Soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus stoichiometry along an altitude gradient in shrublands in Pailugou watershed, China

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2022.0082

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims The study of the spatial distribution pattern of soil nutrient stoichiometry along the altitude gradient is helpful to clarify the status of nutrient limitation in the mountainous ecosystems, to reveal the potential influencing factors to nutrient limitation, and to provide a scientific basis for regional ecological protection and vegetation restoration.
Methods The sampling plots were established along an altitude gradient from 3 100 m to 3 700 m in Pailugou watershed of the Qilian Mountains. Soil samples from 0-10 and 10-20 cm layers were collected separately to analyze the distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) contents, and stoichiometric characteristics among different altitude and soil layers. Correlations between these nutrient characteristics and climatic factors, aboveground biomass, and soil pH were analyzed.
Important findings Results showed that: (1) Soil nutrients were concentrated on the soil surface and decreased with soil depth. The SOC and TN contents increased initially and then decreased as altitude increased. Soil TP content increased with increasing altitude. (2) Soil N:P increased from 3 100 m to 3 400 m, reached the maximum value at 3 400 m, and then decreased with increasing altitude and soil N:P was less than 14, suggesting an increase in N limitation along the altitude gradient. The C:P in soil was lower at high altitude than that at medium or low altitude, while C:N decreased with increasing altitude. (3) SOC content was positively correlated with TN content and negatively correlated with TP content. TN and TP content had no significant correlation. (4) Mean air temperature and total precipitation in the growing season showed positive correlation with SOC content and C:N:P, negative correlation with TP content, and no correlation with TN content. SOC and TN content had positive correlations with the aboveground biomass of shrublands. Soil pH was negatively correlated with TP content, but did not affect SOC and TN content significantly. Our results indicate that the productivity of alpine shrublands in the watershed was mainly limited by N and an appropriate amount of N application could alleviate the limitation.

Key words: altitude gradient, soil nutrient, stoichiometry, climatic factor, Qilian Mountains, Pailugou watershed

MOU Wen-Bo, XU Dang-Hui, WANG Xie-Jun, JING Wen-Mao, ZHANG Rui-Ying, GU Yu-Ling, YAO Guang-Qian, QI Shi-Hua, ZHANG Long, GOU Ya-Fei. Soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus stoichiometry along an altitude gradient in shrublands in Pailugou watershed, China[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2022, 46(11): 1422-1431.

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Figures/Tables 5

References 48

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样地 Sampling plot	海拔 Altitude (m)	坡度 Slope (°)	坡向 Slope aspect (°)	生长季总降水量 Total precipitation of the growing season (mm)	生长季平均气温 Mean air temperature of the growing season (℃)	灌丛地上生物量(平均值±标准误) Aboveground biomass of shrublands (mean ± SE, g·m^-2)
1	3 100	21	27	425.05	9.80	41.61 ± 5.96
2	3 200	34	15	418.97	9.60	51.37 ± 3.92
3	3 300	36	9	411.47	8.83	73.20 ± 5.06
4	3 400	33	41	406.21	8.97	80.94 ± 12.15
5	3 500	36	56	388.11	8.26	75.98 ± 8.62
6	3 600	35	10	374.89	7.39	62.76 ± 5.40
7	3 700	33	34	358.00	6.99	44.23 ± 4.38

样地 Sampling plot	海拔 Altitude (m)	坡度 Slope (°)	坡向 Slope aspect (°)	生长季总降水量 Total precipitation of the growing season (mm)	生长季平均气温 Mean air temperature of the growing season (℃)	灌丛地上生物量(平均值±标准误) Aboveground biomass of shrublands (mean ± SE, g·m^-2)
1	3 100	21	27	425.05	9.80	41.61 ± 5.96
2	3 200	34	15	418.97	9.60	51.37 ± 3.92
3	3 300	36	9	411.47	8.83	73.20 ± 5.06
4	3 400	33	41	406.21	8.97	80.94 ± 12.15
5	3 500	36	56	388.11	8.26	75.98 ± 8.62
6	3 600	35	10	374.89	7.39	62.76 ± 5.40
7	3 700	33	34	358.00	6.99	44.23 ± 4.38

因素 Factor	SOC		TN		TP		SOC:TP		TN:TP		SOC:TN
因素 Factor	F	p	F	p	F	p	F	p	F	p	F	p
土层 Soil layer	38.143	0.000	51.785	0.000	24.710	0.000	12.338	0.002	6.329	0.018	0.426	0.519
海拔 Altitude	24.538	0.000	21.395	0.000	48.513	0.000	113.000	0.000	52.962	0.000	11.022	0.000
土层×海拔 Soil layer × altitude	0.377	0.887	0.899	0.509	0.411	0.865	0.695	0.656	0.408	0.868	1.025	0.430

因素 Factor	SOC		TN		TP		SOC:TP		TN:TP		SOC:TN
因素 Factor	F	p	F	p	F	p	F	p	F	p	F	p
土层 Soil layer	38.143	0.000	51.785	0.000	24.710	0.000	12.338	0.002	6.329	0.018	0.426	0.519
海拔 Altitude	24.538	0.000	21.395	0.000	48.513	0.000	113.000	0.000	52.962	0.000	11.022	0.000
土层×海拔 Soil layer × altitude	0.377	0.887	0.899	0.509	0.411	0.865	0.695	0.656	0.408	0.868	1.025	0.430

土壤养分 Soil nutrient	土层 Soil layer (cm)	SOC	TN	TP	SOC:TP	TN:TP	SOC:TN
TN	0-10	0.734^***
TN	10-20	0.570^**
TP	0-10	-0.568^**	-0.140
TP	10-20	-0.581^**	-0.277
SOC:TP	0-10	0.901^***	0.516^*	-0.846^***
SOC:TP	10-20	0.911^***	0.457^*	-0.857^***
TN:TP	0-10	0.866^***	0.746^***	-0.758^***	0.915^***
TN:TP	10-20	0.730^***	0.728^***	-0.846^***	0.864^***
SOC:TN	0-10	0.591^**	-0.065	-0.684^**	0.755^***	0.438^*
SOC:TN	10-20	0.734^***	-0.123	-0.520^*	0.739^***	0.305
pH	0-10	0.183	-0.154	-0.661^**	0.419	0.331	0.410
pH	10-20	0.342	0.187	-0.696^***	0.561^**	0.601^**	0.259
生长季总降水量 Total precipitation of the growing season	0-10	0.660^**	0.271	-0.943^***	0.885^***	0.798^***	0.717^***
生长季总降水量 Total precipitation of the growing season	10-20	0.666^**	0.280	-0.957^***	0.893^***	0.823^***	0.625^**
生长季平均气温 Mean air temperature of the growing season	0-10	0.600^**	0.202	-0.929^***	0.838^***	0.742^***	0.709^***
生长季平均气温 Mean air temperature of the growing season	10-20	0.581^**	0.250	-0.933^***	0.829^***	0.792^***	0.553^**
灌丛地上生物量 Aboveground biomass of shrubs	0-10	0.509^*	0.786^***	0.064	0.245	0.452*	-0.201
灌丛地上生物量 Aboveground biomass of shrubs	10-20	0.383	0.590^**	-0.042	0.214	0.338	-0.060