Chin J Plan Ecolo ›› 2016, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (11): 1145-1153.DOI: 10.17521/cjpe.2016.0052

Special Issue: 入侵生态学 生态化学计量

• Research Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Foliar nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometry of alien invasive plants and co-occurring natives in Xishuangbanna

Chao-Chen HU1,2, Xue-Yan LIU1,3,*(), Yan-Bao LEI4, Yun-Hong TAN5, Peng ZHANG1, Yu-Ping DONG3, Cong-Qiang LIU1,3   

  1. 1State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China

    2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

    3Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China

    4Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
    and
    5Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan 666303, China
  • Received:2016-01-29 Accepted:2016-05-12 Online:2016-11-10 Published:2016-11-25
  • Contact: Xue-Yan LIU

Abstract:

Aims How alien invasive plants and co-occurring native plants utilize nutrients is one of major issues in invasion ecology. Foliar nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) contents and stoichiometry can elucidate the uptake ability and limitation status of nutrients in plants, which provides basic knowledge for understanding the invading ability and co-occurrence or disappearance of plants.
Methods Based on typical alien invasive plants (Chromolaena odorata, Ageratina adenophora) and native plants in southwestern China, this study focused on strategies of N and P utilization among invasive plants and native plants under different invasion conditions. The species compositions, aboveground biomass, leaf N and P contents and leaf N:P were investigated for plants in plots with no invasion and with different invasion extents (estimated by the plot-based percentage of invaders’ biomass in total community) at Mt. Kongming in Xishuangbanna region, Yunnan Province, China.
Important findings The species number decreased significantly with the invasion extent of both C. odorata and A. adenophora, although the aboveground biomass was greatly enhanced. Leaf N and P contents did not differ between the two studied invaders, but they showed significantly higher N and P levels than both co-occurring and only native species (p < 0.05). Besides, leaf N and P contents of invaders increased with the invasion extent, and leaf N of native plants also showed an increasing trend with the invasion extent. When the influence of invasion was checked for the same species, leaf P contents decreased, whereas leaf N and N:P increased for most native plants under invasion. Based on the absolute foliar N and P contents, N:P values, we inferred that native plants were still limited by N, although N availability might be enhanced by invasion. Both invasive plants had leaf N:P values lower than 10, suggesting a higher P uptake relative to N uptake. All above results highlighted a higher N and P uptake of typical alien invasive plants in southwestern China.

Key words: plant invasion, nitrogen:phosphorus, ecological stoichiometry, Chromolaena odorata, Ageratina adenophora