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C:N:P stoichiometry in Australian soils with respect to vegetation and environmental factors

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Abstract

Aims

We estimate organic carbon (C): total nitrogen (N): total phosphorus (P) ratios in soils under Australia’s major native vegetation groups.

Methods

We use digital datasets for climate, soils, and vegetation created for the National Land and Water Resources Audit in 2001. Analysis-of-variance is used to investigate differences in nutrient ratios between ecosystems. Linear discriminant analysis and logistic regression are used to investigate the relative importance of climatic variables and soil nutrients in vegetation patterns.

Results

We find that the N:P and C:P ratios have a greater range of values than the C:N ratio, although major vegetation groups tend to show similar trends across all three ratios. Some apparently homeostatic groupings emerge: those with very low, low, medium, or high N:P and C:P. Tussock grasslands have very low soil N, N:P, and C:P, probably due to frequent burning. Eucalypt woodlands have low soil N:P and C:P ratios, although their total P level varies. Rainforests and Melaleuca forests have medium soil N:P and C:P ratios, although their total P level is different. Heathlands, tall open eucalypt forests, and shrublands occur on soils with low levels of total P, and high N:P and C:P ratios that reflect foliar nutrient ratios and recalcitrant litter.

Conclusions

Certain plant communities have typical soil nutrient stoichiometries but there is no single Redfield-like ratio. Vegetation patterns largely reflect soil moisture but for several plant communities, eucalypt communities in particular, soil N and P (or N:P) also play a significant role. Soil N:P and the presence of Proteaceae appear indicative of nutrient constraints in ecosystems.

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Notes

  1. The AMMI is an indexed estimate of the average weekly soil moisture content that mimics the effect of soil texture on the water balance (Houlder et al. 2000). It requires input data for rainfall, evaporation, and soil water storage/availability, all in mm.

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Acknowledgments

I want to thank John Raison and Alister Spain for useful comments on the draft of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CSIRO Land and Water, GPO Box 1666, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia

    Elisabeth N. Bui

  2. CSIRO Mathematics, Informatics and Statistics, GPO Box 664, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia

    Brent L. Henderson

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  1. Elisabeth N. Bui
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  2. Brent L. Henderson
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Correspondence to Elisabeth N. Bui.

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Responsible Editor: Hans Lambers.

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Table S1

Pairwise tests of MVG differences in mean of the log of C:N, N:P, and C:P ratios by Tukey Honest Significant Difference (DOCX 28 kb)

Table S2

Estimated foliar C:N and C:P ratios from data presented in Specht and Rundel (1990). Cellulose + lignin is estimated from the formula given for Sclerophylly Index (SI): SI = ((cellulose + lignin)/6.25*(%N))*100. C is estimated as cellulose + lignin. (DOCX 15 kb)

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Bui, E.N., Henderson, B.L. C:N:P stoichiometry in Australian soils with respect to vegetation and environmental factors. Plant Soil 373, 553–568 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-1823-9

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