The balance between various elements of the ecosystem has been the focus of research related to the ecology of global change and biogeochemical cycles. Ecological stoichiometry is the study of the balance of energy and elements in biological systems and is based on the general laws of physics, chemistry and biology. Ecological stoichiometry provides an integrated approach to investigating the stoichiometric relationships and rules in biogeochemical cycling and ecological processes. Robinia pseudoacacia, a leguminous tree, is the main species used for afforestation in the Loess Plateau of China. R. pseudoacacia has some special features, such as a rapid growth, being easy to propagate, being very adaptable to various environmental conditions and an strong ability to fix nitrogen in a biologically useful form, allowing it to be widely planted in the Loess Plateau. To explore ecological stoichiometric characteristics of leaf litter of R. pseudoacacia in the Loess Plateau, R. pseudoacacia forests scattered across 12 counties (listed below) on both sunny and shady slopes were selected for study.
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