Characteristics of soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus stocks and ecological stoichiometric ratios in forests at different altitudes in Guangxi Dayaoshan National Nature Reserve
Objective This study aims to investigate the altitudinal differentiation patterns of forest soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) stocks and their ecological stoichiometric ratios (C/N, C/P, N/P) in the transition zone between the southern subtropical and central subtropical regions, and to elucidate their driving mechanisms. These findings provide crucial scientific evidence for understanding nutrient cycling responses in mountain ecosystems. Methods This study focused on three forest types in the Guangxi Dayaoshan National Nature Reserve: low-altitude (600 m) evergreen broadleaf forests (EBF), mid-altitude (1 430 m) mixed coniferous-broadleaf forests (MCF), and high-altitude (1 750 m) alpine dwarf forests (ADF). Soil physicochemical properties, C, N, and P stocks, and their ecological stoichiometric ratios in the surface soil layer (0—10 cm) were measured and calculated. Results Soil organic carbon stock (CS ) exhibited a U-shaped pattern with altitude, reaching its lowest value (24.75 t/hm²) at MCF. Soil nitrogen stock (NS ) significantly increased with rising altitude (from 1.15 to 4.69 t/hm²), while soil phosphorus stock (PS ) showed no significant differences across altitudes (range: 0.09~0.11 t/hm²). Random forest modeling revealed that CS was primarily driven by soil organic carbon (SOC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content. NS was predominantly controlled by total nitrogen (TN) content, while PS was co-regulated by soil bulk density (SBD) and total phosphorus (TP) content. Additionally, soil C/N ratio decreased significantly with altitude (from 37.78 to 8.13), indicating enhanced nitrogen mineralization potential at mid-and high-altitudes. Soil C/P ratio displayed a U-shaped pattern (range: 252~425), reflecting relatively low phosphorus availability overall (all forests>200). Soil N/P ratio increased stepwise with altitude (from 11.04 to 55.20), demonstrating a sharp intensification of phosphorus limitation with higher altitudes. Mantel tests and random forest modeling confirmed that TN was the dominant factor controlling both C/N and N/P ratios, while the C/P ratio was jointly regulated by SOC, DOC, and TP content. Conclusion Phosphorus availability is a key factor limiting the productivity of subtropical montane forests. The altitudinal patterns of soil C, N, and P stocks and their ecological stoichiometric ratios in these transitional climate zone forests are driven by nonlinear interactions among multiple factors, with the climatic zone context playing a critical regulatory role in shaping the altitudinal distribution patterns of soil nutrients.
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