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Ecological stoichiometry represents the balance of nutrient elements under ecological interactions, which are crucial for biogeochemical cycles in ecosystems. Little is known about carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) ecological stoichiometry in aboveground biomass, roots, and soil, especially in the subtropical riparian wetlands. Here, eig...
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Soil microorganisms are one of the primary driving factors of biogeochemical cycles in floodplain ecosystems. Vegetation type has an impact on the activities of soil microorganisms. However, it is currently unclear whether the composition and structure of soil bacterial and fungal communities in floodplain ecosystems have a consistent response patt...
Citations
... Combining biological studies from different fields, taxa, and scales has been widely utilized to reveal the functions and roles of nutrient ratios and the regulatory mechanisms of ecosystem components for the assessment of nutrient availability in various ecosystems [3,4]. For the forest ecosystem, studies on ecological stoichiometry coupling have focused on various study areas, forest types, successional stages, or the above-or below-ground aspects (e.g., plants, litter, and soils) of nutrient cycling [5][6][7][8][9]. For example, the leaf nutrient content status better reflects the capacity of the soil to provide essential elements to plants and gradually return them ...
The ecological stoichiometric characterization of plant and soil elements is essential for understanding the biogeochemical cycles of ecosystems. Based on three forest ages of Pinus taiwanensis Hayata (P. taiwanensis) plantations in the Gujingyuan National Nature Reserve (i.e., young (16 years), middle-aged (32 years), and mature forests (50 years)), we conducted a field experiment to analyzed C, N, and P stoichiometry and the relationships between needles, litter, soil, and micro-organisms in P. taiwanensis plantations. We intended to elucidate the nutritional characteristics and stability mechanisms of the artificial P. taiwanensis forest ecosystem. The results showed that the C contents of live needles, leaf litter, soil, and micro-organisms in P. taiwanensis plantation forests of the three forest ages were 504.17–547.05, 527.25–548.84, 23.40–35.85, and 0.33–0.54 g/kg, respectively; the respective N contents were 11.02–13.35, 10.71–11.76, 1.42–2.56, and 0.08–0.12 g/kg; and the respective P contents were 0.82–0.91, 0.60–0.74, 0.19–0.36, and 0.03–0.06 g/kg. Forest age significantly influenced both the C, N, and P contents in live needles, leaf litter, soil, and micro-organisms as well as stoichiometric characteristics (p < 0.05). Furthermore, although the litter N:P content was comparable to that of needles, the ratios of C:N and C:P in the litter were notably higher compared to those in needles. Soil C:P and N:P ratios were the highest in mature forests while microbial C:P and N:P ratios continuously decreased. Stoichiometric analyses of our findings suggest that forest stand age can influence divergent changes in element cycling among plants, soil, and micro-organisms. The presented results can aid in further understanding nutrient utilization strategies and regulatory mechanisms for P. taiwanensis plantation forest systems.
... For example, plant leaf C:N:P stoichiometry obviously negatively correlated with soil C:N:P ratios (Fig. 7), which suggested that the rise in plant tissue C:N:P might decline soil C:N:P. In this study, the leaf N:P ratio was between 5.16 and 10.97 (Fig. 3), and the average leaf N:P ratio was 7.43, significantly lower than 14 (Yang et al. 2018;Yu et al. 2020a). In terrestrial plants, Koerselman and Meuleman (1996) found that when the leaf N:P ratio > 16, the plant community was P-limited, whereas the N:P ratio < 14 indicated N limitation. ...
... Thus, we found that the examined riparian zone might be N-limited (7.43 < 14). Based on the homeostasis theory, an organism can maintain a stable internal state such as conserved C:N:P elemental ratios (Yang et al. 2018;Yu et al. 2020a). To decrease the N limitation, and increase the N:P when the leaf N:P ratio < 14, the plant might absorb more N from the soil to keep the N:P ratio stable (Liu et al. 2021). ...
As a consequence of the tight linkages between plants, soil, and microorganisms, we hypothesized the variations in plant species would change soil and microbial stoichiometry. Here, we examined the plant leaf carbon (C):nitrogen (N):phosphorus (P) ratios of nine species coming from three plant functional groups (PFGs) in the riparian zones of Hulunbuir steppe during near-peak biomass. The soil C:N:P, microbial biomass carbon (MBC):microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), and extracellular enzyme’s C:N:P were also assessed using the soils from each species. We found that plant tissue, soil nutrient, microbial, and enzyme activity stoichiometry significantly differed among different PFGs. Plant leaf and soil nutrient ratios tended to be similar (p > 0.05) between different species within the same PFGs. The variations in leaf C:N:P significantly correlated with the changes in soil C:N:P and MBC:MBN ratios. The homeostatic coefficients (H) < 1 suggested the relationships between plants and their resources C:N:P ratios might be non-homeostatic in the examined riparian zone. By assessing plant tissue and its soil nutrient stoichiometry, this study provided a perspective to understand the linkages of plant community, soil nutrient, and microbial characteristics.
