Spatial Patterns and Environmental Drivers of Leaf Litter Nutrients in Nitraria tangutorum and Nitraria sphaerocarpa in the Desert Region of Northwestern China

Jiyuan Liu, Cheng Wang, Ye Tao (), Yuanyuan Zhang, Jing Zhang, Xiaobing Zhou, Duoqi Zhou and Yuanming Zhang ()
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Jiyuan Liu: State Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
Cheng Wang: State Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
Ye Tao: State Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
Yuanyuan Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
Jing Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
Xiaobing Zhou: State Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
Duoqi Zhou: College of Life Sciences, Anqing Normal University, Anqing 246133, China
Yuanming Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 18, 1-22

Abstract: Litter nutrient stoichiometry and its drivers are important for understanding nutrient cycling in desert ecosystems, plant adaptation strategies, and the sustainability of ecosystem functions. However, little is known about the spatial variation in litter nutrient stoichiometry and its environmental drivers in desert shrubs. This study focused on two Nitraria species ( N. tangutorum Bobrov and N. sphaerocarpa Maxim) in Northwestern China, analyzing leaf litter N, P, and K stoichiometry, their spatial variation, and environmental drivers. Nutrient concentrations and stoichiometric ratios did not differ significantly between the two species. The average N contents in the litters of N. tangutorum and N. sphaerocarpa were 11.363 mg g −1 and 11.295 mg g −1 , respectively. The P contents were 0.591 mg g −1 and 0.611 mg g −1 , whereas the K contents were 17.482 mg g −1 and 16.255 mg g −1 , respectively. With the changes in geographic and climatic factors, the same nutrient elements of the two Nitraria species showed inconsistent variation patterns. Both species showed low P concentration, indicating high P resorption and possible P limitation, reflecting nutrient vulnerability in desert ecosystems according to the scaling exponents among elements. In litter, the residual nutrient contents ranked as K > P > N, suggesting strong N resorption but low K resorption, especially for N. sphaerocarpa . N was mainly influenced by latitude, P by soil properties, and K by mean annual temperature. Moreover, litter stoichiometric ratios of N. tangutorum were relatively stable, whereas those of N. sphaerocarpa were more sensitive to environmental variables. In conclusion, the two Nitraria shrubs exhibited differential nutrient use strategies under nutrient restriction, providing insights into nutrient cycling and supporting sustainable management of desert ecosystems.

Keywords: stoichiometry; Nitraria tangutorum; Nitraria sphaerocarpa; leaf litter; central Asia; influencing factors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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