Effects of soil C:N:P stoichiometry on biomass allocation in the alpine and arid steppe systems

Soil nutrients strongly influence biomass allocation. However, few studies have examined patterns induced by soil C:N:P stoichiometry in alpine and arid ecosystems. Samples were collected from 44 sites with similar elevation along the 220-km transect at spatial intervals of 5 km along the northern Tibetan Plateau. Aboveground biomass (AGB) levels were measured by cutting a sward in each plot. Belowground biomass (BGB) levels were collected from soil pits in a block of 1 m × 1 m in actual root depth. We observed significant decreases in AGB and BGB levels but increases in the BGB:AGB ratio with increases in latitude. Although soil is characterized by structural complexity and spatial heterogeneity, we observed remarkably consistent C:N:P ratios within the cryic aridisols. We observed significant nonlinear relationships between the soil N:P and BGB:AGB ratios. The critical N:P ratio in soils was measured at approximately 2.0, above which the probability of BGB:AGB response to nutrient availability is small. These findings serve as interesting contributions to the global data pool on arid plant stoichiometry, given the previously limited knowledge regarding high-altitude regions.