Variation in leaf nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometry in the nitrogen-fixing Chinese sea-buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L. subsp sinensis Rousi) across northern China

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations and N:P ratios in terrestrial plants and their patterns of change along environmental gradients are important traits for plant adaptation to changes. We determined the leaf N and P concentrations of Chinese sea-buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L. subsp. sinensis Rousi), a non-legume species with symbiotic N fixation (SNF), at 37 sites across northern China and explored their geographical patterns in relation to climate and soil factors. (1) The mean leaf N, P, and N:P ratio were 36.5, 2.1 mg g(-1), and 17.6, respectively, higher than the mean values of most shrub species in the region. (2) Leaf N was correlated with soil mineral N in cool areas (mean annual temperature MAT < 3 A degrees C) but with temperature in warm areas (MAT > 3 A degrees C). The high leaf N and divergent leaf N-soil N relationship suggested the importance of SNF in plant N uptake; SNF increases with temperature and is probably the major N source in warm areas. (3) Leaf P was positively related to mean annual precipitation. Leaf N:P ratio was primarily driven by changes in leaf P. The high leaf P reflected the greater requirements of the N-fixing species for P. Our results represent a major advance in understanding the elemental stoichiometry of non-legume N-fixing plants, indicating high P and N requirements and a shift in N source from SNF to soil as temperature declines. This knowledge will help in assessing the habitat suitability for the species and predicting the species dynamics under environmental changes.