Desert halophytes are a special plant group widely distributed in desert ecosystems. Studying their ecological stoichiometric characteristics is helpful for understanding their nutrient utilization characteristics and survival strategies. In this study, three functional groups of halophyte shrubs (euhalophytes, pseudohalophytes, and secretohalophytes) were studied in the Xinjiang desert, and the ecological stoichiometric characteristics of their leaves and their relationships with soil factors were evaluated. The results showed that the C content in secretohalophytes (442.27 ± 3.08 mg g−1) was significantly higher than that in the other functional groups (p < 0.05). The N and P contents in euhalophytes (22.17 ± 0.49 mg g−1 and 1.35 ± 0.04 mg g−1, respectively) were significantly higher than those in halophytes (p < 0.05). The N/P results showed that the growth rates of euhalophytes and pseudohalophytes were more susceptible to P limitation, whereas that of secretohalophytes was more susceptible to both N and P limitations, indicating that there were differences in nutrient characteristics among different functional groups. The results of the redundancy analysis showed that the leaf C, N, and P contents of euhalophytes were most affected by electrical conductivity (EC), whereas those of pseudohalophytes and secretohalophytes were most affected by the soil C content, indicating that different functional groups of halophyte shrubs had different responses to soil factors. The results of this study revealed the nutrient utilization characteristics of different functional groups of halophyte shrubs in the Xinjiang desert and their response and adaptation mechanisms to soil factors, thereby providing a basis for desert ecosystem management.

In order to explore the stoichiometric characteristics of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) of Haloxylon ammodendron on the south edge of Gurbantungut Desert, and to reveal the adaptability of desert plants to nutrient utilization in barren habitats, this study took the south edge of Gurbantungut Desert in Xinjiang as a typical area. The contents of N and P in leaves, stems and roots of H. ammodendron were measured and analyzed, and the correlation between the ecological stoichiometry of N and P in organs and soil factors was discussed, as well as the influence of the samples and organs. The results showed as follows: (1) There were significant differences in N content, P content and N:P among different organs of H. ammodendron, and the trend of each index was roughly the same. The general trend was higher in leaves, followed by stems and roots. (2) Correlation analysis showed that N content in all organs of H. ammodendron was positively correlated with soil total nitrogen. P content in leaves and roots was significantly positively correlated with soil total P, while P content in stems was significantly negatively correlated with soil total P. P content in all organs was negatively correlated with soil N:P. The contents of N, P and N:P in different organs were negatively correlated with soil pH and electrical conductivity. (3) General linear model analysis showed that organs had great influence on N content, P content and N:P of H. ammodendron.