Stoichiometry of root and leaf nitrogen and phosphorus in a dry alpine steppe on the Northern Tibetan Plateau.

ABSTRACT: Leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) have been used widely in the ecological stoichiometry to understand nutrient limitation in plant. However,few studies have focused on the relationship between root nutrients and environmental factors. The main objective of this study was to clarify the pattern of root and leaf N and P concentrations and the relationships between plant nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations with climatic factors under low temperature conditions in the northern Tibetan Plateau of China. We conducted a systematic census of N and P concentrations, and the N∶P ratio in leaf and root for 139 plant samples, from 14 species and 7 families in a dry Stipa purpurea alpine steppe on the northern Tibetan Plateau of China. The results showed that the mean root N and P concent

SUBMITTER: Hong J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4192305 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature