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Chinese Journal of Ecology ›› 2026, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (10): 3410-3418.doi: 10.13292/j.1000-4890.202608.025

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Impact of herbivorous pests on the stoichiometric characteristics of fresh leaf-litter-soil in Populus euphratica forests of the upper reaches of Tarim River Basin.

WANG Shenglong1,2, LIU Huifang1,2, PEI Hao1,2, JASHENKO Roman3, JI Rong1,2, WANG Han1,2*   

  1. (1International Research Center of CrossBorder Pest Management in Central Asia, Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Special Species Conservation and Regulatory Biology, College of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi 830017, China; 2Tacheng Research Field (Migratory Biology) Observation and Research Station of Xinjiang, Tacheng 834700, Xinjiang, China; 3Zoology Institute of Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty 050060, Kazakhstan).

  • Online:2026-10-10 Published:2027-04-12

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Abstract:

To address the prominent pest problem in Populus euphratica forests of the Tarim River Basin, we investigated the stoichiometric characteristics of forests under pest stress. The main aim was to elucidate the ecological effects of pest disturbance and provide a scientific basis for precise management and restoration of this vulnerable ecosystem. Plots of P. euphratica forests were selected based on four levels of pest damage (none, light, moderate, and heavy). The concentrations and stoichiometric ratios of C, N, P, K, Ca, and Mg were determined in leaf, litter, and soil samples. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), Spearman correlation analysis, and principal com〖HJ*4〗ponent analysis (PCA) were employed to assess the impacts of different pest damage levels on the stoichiometric traits of leaf, litter, and soil. The results showed that: (1) Under pest stress, N and Ca concentrations in litter were significantly increased (P<0.001), while its C∶N ratio was significantly decreased (P<0.01). In contrast, soil N concentration and N∶P ratio were significantly reduced (P<0.01) and soil C∶N ratio was significantly elevated (P<0.01). (2) Stoichiometric correlation analysis among components revealed that there were 15, 11, and 22 significant correlations between leaf-litter, leaf-soil, and litter-soil pairs in the control group, respectively. However, these significant correlations were markedly reduced under pest stress, with only 8, 3, and 0 significant correlations remaining for the respective pairs. (3) Pest damage was a primary factor driving the coordinated variation in leaf-litter-soil stoichiometry, with litter C∶P contributing the most (13.6%) to this variation. Pest stress altered the stoichiometric characteristics of litter and soil nutrients, weakened the elemental interactions among leaf, litter, and soil, and consequently affected nutrient cycling.

Key words: Tarim River Basin, Populus euphratica forest, pest damage, stoichiometry