Litter characteristics of nutrient and stoichiometry forPhyllostachys praecoxover soil-surface mulching

Abstract

Litter plays an important part of the nutrient circle involving plants and soil in forest ecosystems, with its nutrient return determining the productivity of forestlands. The quality factors and relative decomposability of litter are internal factors that restrict nutrient contribution. Ecological stoichiometry, which is a theory applied in the nutrient elements忆 response to ecological environment interaction, has been widely incorporated into nutrient cycling research. Several analyses have indicated that nutrient contents and their stoichiometric ratio influence the litter decomposition rate and nutrient cycling. In the present work, we determined whether or not litter nutrients and the stoichiometric characteristics of these nutrients could be applicable in Phyllostachys praecox. Litter production, nutrient content, nutrient return, and nutrient mass ratios of carbon (C) , nitrogen (N) , phosphorus (P) , and potassium (K) were investigated to understand litter nutrient differentiation and the ecological stoichiometry of P. praecox over several years of mulching during refoliation. The results of the present study showed that: (1) Leaf litter production, which accounts for the majority of the total litter produced, increased by extremely significant levels (P < 0. 01) over three years of mulching. In contrast, no significant