Impact of vegetation succession on leaf-litter-soil C∶N∶P stoichiometry and their intrinsic relationship in the Ziwuling Area of China's Loess Plateau

• 来源期刊: 林业研究（英文版）
• 年，卷（期）: 2021,（2）
• 所属期刊栏目: ORIGINAL PAPERS
• 页码范围: 697-711
• 页数: 15页
• 语种: 英文

摘要

Long-term natural vegetation succession plays a substantial role in the accumulation and distribution of plant and soil C∶N∶P stoichiometry.However,how plant and soil C:N:P relationships or ratios change along with successional stages over a century in the severely eroded areas remain unclear.These were measured over a 100-year natural suc-cession in five successional stages from annual grasses to climax forests.The results show that natural succession had significant effects on carbon(C),nitrogen(N)and phos-phorous(P)concentrations in leaf-litter-soil and their ratios in severely eroded areas.Nitrogen concentrations and N:P ratios in leaf and litter increased from annual grasses to the shrub stage and then decreased in the late successional for-est stages.Leaf P levels decreased from annual grasses to shrub stages and did not significantly change during late successional stages.Litter P concentration decreased in the early successional stages and increased during late succes-sional stages,with no overall significant change.Soil C and N concentrations and C:N,C:P and N:P ratios increased with successional stages.Soil C and N concentrations decreased with the increasing soil depth.Both were significantly dif-ferent between any successional stages and controls(crop-land)in the upper 10 cm and 10-20 cm soil layers.Leaf N:P ratios may be used to indicate nutrient limitations and this study suggests that plant growth during the grass stages was limited by N,during the shrub stage,by P,and during the forest stages,by both of N and P.In addition,there were close correlations between litter and leaf C:N:P ratios,soil and litter C and N levels,and C:P and N:P ratios.These results show that long-term natural vegetation succession is effective in restoring degraded soil properties and improving soil fertility,and provide insights into C:N:P relationships of leaf,litter and soil influenced by vegetation succession stage.