Characteristics of Soil Nutrients and Their Ecological Stoichiometry in Different Land Use Types in the Nianchu River Basin

• Published in: Land (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 7; p. 1001
• Main Authors: Liu, Yanling, Fu, Lijiao, Lu, Xuyang, Yan, Yan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.07.2022
• Subjects: Agricultural land; Aquatic ecosystems; C:N:P ratio; Chemical properties; Climate change; ecological stoichiometry; Environmental impact; Grasslands; Laboratories; Land use; Nitrogen; Nutrient status; Nutrients; Organic matter; Organic phosphorus; Organic soils; pH effects; Phosphorus; Precipitation; Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau; River basins; River ecology; Rivers; Shrublands; Soil analysis; Soil C, N, P content; Soil chemistry; Soil depth; Soil nutrients; Soil organic matter; Soil properties; Soil texture; Stoichiometry; Terrestrial ecosystems; Texture; Variance analysis; various land-use types; Tibetan Plateau; Chicago Illinois; Tibet; United States > US; Tsangpo River
• ISSN: 2073-445X; 2073-445X
• DOI: 10.3390/land11071001

Land use types can cause changes in soil chemical characteristics, such as altering soil C, N, and P contents and distribution. The aim of this study was to investigate the status of soil C, N, P and other nutrient contents and their stoichiometric ratios in the terrestrial ecosystem of Nianchu River Basin, Tibet. A total of 102 sample plots with 306 soil samples and 102 plant samples were investigated in August 2021 along the Nianchu River basin by selecting four land-use types: grassland, shrubland, forestland, and farmland. The soil’s basic physical and chemical properties (soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), alkaline nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), pH, and soil particle composition) were examined at each sampling point, and the stoichiometric characteristics of C, N, and P of the soils were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVAs). The results revealed that the C and N contents of shrubland were significantly lower than those of grassland, forestland, and farmland, with farmland having the highest P content. For all land types, C:N increased with increasing soil depth, while C:P and N:P decreased with increasing soil depth. PCA and RDA analyses revealed that soil texture and pH had an impact on soil C, N, and P contents, as well as stoichiometric ratios.