Divergent patterns and spatial heterogeneity of soil nutrients in a complex and dynamic savanna landscape

Many grassy ecosystems around the world are experiencing woody encroachment. These woody encroachers often cause nutrient enrichment in the plant-soil environment, potentially facilitating their growth and reproduction. However, studies of encroachment effects on nutrient distributions have been confined to a few major elements (e.g., N, and P) and limited in spatial extent. We analyzed 19 elements in dominant plants and in georeferenced soils across a subtropical savanna landscape experiencing woody encroachment to quantify their spatial patterns and elucidate drivers responsible for these patterns. We found divergent patterns of spatial heterogeneity of these elements in surface soils across this complex landscape. Nutrient accumulation underneath woody canopies and redistribution by woody plants occurred in a subset of elements (i.e., N, P, S, Ca, Cu, and Sr). Though some of these elements are not necessarily growth-limiting, they do occur in higher concentrations in woody compared t...