Stoichiometry of leaf nitrogen and phosphorus of grasslands of the Inner Mongolian and Qinghai-Tibet Plateaus in relation to climatic variables and vegetation organization levels

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• 作者：Jiangwen Fan ; Warwick Harris ; Huaping Zhong
• 关键词：Nitrogen ; Phosphorus ; Stoichiometry ; Climatic variable ; Vegetation organization level
• 刊名：Ecological Research
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：November 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：31
• 期：6
• 页码：821-829
• 全文大小：979 KB
• 刊物主题：Ecology; Plant Sciences; Zoology; Evolutionary Biology; Behavioural Sciences; Forestry;
• 出版者：Springer Japan
• ISSN：1440-1703
• 卷排序：31

文摘

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are most commonly the limiting essential elements that affect the functioning of plants and ecosystems. However, their stoichiometry in relation to climatic variables and vegetation organization levels has not been comprehensively characterized. N and P concentrations were measured for 329 leaf samples collected at 132 sites along the 5000 km long China Grassland Transect that traverses the Inner Mongolian and Qinghai-Tibet Plateaus. The patterns of these measurements were analyzed with reference to climate factors, plant species, plant functional groups, grassland communities and grassland ecosystems. The aim was to explore whether geographical patterns of plant leaf elements are related to zonal climatic variables, and at which vegetation organization levels changes of plant leaf N and P stoichiometric characteristics and pattern occur. Results showed that interspecific differences of N and P concentrations were most significant for the three vegetation organization levels of species, community and ecosystem. Plant leaf N and P concentrations were higher, coefficients of variation of N and P lower, and N/P, C/N and C/P ratios were also lower for leaf samples from the cold high altitude Qinghai-Tibet Plateau than for those from the relatively lower altitude and warmer Inner Mongolian Plateau. Correlation of N and P for Inner Mongolian grassland was higher than that for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The study indicates plant species are the most basic unit influencing plant stoichiometric geographic patterns, and that climatic variables affect leaf element concentrations mainly through their effect on changes of plant species composition of vegetation.