... Under conditions of flood stress and nutrient co-limitation, the physiological processes of C, N, and P in riparian plants are constrained, including photosynthesis and nutrient mineralization (Ye et al., 2020;Cao et al., 2022). Inundation-induced changes in plant composition and soil properties may impact nutrient interactions in riparian plant-soil systems (Yu et al., 2019;Ye et al., 2020). Therefore, investigating plant C:N:P stoichiometry patterns and their drivers can enhance the insights into plant adaptation strategies and ecosystem functioning in dynamic riparian habitats. ...
... subtropical riparian ecosystems (Yu et al., 2019). Notably, when compared with the Li River riparian zone (Huang et al., 2019), C contents in plant leaves were lower in the TGRR. ...
... In our study, the C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios of plant leaves in the TGRR were generally lower than Chinese and global terrestrial plants (see Supplementary Table S3), suggesting higher growth rates, lower nutrient-use efficiencies, and reduced carbon assimilation capacity. This aligns with findings from previous studies in natural riparian ecosystems (Huang et al., 2019;Yu et al., 2019) and may be attributed to higher soil P concentrations. The N:P ratio, indicating plant nutrient acquisition and physiological processes, is commonly used to determine N or P limitations (Gusewell, 2004). ...
Carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry serve as valuable indices for plant nutrient utilization and biogeochemical cycling within ecosystems. However, the allocation of these nutrients among different plant organs and the underlying drivers in dynamic riparian ecosystems remain inadequately understood. In this study, we gathered plant samples from diverse life forms (annuals and perennials) and organs (leaves, stems, and roots) in the riparian zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region (TGRR) in China—a novel ecosystem subject to winter flooding. We used random forest analysis and structural equation modeling to find out how flooding, life forms, plant communities, and soil variables affect organs C, N, and P levels. Results showed that the mean concentrations of plant C, N, and P in the riparian zone of the TGRR were 386.65, 19.31, and 5.27 mg/g for leaves respectively, 404.02, 11.23, and 4.81 mg/g for stems respectively, and 388.22, 9.32, and 3.27 mg/g for roots respectively. The C:N, C:P and N:P ratios were 16.15, 191.7 and 5.56 for leaves respectively; 26.98, 273.72 and 4.6 for stems respectively; and 16.63, 223.06 and 4.77 for roots respectively. Riparian plants exhibited nitrogen limitation, with weak carbon sequestration, low nutrient utilization efficiency, and a high capacity for nutrient uptake. Plant C:N:P stoichiometry was significantly different across life forms and organs, with higher N and P concentrations in leaves than stems and roots, and higher in annuals than perennials. While flooding stress triggered distinct responses in the C, N, and P concentrations among annual and perennial plants, they maintained similar stoichiometric ratios along flooding gradients. Furthermore, our investigation identified soil properties and life forms as more influential factors than plant communities in shaping variations in C:N:P stoichiometry in organs. Flooding indirectly impacts plant C:N:P stoichiometry primarily through alterations in plant community composition and soil factors. This study underscores the potential for hydrologic changes to influence plant community composition and soil nutrient dynamics, and further alter plant ecological strategies and biogeochemical cycling in riparian ecosystems.
... Ecological stoichiometry is a comprehensive approach to cognitive energy balance and element limiting in biogeochemical processes Yu et al., 2020). Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus are indispensable elements for forest succession, production and sustainable management in the terrestrial ecosystem (Chen et al., 2004;Li et al., 2017). ...
