Data from: Allocation of nitrogen and phosphorus within and between the needles, stems, and roots of Picea seedlings

The allocation of nutrients links ecosystem supply services to the functional traits and development of plants. This is particularly true for nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), which are important limiting resources in natural systems and are related to many aspects of plant biology. We investigated the scaling relationships associated with the N and P contents within specific organ types (needles, stems, and roots) and the same nutrients in the different organs of Picea seedlings from nine taxa grown under greenhouse conditions. Our results showed that the N and P contents were highly correlated within and between plant organs. A common isometric scaling relationship (scaling exponent ≈ 1) between N and P was observed in spruce needles, stems, and roots. The N and P contents had different scaling exponents in different plant organs. The scaling relationships of the N content across different organ types tended to be allometric (scaling exponent < 1) between stems and non-stem organs, and isometric between needles and roots. For P contents, similar scaling relationships were also found in the three organs. These results may further advance our understanding of plant nutrient allocation strategies within and between major organs.

养分分配将生态系统供给服务与植物功能性状及生长发育紧密关联。对于自然生态系统中关键的限制性资源氮（N）与磷（P）而言尤为如此，二者与植物生物学的诸多领域密切相关。本研究针对温室条件下培育的9个类群云杉幼苗，探究了其特定器官类型（针叶、茎干与根系）内的氮、磷含量，以及不同器官间同种养分含量的缩放关联规律。研究结果显示，植物器官内部以及器官之间的氮、磷含量均呈高度相关性。在云杉的针叶、茎干与根系中，均观测到氮与磷间存在统一的等速缩放关系（缩放指数≈1）。氮与磷含量在不同植物器官中具有不同的缩放指数。不同器官类型间的氮含量缩放关系呈现异速特征：茎干与非茎干器官间的缩放指数<1，而针叶与根系间则为等速缩放。对于磷含量而言，三种器官中也观测到了类似的缩放关系。本研究结果可进一步深化我们对植物主要器官内部以及器官间养分分配策略的认知。