Dynamics of soil aggregate‐related C‐N‐P stoichiometric characteristics with stand age and soil depth in Chinese fir plantations

Abstract Soil C‐N‐P stoichiometry offers an effective way to explore the balance, limitation, cycling, and distribution of chemical elements in Chinese fir plantations. This research aimed to explore how soil organic C (C org ), total N (N tot ), and total P (P tot ) contents and stocks, together with their stoichiometric ratios vary with stand age (3, 9, 17, and 26 years) as well as soil layer (0–10, 10–20, 20–30, and 30–40 cm) at aggregate scales in Chinese fir plantations from Guangxi, China. For Chinese fir plantations of diverse ages, soil aggregate stability, C org , N tot , and P tot contents and stocks, together with C/N, C/P, and N/P ratios, remarkably declined when soil depth increased. Stand age could influence C‐N‐P stoichiometric characteristics in soil, but such effect was more obvious in soil depth of 0–30 cm in comparison to that of 30–40 cm. In 0–30 cm soil layer, C org and N tot contents and stocks, together with C/P and N/P ratios, first rose and then reduced during Chinese fir planting; meanwhile, the highest levels could be observed in the 17‐year‐old Chinese fir plantations. However, P tot content and stock, together with C/N ratio, were not related to the stand age. Overall, the present research helped to understand soil C, N, and P dynamics within a chronosequence of Chinese fir plantations. Also, it provided supplementary information for soil ecological stoichiometry in global terrestrial ecosystems.