Spatial Patterns of Leaf Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus Stoichiometry of Aquatic Macrophytes in the Arid Zone of Northwestern China.

ABSTRACT: Ecological stoichiometry is a powerful indicator for understanding the adaptation of plants to environment. However, understanding of stoichiometric characteristics of leaf carbon (C%), nitrogen (N%), and phosphorus (P%) for aquatic macrophytes remains limited. In this study, 707 samples from 146 sites were collected to study the variations in leaf C%, N%, and P%, and tried to explore how different environmental conditions affect leaf C, N, and P stoichiometry. Results showed that the mean values of leaf C%, N%, P%, and N:P ratios were 39.95%, 2.12%, 0.14%, and 16.60% of macrophytes across the arid zone of northwestern China, respectively. And the mean values of leaf P% were lower than those from the Tibetan Plateau and eastern China, which maybe due to an adaptation strategy of the plants

SUBMITTER: Gong X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6160588 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature