DataSheet_1_Divergence in spatial patterns of leaf stoichiometry between native and non-native plants across coastal wetlands.xlsx

The spatial pattern of leaf stoichiometry is critical in predicting plant palatability and ecosystem productivity and nutrient cycling rates and thus is a major focus of community ecological research. Coastal wetlands as vital blue carbon ecosystems, with high possibility to be vulnerable to plant invasion, studies focused on stoichiometry and its pattern are important to unveil the elements cycling process. However, previous studies have mainly focused on stoichiometry in terrestrial ecosystems, there are few studies conducted on coastal wetland ecosystems, especially the studies that compare leaf stoichiometry between native and non-native plants in coastal wetlands. In this study, we compared the latitudinal patterns of leaf nutrient contents and their stoichiometric ratios between native and non-native plant species across coastal wetland ecosystems and investigated whether leaf stoichiometric patterns were driven by climatic factors. We used a compiled global data set of 954 records to conduct a systematic meta-analysis. The results showed that there were significant differences in latitudinal patterns of leaf carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) contents and C:N ratio between native and non-native species, as well as significant differences in leaf C, N, and phosphorus (P) contents. For native species, we found significant latitudinal patterns in leaf C, N, and P contents and C:N and C:P ratios, whereas for non-native species, we found significant latitudinal patterns in leaf N content and C:P and N:P ratios. Mean annual temperature of the data collection site was a significant predictor of leaf stoichiometry of native plants but only of leaf N content and C:P ratio of non-native plants. Thus, we demonstrated spatial heterogeneity in leaf stoichiometries between native and non-native plants in coastal wetlands, indicating that such differences should be emphasized in future biogeochemical models and plant-herbivore interaction studies owing to the important role of wetland plants in global C, N, and P cycles. Our findings increase understanding of plant-related nutrient and elements cycling in coastal wetlands, as well as improve predictions of plant growth rates and vegetation productivity across large scales under plant invasion scenarios.

叶片化学计量学（leaf stoichiometry）的空间格局对于预测植物适口性、生态系统生产力及养分循环速率至关重要，因此是群落生态学研究的核心议题之一。滨海湿地作为重要的蓝碳生态系统，极易受到植物入侵的影响，聚焦化学计量学及其空间格局的研究对揭示元素循环过程具有重要意义。然而，以往研究多聚焦于陆地生态系统的化学计量学，针对滨海湿地生态系统的相关研究较为匮乏，尤其是对比滨海湿地本土与外来植物叶片化学计量学差异的研究更是寥寥无几。本研究针对全球滨海湿地生态系统中的本土与外来植物物种，对比其叶片养分含量及化学计量比的纬度格局，并探究叶片化学计量格局是否由气候因素驱动。本研究整合了包含954条记录的全球数据集，开展系统性元分析（meta-analysis）。结果显示，本土与外来物种的叶片碳（C）、氮（N）含量及C:N比的纬度格局存在显著差异，且二者的叶片C、N、磷（P）含量亦存在显著差异。针对本土物种，其叶片C、N、P含量及C:N、C:P比均呈现显著的纬度格局；而对外来物种而言，仅其叶片N含量及C:P、N:P比存在显著纬度格局。数据采集点的年平均气温可显著预测本土植物的叶片化学计量特征，但仅能预测外来植物的叶片N含量与C:P比。据此，本研究证实了滨海湿地中本土与外来植物叶片化学计量特征存在空间异质性，鉴于湿地植物在全球C、N、P循环中的重要作用，未来生物地球化学模型以及植物-草食动物互作研究中应重视此类差异。本研究结果有助于加深对滨海湿地植物相关养分与元素循环的认识，同时可提升植物入侵情景下大尺度范围内植物生长速率与植被生产力的预测精度。