Mechanisms Regulating C, N, and P Storage, Cycle, and Stoichiometry in Plant Ecosystems under Climate Change

Dear Colleagues,

Carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) are the most basic and essential elements of life on Earth. The quantity, status, distribution, and dynamics of these elements play a fundamental and critical role in maintaining life processes, stabilizing component structures, maintaining primary productivity, and regulating ecosystem services in plant ecosystems. Due to human activities such as burning fossil fuels, large-scale deforestation, urbanization, mining, commercial use of fertilizers, and changes in land cover/use, climate change is occurring rapidly. The consequences of climate change are not only global warming, but also include permafrost melting, rising sea levels, extreme weather events, more frequent floods and droughts, and their impact on human health and well-being. Although climate change has profound impacts on the Earth, the impact of climate change on C, N, and P contents, distributions, and cycling processes in plant ecosystems is still unclear. Under the climate change scenario, little is known about the feedback mechanism regulating the stoichiometry and dynamic characteristics of C, N, and P in plant ecosystems.

This Special Issue aims to compile cutting-edge research and deepen our understanding of the impact of climate change on C, N, and P contents, distribution patterns, cycling processes, and stoichiometry in different plant/forest ecosystems. We encourage the submission of all research papers based on literature reviews, field observations, laboratory experiments, statistical analyses, machine learning, and numerical modeling. Potential themes include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Distribution and stocks of C, N, and P pools in forest ecosystems;
• Dynamic processes and patterns of greenhouse gas efflux;
• Impact of microbial community on C, Ns and P dynamics;
• Linkages among C, N, and P stoichiometry in various components of plant ecosystems;
• Carbon sequestration potential of plants/forests;
• Patterns of phosphate fractions in soil aggregates;
• Transformation of different forms of N in plant/forest soils;
• Relationships between C, N, and P status and soil environmental factors.

Prof. Dr. Xiaoyong Chen
Prof. Dr. Dafeng Hui
Guest Editors

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• climate change
• nitrogen
• carbon
• phosphorus
• nutrient storage
• ecological stoichiometry
• greenhouse gas efflux
• ecosystem services
• forest management