C:N:P stoichiometry in China's forests: from organs to ecosystems

Ecological stoichiometry connects different levels of biology, from the gene to the globe, by scaling up elemental ratios (e.g., carbon [C], nitrogen [N], and phosphorus [P]). Thus, ecological stoichiometry could be a powerful tool for revealing certain physiological processes of plants. However, C:N:P stoichiometry remains unclear at the community and ecosystem level, despite it being potentially important for primary productivity.
In this study, we measured the C, N, and P content of different plant organs, litter, and soil in 9 natural forest ecosystems (cold-temperate to tropical forests along a 3700-km transect in China) to explore C:N:P stoichiometry and the main influencing factors. C:N:P stoichiometry was evaluated for different components in the forest ecosystems (plant community, soil, litter, and ecosystem) and, at the community level, for different organs (leaves, branches, trunks, and roots) from 803 plant species.
The ratios of C:P and N:P decreased with increasing latit...