title: Response of plant nutrient stoichiometry to fertilization varied with plant tissues in a tropical forest.
abstract: Plant N:P ratios are widely used as indices of nutrient limitation in terrestrial ecosystems, but the response of these metrics in different plant tissues to altered N and P availability and their interactions remains largely unclear. We evaluated changes in N and P concentrations, N:P ratios of new leaves (<1 yr), older leaves (>1 yr), stems and mixed fine roots of seven species after 3-years of an N and P addition experiment in a tropical forest. Nitrogen addition only increased fine root N concentrations. P addition increased P concentrations among all tissues. The N × P interaction reduced leaf and stem P concentrations, suggesting a negative effect of N addition on P concentrations under P addition. The reliability of using nutrient ratios as indices of soil nutrient availability varied with tissues: the stoichiometric metrics of stems and older leaves were more responsive indicators of changed soil nutrient availability than those of new leaves and fine roots. However, leaf N:P ratios can be a useful indicator of inter-specific variation in plant response to nutrients availability. This study suggests that older leaf is a better choice than other tissues in the assessment of soil nutrient status and predicting plant response to altered nutrients using nutrients ratios.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.|Xiaoliang Research Station for Tropical Coastal Ecosystems, Maoming 525029, China.
authors.forename: Qifeng
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.|Xiaoliang Research Station for Tropical Coastal Ecosystems, Maoming 525029, China.
authors.forename: Bi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.|Xiaoliang Research Station for Tropical Coastal Ecosystems, Maoming 525029, China.
authors.forename: Yingwen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.|Xiaoliang Research Station for Tropical Coastal Ecosystems, Maoming 525029, China.
authors.forename: Weixin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.affiliation: Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, 300191 Tianjin, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yongzhen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.|Xiaoliang Research Station for Tropical Coastal Ecosystems, Maoming 525029, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.
authors.forename: Xiankai
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.|Xiaoliang Research Station for Tropical Coastal Ecosystems, Maoming 525029, China.
authors.forename: Xiaobo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Ecosystems Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA.
authors.forename: Jianwu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.|Xiaoliang Research Station for Tropical Coastal Ecosystems, Maoming 525029, China.
authors.forename: Zhian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.|Xiaoliang Research Station for Tropical Coastal Ecosystems, Maoming 525029, China.
authors.forename: Faming
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D005308:Fertilizers / Q000032:analysis; D065928:Forests; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009928:Organ Specificity; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D014197:Trees / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D014329:Tropical Climate
chemical_list: D005308:Fertilizers; D012987:Soil; D010758:Phosphorus; D009584:Nitrogen