Altitudinal patterns of leaf stoichiometry and nutrient resorption in Quercus variabilis in the Baotianman Mountains, China
BackgroundMost studies focus on macronutrient of C, N and P and ignore other elements, which restrict our understanding on the strategy of plant nutrient adaption and nutrient cycling.MethodsWe investigated 14 element (C, N, P, S, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Na, Al, and Ba) concentrations of green and senesced leaves in Quercus variabilis along the altitude in the Baotianman Mountains, China, and assessed their relationships with climate, soil, and plant functional traits.ResultsLeaf N,S and K increased with, C, Ca, Na, Fe, Mn, Cu and Ba decreased with, and P, Mg, Al, Zn and N:P did not change significantly with altitude. NRE and SRE increased with, and CRE decreased with altitude (p 0.05) Among the 14 elements, nucleic acid protein elements (N, K, S and P) were resorbed preferentially, compare to structural (Ca, Mn, and B) and enzymatic (C, Cu, Mg and Zn) that were discriminated against, and toxic (Al and Fe) elements that were totally excluded.ConclusionsQ. variabilis can synergetically regulate green leaf multielement stoichiometry and nutrient resorption in responses to environment change. Deciduous plants may have a trade off mechanism at the end of growing season to rebalance somatic nutrients.
Plant and Soil