Journal
AGRONOMY-BASEL
Volume 13, Issue 2, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/agronomy13020411
Keywords
leaf stoichiometry; climate; geography; life form; Hainan Island
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study found that leaf stoichiometry characteristics in the tropical region of Hainan Island, China are influenced by geographic and climatic factors. Leaf N and P content are negatively correlated with latitude and mean annual temperature, and positively correlated with longitude. Leaf C:N and C:P ratios are significantly correlated with longitude and altitude, while leaf N:P ratio is significantly correlated with altitude, mean annual temperature, and mean annual precipitation. This study provides insights into the spatial patterns of leaf stoichiometry and their response to global climate change in tropical plants.
Leaf stoichiometry effectively indicates the response and adaptation of plants to environmental changes. Although numerous studies on leaf stoichiometry patterns have focused on the mid-latitudes and specific species of plants, these patterns and the effect of the climate change on them across a broad range of plants have remained poorly characterized in hot and humid regions at low latitudes. In the present study, leaf N, P, N:P, C:N, and C:P ratios, were determined from 345 plant leaf samples of 268 species at four forest sites in Hainan Island, China. For all plants, leaf N (3.80 +/- 0.20 mg g(-1)) and P (1.82 +/- 0.07 mg g(-1)) were negatively correlated with latitude and mean annual temperature (MAT) but were positively correlated with longitude. Leaf N was found to be positively correlated with altitude (ALT), and leaf P was positively correlated with mean annual precipitation (MAP). The leaf C:N ratio (278.77 +/- 15.86) was significantly correlated with longitude and ALT, leaf C:P ratio (390.69 +/- 15.15) was significantly correlated with all factors except ALT, and leaf N:P ratio (2.25 +/- 0.10) was significantly correlated with ALT, MAT, and MAP. Comparable results were observed for woody plants. The results suggest that leaf stoichiometry on Hainan Island is affected by changes in geographical and climatic factors. In addition, the low N:P ratio indicates that plant growth may be limited by N availability. Moreover, the significant correlation between leaf N and P implies a possible synergistic relationship between N and P uptake efficiency in the plants of this region. This study helps to reveal the spatial patterns of leaf stoichiometry and their response to global climate change in a variety of plants in tropical regions with hot and humid environments, which may provide an insight in nutrient management in tropical rainforest.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available