Abstract
Aim The identification of stoichiometric flexibility is crucial for understanding carbon-nitrogen-phosphorus (C-N-P) interactions and ecosystem dynamics under a changing environment. However, current evidence of stoichiometric flexibility mainly comes from manipulation experiments, with little evidence from large-scale observations.
Location Alpine and temperate grasslands across northern China.
Methods Using soil profiles derived from a historical national soil inventory and a contemporary regional soil survey across China's grasslands, we examined temporal changes in topsoil C:N:P ratios over recent decades.
Results Topsoil C: N ratios of five major grassland types exhibited some flexibility but did not show significant changes over the sampling interval. Non-significant changes in topsoil C: N ratios were observed both in alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau and in temperate grasslands on the Inner Mongolian Plateau. Consistent with the relatively stable C: N ratios, the slope of the soil C-N stoichiometric relationship did not differ significantly between the two sampling periods. Soil N: P ratios in the surface layer increased significantly over the sampling interval, however, with an overall increase of 0.60 (95% confidence interval 0.58-0.62). A larger increase in soil N: P ratio was found in temperate grasslands on the Inner Mongolian Plateau than in alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau. Moreover, the slope of the soil N-P stoichiometric relationship in these grassland ecosystems became steeper over the sampling interval.
Main conclusions These results demonstrate the stability of topsoil C: N stoichiometry but variability in N: P stoichiometry over broad geographical scales, highlighting that soil C and N are tightly coupled, but N and P tend to be decoupled under a changing environment.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 947-955 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Global Ecology and Biogeography |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| Early online date | 20 Apr 2014 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Aug 2014 |
Keywords
- carbon-nitrogen-phosphorus interactions
- carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus ratio
- ecological stoichiometry
- grassland ecosystems
- soil inventory
- stoichiometric flexibility
- terrestrial ecosystems
- nitrogen deposition
- elevated CO2
- microbial biomass
- inorganic carbon
- global change
- phosphorus
- limitation
- decomposition
- patterns
Cite this
Stoichiometric shifts in surface soils over broad geographical scales : evidence from China's grasslands. / Yang, Yuanhe; Fang, Jingyun; Ji, Chengjun; Datta, Arindam; Li, Pin; Ma, Wenhong; Mohammat, Anwar; Shen, Haihua; Hu, Huifeng; Knapp, Benjamin O.; Smith, Pete.
In: Global Ecology and Biogeography, Vol. 23, No. 8, 08.2014, p. 947-955.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Stoichiometric shifts in surface soils over broad geographical scales
T2 - evidence from China's grasslands
AU - Yang, Yuanhe
AU - Fang, Jingyun
AU - Ji, Chengjun
AU - Datta, Arindam
AU - Li, Pin
AU - Ma, Wenhong
AU - Mohammat, Anwar
AU - Shen, Haihua
AU - Hu, Huifeng
AU - Knapp, Benjamin O.
AU - Smith, Pete
N1 - We thank members of the Peking University Sampling Campaign Team for their help with fieldwork and also appreciate Ian Wright and three anonymous referees for their thoughtful comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript. This study was sponsored by the National Basic Research Program of China on Global Change (2014CB954001 and 2010CB950600), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31322011, 41371213 and 31021001) and the Thousand Young Talents Program.
PY - 2014/8
Y1 - 2014/8
N2 - Aim The identification of stoichiometric flexibility is crucial for understanding carbon-nitrogen-phosphorus (C-N-P) interactions and ecosystem dynamics under a changing environment. However, current evidence of stoichiometric flexibility mainly comes from manipulation experiments, with little evidence from large-scale observations.Location Alpine and temperate grasslands across northern China.Methods Using soil profiles derived from a historical national soil inventory and a contemporary regional soil survey across China's grasslands, we examined temporal changes in topsoil C:N:P ratios over recent decades.Results Topsoil C: N ratios of five major grassland types exhibited some flexibility but did not show significant changes over the sampling interval. Non-significant changes in topsoil C: N ratios were observed both in alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau and in temperate grasslands on the Inner Mongolian Plateau. Consistent with the relatively stable C: N ratios, the slope of the soil C-N stoichiometric relationship did not differ significantly between the two sampling periods. Soil N: P ratios in the surface layer increased significantly over the sampling interval, however, with an overall increase of 0.60 (95% confidence interval 0.58-0.62). A larger increase in soil N: P ratio was found in temperate grasslands on the Inner Mongolian Plateau than in alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau. Moreover, the slope of the soil N-P stoichiometric relationship in these grassland ecosystems became steeper over the sampling interval.Main conclusions These results demonstrate the stability of topsoil C: N stoichiometry but variability in N: P stoichiometry over broad geographical scales, highlighting that soil C and N are tightly coupled, but N and P tend to be decoupled under a changing environment.
AB - Aim The identification of stoichiometric flexibility is crucial for understanding carbon-nitrogen-phosphorus (C-N-P) interactions and ecosystem dynamics under a changing environment. However, current evidence of stoichiometric flexibility mainly comes from manipulation experiments, with little evidence from large-scale observations.Location Alpine and temperate grasslands across northern China.Methods Using soil profiles derived from a historical national soil inventory and a contemporary regional soil survey across China's grasslands, we examined temporal changes in topsoil C:N:P ratios over recent decades.Results Topsoil C: N ratios of five major grassland types exhibited some flexibility but did not show significant changes over the sampling interval. Non-significant changes in topsoil C: N ratios were observed both in alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau and in temperate grasslands on the Inner Mongolian Plateau. Consistent with the relatively stable C: N ratios, the slope of the soil C-N stoichiometric relationship did not differ significantly between the two sampling periods. Soil N: P ratios in the surface layer increased significantly over the sampling interval, however, with an overall increase of 0.60 (95% confidence interval 0.58-0.62). A larger increase in soil N: P ratio was found in temperate grasslands on the Inner Mongolian Plateau than in alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau. Moreover, the slope of the soil N-P stoichiometric relationship in these grassland ecosystems became steeper over the sampling interval.Main conclusions These results demonstrate the stability of topsoil C: N stoichiometry but variability in N: P stoichiometry over broad geographical scales, highlighting that soil C and N are tightly coupled, but N and P tend to be decoupled under a changing environment.
KW - carbon-nitrogen-phosphorus interactions
KW - carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus ratio
KW - ecological stoichiometry
KW - grassland ecosystems
KW - soil inventory
KW - stoichiometric flexibility
KW - terrestrial ecosystems
KW - nitrogen deposition
KW - elevated CO2
KW - microbial biomass
KW - inorganic carbon
KW - global change
KW - phosphorus
KW - limitation
KW - decomposition
KW - patterns
U2 - 10.1111/geb.12175
DO - 10.1111/geb.12175
M3 - Article
VL - 23
SP - 947
EP - 955
JO - Global Ecology and Biogeography
JF - Global Ecology and Biogeography
SN - 1466-822X
IS - 8
ER -