Abstract:
Objective To fully understand the ecological stoichiometry of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), in different organs of mixed forest in northern Guangdong and to reveal the nutrient balance mechanism and environmental adaptation mechanism of different organs of trees in the mixed forest in the southern subtropical in northern Guangdong.
Method Five tree species, i.e. Schima superba, Choerospondias axillaris, Castanopsis carlesii, Cunninghamia lanceolata and Pinus massoniana in Xiaoliukeng-Qingzhangshan provincial nature reserve in Nanxiong County of Guangdong Province, were used as the trial materials to compare the distribution patterns and ecological stoichiometry characteristics of these species, and the correlation between the contents of these elements and the stoichiometric ratio of different organs.
Result The results demonstrated that the contents of the four elements were the highest in leaf, the lowest in stem, and the medium in root and branch. The C:N, C:P and C:K showed the highest in stem, the lowest in leaf, and the medium in root and branch. The average C, N, P and K contents in leaf of the five tree species were 512.04, 14.29, 0.74 and 10.30 mg·g−1, respectively. The contents of N, P and K in leaf were significantly different from those in other organs (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis showed that trees had a complex internal coordination mechanism.
Conclusion The content of C in each organ of coniferous-broadleaved mixed forest in northern Guangdong is relatively high, but the contents of N, P and K are scarce, and the growth of trees is mainly restricted by phosphorus. Castanopsis carlesii, Choerospondias axillaris, and Cunninghamia lanceolata have higher utilization ability of P element, and Choerospondias axillaris has a better nutrient distribution pattern, which is conducive to maintaining the dominant position in the competition.