Stoichiometric Characteristics of Leaf, Litter and Soil during Vegetation Succession in Maolan National Nature Reserve, Guizhou, China

Peng Wu, Hua Zhou, Yingchun Cui, Wenjun Zhao, Yiju Hou, Chengjiang Tan, Guangneng Yang and Fangjun Ding ()
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Peng Wu: Guizhou Academy of Forestry, Guiyang 550005, China
Hua Zhou: Guizhou Academy of Forestry, Guiyang 550005, China
Yingchun Cui: Guizhou Academy of Forestry, Guiyang 550005, China
Wenjun Zhao: Guizhou Academy of Forestry, Guiyang 550005, China
Yiju Hou: Guizhou Academy of Forestry, Guiyang 550005, China
Chengjiang Tan: Guizhou Libo Observation and Research Station for Karst Forest Ecosystem, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Libo 558400, China
Guangneng Yang: Guizhou Academy of Forestry, Guiyang 550005, China
Fangjun Ding: Guizhou Academy of Forestry, Guiyang 550005, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 24, 1-25

Abstract: Carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are the main nutrient elements widely found in soil, litter and leaves, and their stoichiometric ratios are important indicators of ecosystem functions. However, there is little research on the effects that nutrient cycle and vegetation succession have on leaf, litter and soil nutrients and stoichiometric ratios, especially in the fragile karst areas. To reveal the nutrient cycling characteristics and ecosystem stability mechanism during vegetation succession, leaf, litter and soil samples were collected from the herbaceous community (HC), shrub community (SC), secondary forest community (SF) and primary forest community (PF) in a typical karst area at growth and senescence phases. The results showed that the nutrient contents and stoichiometric ratios of leaf, litter and soil in the main layers of each community were significantly different at the growth and senescence phase. The utilization efficiency of N in the leaves of the main layers of each succession community first decreased and then increased at different growth stages, and the utilization efficiency of P increased but the reabsorption rates of N and P showed a continuous decreasing trend. In addition, there was a significant allometric relationship between N and P contents in plant leaves during the growth phase. More importantly, the internal stability of N content in plant leaves was higher than the P content, suggesting that vegetation succession significantly affected leaf, litter and soil nutrient contents and their stoichiometric ratios in our study region. The strength of the relationship between them reflects the inheritance and co–variation of nutrient content to a certain extent, and the differences in the strategies that different species in the community use to adapt to the fragile karst environment. This study concludes that plants in the karst region mainly improve their P utilization efficiency to adapt to low phosphorus stress in soil and ensure the normal physiological and biochemical responses in the process of vegetation succession.

Keywords: vegetation succession; leaf–litter–soil; stoichiometric characteristics; homeostasis; resorption efficiency; nutrient use efficiency; Maolan National Nature Reserve (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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