Chin J Plant Ecol ›› 2014, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (9): 941-948.DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1258.2014.00088

Special Issue: 生态化学计量

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Effects of warming on carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometry in tundra soil and leaves of typical plants

JIANG Xiao-Jie1,HU Yan-Ling2,HAN Jian-Qiu1,ZHOU Yu-Mei1,*()   

  1. 1Ecological Technique and Engineering College, Shanghai Institute of Technology, Shanghai, 201418, China
    2Panjin Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, Panjin, Liaoning 124010, China
  • Received:2014-02-24 Accepted:2014-07-25 Online:2014-02-24 Published:2014-09-22
  • Contact: ZHOU Yu-Mei

Abstract:

Aims Our objective was to investigate how warming affected C, N and P contents and C: N: P ratios in leaves of dominant tundra plants in Changbai Mountain.
Methods Open-top chambers (OTCs) were used to raise the air and soil temperature in the Changbai Mountain tundra. Eight hexagon OTCs were established according to the standard of International Tundra Experiment (ITEX). The C, N and P contents and C:N:P ratios in soils and leaves of Dryas octopetala var. asiatica, Vaccinium uliginosum, Rhododendron aureum were measured during growing season (July to September).
Important findings Warming increased the soil N and P contents by 5.88% and 4.83%, respectively, but reduced the C content by 13.19%. The contents of C, N and P in leaves showed significant variations for plants in both OTCs and control plots during growing season. The P content in V. uliginosum, R. aureum was increased by 10.34% and 12.87%, respectively, but decreased by 16.26% in D. octopetala var. asiatica, by warming. The C:N ratio in leaves of D. octopetala var. asiatica and R. aureum grown in OTCs showed an increasing trend. Warming resulted in increases in soil available N and P. The ratio of C:N in the three plants, the P content in R. aureum and V. uliginosum, and the ratio of C:P in D. octopetala var. asiatica were significantly affected by warming. The results indicate that warming would increase the P limitation to plant growth in this area. The pattern and magnitude of leaf stoichiometry of the three tundra plant species respond differently to warming in Changbai Mountain.

Key words: C, N, P, tundra, warming