Abstract
Purpose
Leaf elemental stoichiometry is indicative of plant nutrient limitation, community composition, ecosystem function. Understanding the variations of leaf carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry at genus-level across large geographic regions and identifying their driving factors are important to predict the response and adaptation of the deciduous Quercus species affected by climate change.
Methods
Here, we determined the patterns of leaf concentrations ([]) and ratios ( /) of C, N, P of five deciduous Quercus species across China covering ~ 20 latitude (~ 21–41˚ N) and longitude (~ 99–119˚ E) degrees, and detected their relationships with climatic and edaphic variables.
Results
Leaf [C], [N] and N/P, C/P significantly increased, while leaf [P] and C/N decreased with increasing latitude. Leaf stoichiometry except for leaf [C] had no significant trends along the longitude. Climatic variables, i.e., mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, aridity index, and the potential evapotranspiration as well as the edaphic factors, i.e., the concentration of soil organic matter, soil P, and soil pH were the determinants of the geographic patterns of leaf C, N, P stoichiometry of the deciduous Quercus species at the broad geographic range. The studied deciduous Quercus species growing in cold, dry and infertile environments tended to increase leaf [P] and C/N but to decrease leaf [C], [N], C/P and N/P, implying positive regulation on nutrient strategies to adapt to different environments.
Conclusions
Both climatic and edaphic variables have important effects on leaf C, N, P stoichiometry of the studied deciduous Quercus species across large geographic scales. The ongoing climate change might alter nutrient strategies and potentially shift the distribution range of this eurytopic species.
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The data that support the findings of this study are available in the supplementary material of this article.
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Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the Key Special Project for Introduced Talents Team of Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (No. GML2019ZD0408) and the National Natural Science Foundtion of China (No 41771522, 42071065). We thank Caichuan Huang, Chaodong Yang, Chenhua Lei, Chunyu Zhou, Hao Jiang, Jiang Liu, Jinfu Liu, Liqin Gao, Meihua Liu, Rongxun Xu, Xiaofei Lu, Xiaoming Fang, Xinchun Lin, Xinghao Tang, Yihua Xiao, and Yongxing Li for their generous help in samplings.
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Y.W. designed the study; Y.T., Y.W., S.B., Y.L., Z.F., J.F. and F.F. performed the experiments; Y.T. analyzed the data; Y.T. and Y.W. drafted the manuscript. All authors contributed critically to the revised manuscript.
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Lin, Y., Lai, Y., Tang, S. et al. Climatic and edaphic variables determine leaf C, N, P stoichiometry of deciduous Quercus species. Plant Soil 474, 383–394 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05342-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05342-3