry and its driving factors. The C:N:P stoichiometry in leaves, roots, litters, and soil varied widely, and the plant community had a significant effect on the C:N:P stoichiometry in this region. There were high soil C:N, C:P and N:P ratios in non-leguminous plant communities and a high leaf N:P ratio in leguminous plant communities, and the C:N and C:P ratios in leaves were higher than in those in roots in all plant communities (p

Subfields: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Nature and Landscape Conservation, Soil Science

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