Global pattern of leaf litter nitrogen and phosphorus in woody plants

Abstract

Abstract• Forest ecosystems exert an important influence on global biogeochemical cycles. A global dataset of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations in leaf-litter of woody plants was compiled from the literature. Among the 677 data sets, 482 included P concentrations and the N:P ratio.• At a global scale, the mean leaf-litter N and P and N:P ratio were 10.9 mg g −1 , 0.85 mg g −1 and 18.3, respectively. Leaf-litter N and P were significantly correlated. When the data was grouped by continents, the highest mean N was found in Africa (19.5 mg g −1 ), and the lowest in North America (8.18 mg g −1 ). P was significantly smaller in the Asian Islands (Japan and Malaysia, 0.44 mg g −1 ) than on the Asian mainland. For the global dataset, leaf-litter N increased linearly with mean annual temperature and annual precipitation and decreased with latitude. Although leaf-litter P showed no significant relationship with temperature, it declined linearly with precipitation and there was a convex quadratic relationship with latitude. For the global dataset and also for different functional groups (e.g. shrubs, evergreen broadleaf, deciduous broadleaf, and conifers) the leaf-litter N:P ratio generally followed a positive linear relationship with temperature and precipitation, and showed a concave quadratic response with latitude.• The differences in leaf-litter N:P ratio among functional groups and among continents should be taken into account when modeling biogeochemical cycles in different regions as well as on a global scale.

Global temporal patterns in plant nutrient resorption plasticity

“…Additionally, at high elevations, litterfall rates are lower, and plants from these regions tend to be evergreen (de Sousa-Neto et al, 2017;Lu & Lui, 2012). In contrast to other studies (Kang et al, 2010;Tang, Han, Chen, & Fang, 2013;Yuan & Chen, 2009), lower latitudes were associated with complete N resorption. It may be that our data set was limited by fewer high relative to low latitude sites, precluding our ability to detect stronger trends in latitudinal variation.…”

The application of ecological stoichiometry to plant–microbial–soil organic matter transformations

“…Wood data are shown as global, tropical, temperate/boreal, angiosperm, and gymnosperm averages, root litter data as global, broadleaf, conifer, fine-, and coarse-root averages, and leaf litter data as global, tropical, temperate, broadleaf forest, coniferous forest, and tundra averages. Data were from the following sources: C:N:P stoichiometry (Harmon et al 1986, Aerts 1997a, Martinelli et al 2000, Silver and Miya 2001, Zhang et al 2008, Yuan and Chen 2009, Kang et al 2010, Yuan et al 2011; decomposition (Harmon et al 1986, Aerts 1997a, Silver and Miya 2001, Zhang et al 2008, van Geffen et al 2010). N and P (increasing C limitation).…”

ENSO and NAO affect long‐term leaf litter dynamics and stoichiometry of Scots pine and European beech mixedwoods

“…Reich & Oleksyn, 2004;Sardans et al, 2013) and its resorption in trees (e.g. Indeed, global patterns of leaf litter nutrient variation at regional (Aerts, 1997;Liu et al, 2006) and global scales (Aerts, 1997;Kang et al, 2010;McGroddy et al, 2004;Yuan & Chen, 2009b) have been identified. Therefore, leaf litter nutrients are expected to be partially climate dependent.…”