C, N and P stoichiometric characteristics of soil and litter fall for six common tree species in a northern tropical karst seasonal rainforest in Nonggang, Guangxi, southern China

doi:10.17520/biods.2017148

Abstract

Abstract:

Litter fall provides organic matter and nutrients to forest ecosystems and is central to the exchange of substances between soil and plants. It plays a vital role in the maintenance of soil organic matter and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems and it is one of the main sources of soil fertility. We used litter fall data for six common tree species collected between March 2014 and February 2015 from 90 litter fall traps, and fifty soil samples collected in July 2014 along an altitudinal gradient from 185 to 368 m in a tropical karst forest in Guangxi, China. We studied the C, N and P stoichiometric characteristics of soil and litter fall, and their trends along an altitudinal gradient. Soil C and N contents were all positively associated with altitude, while P content was negatively associated with altitude. Soil C : N was negatively associated with altitude, while C : P and N : P were positively associated with altitude. Due to the narrow altitudinal range of the soil samples, we speculate that the association of soil nutrients with altitude is due to the effect of micro-topography and not a climatic effect. Apart from the higher slope and summit, the soil C, N, P contents reached the first classification level of the national criterion of soil nutrients. Compared with other forest ecosystems, we found greater C and N contents and lower P content than the average value of C, N, P contents for litter fall of six common species. There were no trends for C, N and P stoichiometric characteristics of the mixed sample of leaf litter for the six common tree species along an altitudinal gradient. The six common tree species have higher C content in spring and higher contents of N and P in summer. The per unit total basal area of trees in this forest was much lower than other forest ecosystems, indicating its low biomass stock. This study provides useful information for ecological restoration of a typical vulnerable karst ecosystem in China.

http://jtp.cnki.net/bilingual/detail/html/SWDY201710012

Key words: karst seasonal rainforest, stoichiometric characteristics, soil, litter fall of leaves, altitude gradient, seasonal variation

Yili Guo, Dongxing Li, Bin Wang, Kundong Bai, Wusheng Xiang, Xiankun Li. C, N and P stoichiometric characteristics of soil and litter fall for six common tree species in a northern tropical karst seasonal rainforest in Nonggang, Guangxi, southern China[J]. Biodiv Sci, 2017, 25(10): 1085-1094.

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URL: https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/10.17520/biods.2017148

https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/Y2017/V25/I10/1085

Figures/Tables 6

References 33

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编号 No.	种名 Species	个体数 No. of individuals	平均胸径 Mean DBH (cm)	2014年凋落量 Litter fall in 2014 (kg/ha)	偏好生境 Preferred habitat	海拔 Altitude (m)
SP1	海南椴 Diplodiscus trichosperma	1,982	6.65	425.1	上坡位 Upper slope	290.2
SP2	闭花木 Cleistanthus sumatranus	11,982	4.57	694.3	上坡位 Upper slope	279.2
SP3	广西牡荆 Vitex kwangsiensia	9,403	7.87	542.5	中坡位 Middle slope	253.9
SP4	苹婆 Sterculia monosperma	9,066	5.00	470.9	中坡位 Middle slope	244.1
SP5	中国无忧花 Saraca dives	194	13.67	161.3	低坡位 Lower slope	211.0
SP6	广西棋子豆 Archidendron guangxiensis	507	7.76	127.9	低坡位 Lower slope	207.9

编号 No.	种名 Species	个体数 No. of individuals	平均胸径 Mean DBH (cm)	2014年凋落量 Litter fall in 2014 (kg/ha)	偏好生境 Preferred habitat	海拔 Altitude (m)
SP1	海南椴 Diplodiscus trichosperma	1,982	6.65	425.1	上坡位 Upper slope	290.2
SP2	闭花木 Cleistanthus sumatranus	11,982	4.57	694.3	上坡位 Upper slope	279.2
SP3	广西牡荆 Vitex kwangsiensia	9,403	7.87	542.5	中坡位 Middle slope	253.9
SP4	苹婆 Sterculia monosperma	9,066	5.00	470.9	中坡位 Middle slope	244.1
SP5	中国无忧花 Saraca dives	194	13.67	161.3	低坡位 Lower slope	211.0
SP6	广西棋子豆 Archidendron guangxiensis	507	7.76	127.9	低坡位 Lower slope	207.9

