Publication Date:
2022-05-25
Description:
Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2009. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Springer for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Biogeochemistry 98 (2010): 139-151, doi:10.1007/s10533-009-9382-0.
Description:
Inspired by previous studies that have indicated consistent or even
well-constrained relationships among carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in
soils, we have endeavored to explore general soil C:N:P ratios in China on a national
scale, as well as the changing patterns of these ratios with soil depth, developmental
stages and climate; we also attempted to determine if well-constrained C:N:P
stoichiometrical ratios exist in China’s soil. Based on an inventory data set of 2,384
soil profiles, our analysis indicated that the mean C:N, C:P and N:P ratios for the entire
soil depth (as deep as 250 cm for some soil profiles) in China were 11.9, 61 and 5.2,
respectively, showing a C:N:P ratio of ~60:5:1. C:N ratios showed relatively small
variation among different climatic zones, soil orders, soil depth and weathering stages,
while C:P and N:P ratios showed a high spatial heterogeneity and large variations in
different climatic zones, soil orders, soil depth and weathering stages. No
well-constrained C:N:P ratios were found for the entire soil depth in China. However,
for the 0-10 cm organic-rich soil, where has the most active organism-environment
interaction, we found a well-constrained C:N ratio (14.4, molar ratio) and relatively
consistent C:P (136) and N:P (9.3) ratios, with a general C:N:P ratio of 134:9:1.
Finally, we suggested that soil C:N, C:P and N:P ratios in organic-rich topsoil could be
a good indicator of soil nutrient status during soil development.
Description:
This study was supported by NASA Interdisciplinary Science
Program (NNG04GM39C), NASA Land Cover and Land Use Change Program
(NNX08AL73G_S01), and the Chinese Academy of Science ODS Program.
Keywords:
Carbon
;
Nitrogen
;
Phosphorus
;
Stoichiometry
;
China
Repository Name:
Woods Hole Open Access Server
Type:
Preprint
Format:
application/pdf
