Data from: Multiple global change factors alter the scaling of nitrogen to phosphorus in alpine plants

The stoichiometry and allometry of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) reflect
plant nutrient absorption and dynamic allocation. They can be regulated by
global change factors (e.g., climate warming, nitrogen enrichment, and
altered precipitation). Yet, how multiple global change factors act
interactively to influence the stoichiometric characteristics of N and P
and their scaling relationships in different plant organs remains poorly
understood. In a field experiment with treatments of nitrogen addition
(Nadd), warming (W), and reduced precipitation (Pr) in an alpine meadow,
we examined how global change factors interact to alter N and P
stoichiometric characteristics of leaves and seeds. An allometry model
(i.e., N = βPα) was employed to detect changes in the scaling of plant N
to P under different treatments. Our results showed that nitrogen addition
significantly increased leaf N concentration (+44.0 %), seed N
concentration (+16.9 %) and leaf N : P ratios (+27.8 %) under ambient
temperatures and significantly increased leaf N concentration (+53.7 %)
and leaf N : P ratios (+46.4 %) under ambient precipitation. Importantly,
nitrogen addition and warming/reduced precipitation had synergistic
effects on P concentration of leaves and seeds, and antagonistic effects
on N : P ratios of leaves. Moreover, although none of the three global
change factors individually altered the scaling of N to P, nitrogen
addition interacted with warming or with reduced precipitation to decrease
the scaling exponents in leaves and increased them in seeds. Our results
suggest that multiple global change factors can alter the N and P
allocation patterns and result in a decoupling of N and P in different
plant organs. These findings highlight the importance of considering
interactions of multiple factors when predicting dynamic changes in plant
stoichiometric characteristics and nutrient utilization strategies under
global change scenarios.