Ecological stoichiometry is an important approach to understand plant nutrient cycling and balance in the forest ecosystem. However, understanding of stoichiometric patterns through the leaf‐litter‐soil system of Mongolian pine among different stand origins is still scarce. Therefore, to reveal the variations in Mongolian pine carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry and stoichiometric homeostasis among different stand origins, we measured C, N, and P concentrations of leaves, litter, and soil, and analyzed the nutrient resorption efficiencies of leaves in differently aged plantations and natural forests from semi‐arid and dry sub‐humid regions. The results showed that (1) the stand origin had a significant effect on the C–N–P stoichiometry, and also significantly affected leaf N and P reabsorption efficiencies. Leaf N/P ratios indicated that Mongolian pine was co‐limited by N and P in the NF, HB and HQ, and was mainly limited by P in MU. (2) With increasing stand age, C concentrations in the leaf‐litter‐soil system initially increased and then decreased, the N and P concentrations and reabsorption efficiencies in the leaf‐litter‐soil system were gradually increased. Overall, stand age had a significant effect on N concentrations, C/N and C/P ratios in the leaf‐litter‐soil system. (3) The C and N elements between the leaf‐litter‐soil system had a strong coupling relationship, and the P element between litter‐soil had a strong coupling relationship. In addition, plantations exhibited greater N/P homeostasis than natural forests, and N/P exhibited greater homeostasis than N and P alone, which may be a nutrient utilization strategy for forests to alleviate N or P limitation. (4) Environmental factors have a significant influence on C–N–P stoichiometry in the leaf‐litter‐soil system, the most important soil properties and meteorological factors being soil water content and precipitation, respectively. These results will be essential to provide guidance for plantation restoration and management in desert regions.
... Carex muliensis had higher N:P ratios than Pedicularis longiflora var. tubiformis at WT10 and WT0 water levels, but lower at WT-20 and WT-50 water levels, indicating that hygrophytes had more flexible stoichiometric stability than mesophytes under flooded or wet water levels, but the opposite strategy under drought stress (Xiong et al. 2022;Yu et al. 2020;Guo et al. 2022). Thus, mesophytes adapted better to the stresses associated with lower water levels in alpine wetlands by regulating the stoichiometric element ratios in vivo compared to hygrophytes. ...
Aims
Functional trait-based approaches have been widely used to explore the relationship between plants and their surroundings. Yet, whether phenotypic plasticity (the ability of plants to change their functional traits) and phenotypic integration (the coordinated relationship between functional traits of plants) are differently functional coordination mechanisms to enhance plant adaptation to declining water levels is still lacking in empirical knowledge.
Methods
We conducted a mesocosm experiment in an alpine wetland with two dominant plants, Carex muliensis (hygrophytes) and Pedicularis longiflora var. tubiformis (mesophytes), exposed to four water table gradients (WT10, WT0, WT-20 and WT-50, representing the water table at 10 cm, 0 cm, -20 cm and − 50 cm from the surface). We measured leaf traits related to resource use strategies, and the relationship between leaf phenotypic plasticity and integration.
Results
We found that hygrophytes shifted their leaf traits towards resource-conserving strategies, such as increasing leaf thickness and decreasing leaf area and specific leaf area, under water table decline. In contrast, mesophytes shifted their leaf traits towards resource-acquisition strategies, enhancing their competitiveness and fitness at low water levels. We also found a negative correlation between leaf phenotypic plasticity and integration in both plant species, suggesting a trade-off between them. which was attributed to the fact that wetland plants may prioritize traits that reduce water loss (e.g. larger leaf thickness), resulting in lower integration with other traits (photosynthetic and nutrient use related traits).
Conclusions
We conclude that, water table decline alters plant leaf resource use strategies and that the balance between leaf phenotypic plasticity and integration contributes to plant adaptation to water table decline. This study improves our understanding of the role of leaf phenotypic plasticity and integration in plant adaptation in the context of declining water levels in wetlands will help predict the future structure and composition of alpine wetland ecosystems.
... Ecological stoichiometry can reflect the balance of nutrient elements under ecological interactions, which are crucial for biogeochemical cycles in ecosystems [34], especially for the sustainable development of mining subsidence areas following vegetation restoration in northwest China [35]. Previous studies showed that the leaf of plants is most sensitive to environmental changes, while ecological stoichiometry in leaves can reflect nutrient accumulation and limitation in the ecosystem [36]. ...
