Effects of soil stoichiometry of the CaCO3/available phosphorus ratio on plant density in Artemisia ordosica communities

In soil, CaCO3 can reduce the availability of phosphorus in arid and semi-arid regions, thereby influencing plant growth. However, the effects of soil stoichiometry of the CaCO3/available phosphorus ratio (CaCO3/AP ratio) on plant density are unknown. In this study, we examined 4 Artemisia ordosica communities located in arid and semi-arid regions, and performed a pot experiment with an orthogonal design to examine the relationships between the soil CaCO3/AP ratio and plant density. The results showed that the soil stoichiometry of the CaCO3/AP ratio had a greater effect on growth of A. ordosica than either CaCO3 or AP as single factor. The influence of the soil CaCO3/AP ratio on density of A. ordosica was related to the climatic zone and the types and/or amplitudes of increases in the soil CaCO3/AP ratio. When the soil CaCO3/AP ratio was within the same amplitude and was less than 2.5, the A. ordosica density increased in the semi-arid region, whereas the density decreased with increasing soil CaCO3/AP ratios in the arid region. In the semi-arid region, when the soil CaCO3/AP ratio was within the same amplitude and the increase in the soil CaCO3 content was greater than the increase in soil AP, the A. ordosica density increased with increasing soil CaCO3/AP ratios. This means that the relationship between the soil CaCO3/AP ratio and the A. ordosica density remained the same. In the arid region, an increase in the soil CaCO3/AP ratio as a result of increased soil CaCO3 content and decreased soil AP resulted in increased density of A. ordosica. Therefore, the relationship between soil CaCO3/AP ratios and density of A. ordosica was altered by these changes in soil chemistry. Thus, the soil stoichiometry of the CaCO3/AP ratio is an important factor affecting the density of A. ordosica in arid and semi-arid regions.