Effect of altitude on the phosphorus contents of soil and plant litter deposits in a Wugong Mountain meadow

Phosphorus is an essential element for plant growth and development. Along with nitrogen and potassium, it is one of the three main elements of plant nutrition. In this study, the correlations between the spatial distribution characteristics of litter total phosphorus, soil available phosphorus, and soil total phosphorus at different altitudes were investigated in a mountainous meadow at 1 600~1 900 m above sea level on Wugong Mountain, Jiangxi Province. The results showed that the change ranges of total phosphorus and soil available phosphorus in the litter were 0.50~3.53, 0.28~1.29, and 0.19~17.47 mg·kg-1, respectively. The soil total phosphorus content in the soil increased with an increase in altitude gradient, showing a “U” type distribution pattern, and the soil total phosphorus content in the soil was low at 1 700~1 800 m. There were significant differences in the total phosphorus content between the different species; the phosphorus contents of Miscanthus sinensis, Carex chinensis, Arundinella hirta, and Fimbristylis wukungshanensis were 4.21, 1.34, 1.03, and 1.28 g·kg-1, respectively. Additionally, the total phosphorus content was significantly different between the different species. The total phosphorus content of M. sinensis was significantly higher than that of C. chinensis, A. hirta, and F. wukungshanensis. The correlation analysis showed that there was a significant correlation between the altitudinal gradient and soil total P (P<0.01). There was a significant positive correlation between total phosphorus and soil available phosphorus (P<0.05). The correlation between total phosphorus and soil total phosphorus was not significant (P>0.05). It is generally believed that the correlation between total phosphorus and available phosphorus in litter is more and more obvious, and the correlation between soil phosphorus and phosphorus is mainly due to the change in direction and distribution of phosphorus in litter. The relative effectiveness of total phosphorus is higher. The results of this study have helped to gain a better understanding of the effects of different altitudes on the phosphorus content of soil and litter in a meadow on Wugong Mountain, and also provide the theoretical basis for vegetation restoration and sustainable management of mountain meadows.