Re-vegetation types and mycorrhizal fungi reclamation play a vital role in the improvement of soil quality in the mining subsidence of the northern Loess Plateau. However, the effects of re-vegetation types and mycorrhizal fungi reclamation on plant stoichiometric homeostasis, soil bacterial communities and functional characteristics are still not understood well but are vital for mining green construction. Based on the fact that mycorrhizal fungi reclamation has been implemented for more than 10 years (inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and control), we examined five re-vegetation types with different C:N:P stoichiometry in the roots, leaves and calculated homeostasis. Meanwhile, second-generation sequencing technology was used to measure soil bacterial communities and functional characteristics to further reveal the relationships between soil factors and bacteria that drive plant stoichiometry and homeostasis in the biological reclamation area of coal mining subsidence. Our results indicated that plant N:P ratio in the leaves of all re-vegetation types was less than 14, with the highest ratio observed in A. fruticosa (nitrogen-fixing plants), showing that re-vegetation growth was limited by the availability of nitrogen. Only leaves in AMF-inoculated plants were categorized as ‘homeostatic’, while inoculation with AMF in both leaves and roots could alleviate nitrogen restriction and improve ecological stoichiometric homeostasis. The dominant phylum was Proteobacteria, followed by Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, accounting for 69.92%–73.22% of all bacterial species and 82% with Chloroflexi. Soil copiotrophic community (Proteobacteria) in the AMF inoculation area was higher than those in the control area under all re-vegetation types, while the oligotrophic community (Acidobacteria) was lower than the control. Further analysis showed that soil TP, SOC, C:N and HD played vital roles in shifting the soil bacteria community. Soil stoichiometry and AMF affect microbial composition. These results indicated that the re-vegetation types and mycorrhizal fungi reclamation could shift bacterial homogeneity. Hence, our results expound that mycorrhizal fungi reclamation could optimize the ecological strategies of reclaimed vegetation, alleviate N-limitations in plants, improve endogenous stability and promote the ecological function of soil bacteria, which provided theoretical bases for further understanding and application of green restoration and sustainable development in the mining subsidence of the northern Loess Plateau.
... Air dried plant samples (0.2 g) were collected to measure the contents of C, N and P. Nitrogen content in plants (0.2 g) was determined by H 2 SO 4 -H 2 O 2 digestion and micro-Kjeldahl determination [13]. The content of phosphorus for the plant samples (0.2 g) was determined by H 2 SO 4 -H 2 O 2 digestion, followed by molybdenum-antimony resistance colorimetry [14]. ...
Organic matter was increased due to the input of plant litter, resulting in changes in the physicochemical properties and enhancement of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in water bodies. There are few reports on effects of decomposition of aquatic plants on GHGs emissions. This study investigated the effects of the degradation of two aquatic plants, Potamogeton crispus and Typha orientalis Presl, upon release of CO2 and CH4 at the sediment–water interface. During early decomposition, the release of CO2 and CH4 at the sediment–water interface was increased by the degradation of the two aquatic plants, and release flux of CO2 and CH4 were increased rapidly at first and then decreased. Due to the differences in properties of C, lignin, cellulose and other components of the plants, the Potamogeton crispus group obtained higher abundance of genes relevant to CO2 and CH4 metabolism, which leads to the increase of CO2 and CH4 emissions compared with that of the Typha orientalis Presl. In addition, dissolved oxygen and pH were decreased due to the decomposition of organic matter in the plant residues at the sediment–water interface, resulting in growth of anaerobic microorganisms. The increase of the relative abundance of anaerobic microorganisms promoted the decomposition of organic matter in the sediment and the enhancement of cell respiration, promoting the release of CH4 and CO2 during the decomposition of aquatic plants.
... Plant stoichiometry usually modulates nutrient limitation and utilization for plant growth (Allen & Gillooly 2009;Sperfeld et al. 2017). Plant nitrogen, which is a protein component, plays a role in plant biomass production and litter decomposition (Yang et al.2018;Yu et al. 2020), whereas phosphorus (P) is coupled with C and N and linked to biological processes such as photosynthesis and growth (Delgado-Baquerizo et al. 2013;He et al. 2020). Plant stoichiometry is associated with soil stoichiometry, which directly regulates plant biomass production by changing soil nutrient availability, and hence indirectly mediates plant community diversity by adjusting plant interspecific interactions (e.g., plant coexistence and competition) (Striebel et al. 2009;Ning et al. 2021;Gerhard et al. 2022). ...
... We hypothesized that plant diversity and grassland biomass would increase with increasing elevation, possibly due to changes in temperature and precipitation, and that a positive relationship between diversity and productivity would be observed along climatic gradients. We hypothesized that plant and soil factors would have a significant positive impact on diversity and productivity, owing to nutrient (N and P) resource limitations, despite the effects of climate change (Striebel et al. 2009;Yu et al. 2020). ...
