Phosphorus transformations along a large-scale climosequence in arid and semiarid grasslands of northern China

The Walker and Syers model of phosphorus (P) transformations during long-term soil development has been verified along many chronosequences but has rarely been examined along climosequences, particularly in arid regions. We hypothesized that decreasing aridity would have similar effects on soil P transformations as time by increasing the rate of pedogenesis. To assess this, we examined P fractions in arid and semiarid grassland soils (0-10 cm) along a 3700 km aridity gradient in northern China (aridity between 0.43 and 0.97, calculated as 1 - [mean annual precipitation/potential evapotranspiration]). Primary mineral P declined as aridity decreased, although it still accounted for about 30% of the total P in the wettest sites. In contrast, the proportions of organic and occluded P increased as aridity decreased. These changes in soil P composition occurred in parallel with marked shifts in soil nutrient stoichiometry, with organic carbon: organic P and nitrogen: organic P ratios increasing with decreasing aridity. These results indicate increasing abundance of P relative to carbon or nitrogen along the climosequence. Overall, our results indicate a broad shift from abiotic to biotic control on P cycling at an aridity value of approximately 0.7 (corresponding to about 250 mm mean annual rainfall). We conclude that the Walker and Syers model can be extended to climosequences in arid and semiarid ecosystems and that the apparent decoupling of nutrient cycles in arid soils is a consequence of their pedogenic immaturity.