Ecological stoichiometry of nitrogen, phosphorous, and sulfur in China’s forests

Much attention has been paid to the stoichiometry of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) because of their significance for plant growth and climate change. However, other nutrients, such as sulfur (S), are often ignored. In this study, we analyzed the stoichiometry of N, P, and S in leaves...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Acta geochimica 2017-09, Vol.36 (3), p.525-530
Main Authors: Wu, Yuntao, Liu, Hongyan, Song, Zhaoliang, Yang, Xiaomin, Li, Zichuan, Hao, Qian, Liu, Linan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bamboo
Climate change
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Ecology
Ecotypes
Environmental conditions
Forests
Geochemistry
Latitude
Leaves
Mineral nutrients
Nitrogen
Nutrients
Original Article
Phosphorus
Plant growth
Plant species
Precipitation
Ratios
Soil
Stoichiometry
Sulfur
Sulphur
Tropical climate
Tropical forests
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Summary:Much attention has been paid to the stoichiometry of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) because of their significance for plant growth and climate change. However, other nutrients, such as sulfur (S), are often ignored. In this study, we analyzed the stoichiometry of N, P, and S in leaves of 348 plant species in China’s forests. The results show higher N content and higher molar ratios of N/P and P/S in Angiospermae than in Gymnospermae. At the family level, Ulmaceae absorbed more N and P from soils than other families, and Cupressaceae absorbed more S than other families. In addition, except for bamboo and other tropical forests, leaf N and P content of China’s forests generally increased from low to middle latitudes and then slightly decreased or plateaued at high latitudes. Plant ecotypes, taxonomic groups, environmental conditions, atmospheric S precipitation, and soil-available N and P significantly affected the distribution and stoichiometry of leaf N, P, and S in China’s forests. Our study indicates that China’s forests are likely limited by P and S deficiencies which may increase in the future.
ISSN:2096-0956
2365-7499
DOI:10.1007/s11631-017-0225-8