The diversity–productivity relationship in grasslands is predominantly positive but also highly variable because of its complex influencing mechanisms in natural ecosystems. In this study, we investigated plant diversity, biomass, and associated drivers (e.g., climate, soil, and plant traits) along an elevational gradient in grasslands in southwest China. Grassland biomass decreased significantly, but grassland diversity increased with increasing elevation. Consequently, a significant negative relationship between grassland biomass and diversity was detected along the elevational gradient. We also observed that the negative relationship was primarily driven by climatic factors (i.e., temperature and precipitation) and plant stoichiometric traits (i.e., phosphorus limitation) rather than by soil properties at a regional scale. This is inconsistent with previous studies on the positive diversity–productivity relationship, which might weaken the effects of climatic factors at the regional scale. Our results revealed that the negative relationship between diversity and productivity in grasslands was shaped by the combined effects (climate and plants) on productivity and diversity in grasslands.
... E.g., dissolved organic carbon (DOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) characterized the labile components of the soil nutrient pool with rapid turnover rate and are important indicator of soil microbial activity in the ecosystem (Dong et al., 2022;Zhang et al., 2022). Soil stoichiometric ratios can regulate nutrient cycling through microbial activity and mineralization rates (Lu et al., 2018;Yu et al., 2020). Likewise, soil texture has also been widely shown to exhibit a close relationship with the distribution of soil nutrients (Jiao et al., 2014;Zhao et al., 2020). ...
Yan et al.: The relationship between soil physicochemical properties and vegetation biodiversity in newly formed reservoir buffer strips-3153-APPLIED ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 21(4):3153-3175. Abstract. The patterns of soil physicochemical properties at large-scales such as buffer zone have been extensively studied, while at fine-scales of vegetation buffer strips (represent a trade-off between economic and ecology benefits of land) and the relationship with vegetation biodiversity are yet to be deepened. This study focused on the discrepancy between soil physicochemical properties (categorizing as soil properties, soil texture, soil stoichiometric ratio, soil microbial activity) and vegetation biodiversity indices in the buffer strips of newly constructed Chushandian reservoir, China. The results showed that the woodland buffer strips had higher soil microbial activity and carbon sequestration capacity than grassland and abandoned cropland. Soil physicochemical properties at 0 m in the reservoir buffer strips with three land use types were more influenced by the overlying water. Distance from watercourse is an important factor affecting soil properties in the reservoir buffer strips with different land use types, mainly mediated by affecting the vegetation biodiversity indices. The width of the existing grassland and abandoned cropland (20 m) is not enough for ecological restoration and should be appropriately widened. Finally, we suggest that the restoration of reservoir buffer strips should be set with flexible width according to the previous land use types.
... Ecological stoichiometry is a discipline that analyzes and explains the changes in and links between plants and their environments [1], by connecting different levels from gene molecules to ecosystems [2]. Carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) are essential nutrients for plant growth. ...
Analyzing the ecological stoichiometric characteristics and soil enzyme activity of litter and soil in different vegetation types within karst areas can help to clarify the nutrient cycles and element abundance in those areas, in addition to providing basic data for vegetation restoration and reconstruction. In this study, the carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) contents of litter and soil and the alkaline phosphatase (ALP), sucrase (Suc), urease (Ure), and catalase (CAT) activity of soil were measured in grassland (GR), shrubland (SR), arbor and shrub compound forest (AS), and arbor forest (AR). The correlation between litter and soil stoichiometry and soil enzyme activity was analyzed to reveal the effects of different vegetation types on the C, N, and P stoichiometric characteristics of litter and soil, soil enzyme activity, and their driving mechanisms. The results showed that the C, N, and P contents of litter in the study area were 366.2–404.48 g/kg, 12.37–15.26 g/kg, and 0.76–1.05 g/kg, respectively. The C, N, and P contents of soil in the study area were 27.69–42.4 g/kg, 2.38–4.25 g/kg, and 0.56–0.68 g/kg, respectively. The litter N content and soil C and N contents were highest in the arbor forest (p < 0.05), while those in the grassland were the lowest (p < 0.05). The C:P and N:P ratios of the litter and soil in the arbor forest and arbor and shrub compound forest were higher than those in the other two vegetation types; however, the C:N ratio of the litter and soil in the arbor forest was lower than that in the other three vegetation types. The N element had a strong coupling relationship between litter and soil, while the P element had a weak relationship. The activity of the four soil enzymes in the four vegetation types were ranked as follows: arbor forest > arbor and shrub compound forest > shrubland > grassland. In general, the arbor forest communities were more conducive to nutrient cycling and accumulation. This information could help to guide the restoration and management of vegetation in karst areas.