生境类型 Habitat category	C (g/kg)	N (g/kg)	P (g/kg)	C : N	C : P	N : P
峰顶 Hilltop	141.82 ± 7.97^a	9.25 ± 0.58^a	0.70 ± 0.04^a	15.44 ± 0.42^a	207.67 ± 13.90^a	13.59 ± 1.05^a
高坡位 Upper slope	121.01 ± 8.38^b	7.77 ± 0.45^ab	0.79 ± 0.08^a	15.93 ± 1.33^a	159.75 ± 13.30^b	10.70 ± 1.16^ab
中坡位 Middle slope	103.56 ± 6.69^c	6.63 ± 0.36^b	1.18 ± 0.102^ab	15.65 ± 0.56^a	93.332 ± 9.10^c	6.00 ± 0.58^b
低坡位 Lower slope	103.66 ± 4.67^c	6.32 ± 0.37^b	1.67 ± 0.11^b	16.59 ± 0.56^a	63.57 ± 3.818^d	3.87 ± 0.26^c
洼地 Depression	90.38 ± 6.68^d	5.26 ± 0.38^c	2.40 ± 0.19^c	17.54 ± 1.25^ab	40.77 ± 4.96^e	2.32 ± 0.25^cd

生境类型 Habitat category	C (g/kg)	N (g/kg)	P (g/kg)	C : N	C : P	N : P
峰顶 Hilltop	141.82 ± 7.97^a	9.25 ± 0.58^a	0.70 ± 0.04^a	15.44 ± 0.42^a	207.67 ± 13.90^a	13.59 ± 1.05^a
高坡位 Upper slope	121.01 ± 8.38^b	7.77 ± 0.45^ab	0.79 ± 0.08^a	15.93 ± 1.33^a	159.75 ± 13.30^b	10.70 ± 1.16^ab
中坡位 Middle slope	103.56 ± 6.69^c	6.63 ± 0.36^b	1.18 ± 0.102^ab	15.65 ± 0.56^a	93.332 ± 9.10^c	6.00 ± 0.58^b
低坡位 Lower slope	103.66 ± 4.67^c	6.32 ± 0.37^b	1.67 ± 0.11^b	16.59 ± 0.56^a	63.57 ± 3.818^d	3.87 ± 0.26^c
洼地 Depression	90.38 ± 6.68^d	5.26 ± 0.38^c	2.40 ± 0.19^c	17.54 ± 1.25^ab	40.77 ± 4.96^e	2.32 ± 0.25^cd

物种 Species	C (g/kg)	N(g/kg)	P (g/kg)	C : N	C : P	N : P
海南椴 Diplodiscus trichosperma	586.24 ± 47.25^b	16.37 ± 2.71^b	0.63 ± 0.11^c	36.43 ± 1.33^b	941.69 ± 34.37^b	26.12 ± 1.21^b
闭花木 Cleistanthus sumatranus	624.66 ± 32.53^a	13.30 ± 4.47^c	0.41 ± 0.08^cd	50.71 ± 3.70^a	1,582.98 ± 92.82^a	32.32 ± 2.08^b
广西牡荆 Vitex kwangsiensia	581.99 ± 56.14^b	20.42 ± 3.06^a	1.08 ± 0.15^ab	28.88 ± 1.09^c	545 ± 23.32^c	18.97 ± 0.70^c
苹婆 Sterculia monosperma	578.50 ± 33.51^b	16.31 ± 2.06^b	1.23 ± 0.27^a	36.04 ± 1.58^b	501.37 ± 39.61^c	13.84 ± 0.77^d
中国无忧花 Saraca dives	578.49 ± 19.74^b	13.94 ± 2.23^bc	1.33 ± 0.31^a	42.64 ± 2.34^ab	450.20 ± 23.11^c	10.87 ± 0.81^d
广西棋子豆 Archidendron guangxiensis	649.00 ± 51.29^a	21.24 ± 2.54^a	0.48 ± 0.08^cd	31.00 ± 1.31^c	1,397.22 ± 88.93^a	45.10 ± 2.02^a