5. CONCLUSIONS
The study revealed that stoichiometric ratios were significantly varied
for different soil and plant components, and N and P stocks increased
significantly, with A. nepalensis forest chronosequence. The C:
N: P stoichiometry of vegetation components, soil, and microbial biomass
were found to be closely interrelated, indicating that vegetation
nutrient content was a critical factor directing soil, microbial biomass
nutrient inputs and thus influenced their stoichiometry. Present
allocations of N and P concentrations to leaves, twigs, and litter were
higher than other ecosystem components, thus reflecting lower C/P and
C/N ratios, which support our second hypothesis. Our results revealed
that the soil and microbial C, N, and P concentrations increased along
with A. nepalensis forest chronosequence due to an increase in
litter inputs and its subsequent decomposition and mineralization of
nutrients. The soil profile stores the highest percentage of the N and P
stocks, followed by the trees. The ecosystem N-P stocks were primarily
influenced by the biomass of A. nepalensis. Overall, presentA. nepalensis forest chronosequence findings reveal the
importance of N-fixing species in the recovery of degraded forest
ecosystems and recommend reforestation of broadleaf tree species such asQ. leucotrichophora , R. arboreum , and other associated
species with A. nepalensis to rehabilitate the degraded forests.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Financial support from the Department of Science and Technology (DST),
New Delhi, India (SERB No: DST/IS-STAC/
CO2-SR-181/13-G), and DST PURSE is thankfully
acknowledged. This research was carried out as part of the Ph.D. program
of Mr. Rajendra Kr. Joshi, which was financially supported by University
Grant Commission (UGC), India.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
The data are available from the corresponding author.
ORCID
Satish Chandra Garkotihttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7647-6473
Rajendra Kr. Joshihttp://orcid.org/0000-0002-3410-7733
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