RESUMO
The purpose was to characterize the effects of vegetation types on plant leaf and litter carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and C: N: P: K ecological stoichiometric characteristics in seven dominant plant species, including Robinia pseudoacacia, Syringa, Sophora viciifolia, Hippophae rhamnoides, Rosa xanthina, Artemisia sacrorum, Artemisia giraldii, of Zhifanggou Watershed on the Loess Plateau, China. This paper indicated the differences between the contents of C, N, P and K and the characteristics of ecological stoichiometric in the different vegetation types, including forest type, shrub type and grass type. Concentrations of C, N, P and K were measured, and C: N: P: K was estimated for different vegetation types. There were no significant differences in leaf C, N and P concentrations among the three vegetation types. But significant differences in leaf K concentration existed, and the K concentration in leaf was the highest in grass type, and the lowest in shrub type. The contents of C, N, P and K in leaf were much higher than those in litter, especially in shrub and grass types. The resorption efficiencies of C, N, P and K were different, and their ranges varied 6.16%-22.84%, 24.38%-65.18%, 22.38%-77.16% and 60.99%- 89.35%, respectively. Grass type had the highest C, P and K resorption efficiencies, and the lowest N resorption efficiency. Values of the N: P ratio in leaf varied in the range of 12.14-19.17, and varied in the range of 12.84-30.67 in litter. Values of the N: P ratio in leaf were the highest in shrub type (19. 17), and the lowest in grass (12. 14), indicating that the growth of shrub plants was limited by P, while the growth of grass plants was limited by N. The K concentration in leaf was significantly negatively correlated with values of the N: P ratio in leaf, and the K concentration in litter was significantly negatively correlated with values of the C: P ratio in leaf. Findings in this study highlighted the characteristics of accumulation and and return of leaf and litters nutrients during the different vegetation succession on the Loess Plateau.