Changes in ecological stoichiometry reflect nitrogen(N),phosphorus(P)and both N and P limitations in a plant community,which in turn affect plant diversity of the community.However,the relationship between plant commu...Changes in ecological stoichiometry reflect nitrogen(N),phosphorus(P)and both N and P limitations in a plant community,which in turn affect plant diversity of the community.However,the relationship between plant community diversity and ecological stoichiometry has not yet been fully researched in arid and semi-arid regions.Ecological stoichiometry and plant community diversity indices of eighteen communities in the upper reaches of Tarim River,northwestern China,were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance in 2016.The correlation between ecological stoichiometry and plant community diversity was assessed by redundancy analysis(RDA).Results indicated that the Margalef index was significantly correlated with carbon(C)and P concentrations,the Simpson index and Shannon-Weaner index were significantly correlated with plant C concentration,and the Pielou index was significantly correlated with plant C and N concentrations.Moreover,C:N and C:P ratios had significant impacts on plant community diversity.Our results highlight the importance of ecological stoichiometry in driving plant community diversity in the upper reaches of Tarim River,northwestern China.展开更多
基金The study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41461105).We thank Dr.Emily DRUMMOND(The University of British Columbia,Canada)for her assistance in English language and grammatical editing of the manuscript.
文摘Changes in ecological stoichiometry reflect nitrogen(N),phosphorus(P)and both N and P limitations in a plant community,which in turn affect plant diversity of the community.However,the relationship between plant community diversity and ecological stoichiometry has not yet been fully researched in arid and semi-arid regions.Ecological stoichiometry and plant community diversity indices of eighteen communities in the upper reaches of Tarim River,northwestern China,were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance in 2016.The correlation between ecological stoichiometry and plant community diversity was assessed by redundancy analysis(RDA).Results indicated that the Margalef index was significantly correlated with carbon(C)and P concentrations,the Simpson index and Shannon-Weaner index were significantly correlated with plant C concentration,and the Pielou index was significantly correlated with plant C and N concentrations.Moreover,C:N and C:P ratios had significant impacts on plant community diversity.Our results highlight the importance of ecological stoichiometry in driving plant community diversity in the upper reaches of Tarim River,northwestern China.
