Wetland‐type conversion drives the C, N and P stoichiometry change of soil in river plain of lower of the Yellow River

Abstract Land use conversion on river plain has profound impacts on soil characteristics and elemental stoichiometry. Four wetland types (Riparian lower‐beach wetland [RLW], Riparian higher‐beach wetland [RHW], Cultivated wetland [CW] and Mesophytic wetland [MW]) were selected in the lower Yellow River area to investigate the consequence of wetland type conversion on soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry. The results demonstrated that wetland conversion induced significant spatio‐temporal variations in soil C, N and P stoichiometry and physicochemical characteristics in soil. Frequent agricultural activities (fertilizer input) raised the nutrient content of natural wetland, particularly in surface soil (0–30 cm). Soil volumetric water content (VWC), soil bulk density (SBD), pH and soil enzyme activity varied significantly in different wetlands. Total carbon (TC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents in MW decreased with increasing soil depth (<40 cm layers), as did TN and total phosphorus (TP) contents in CW. On the other hand, TC, TN and TP contents in RLW and RHW did not change significantly with soil depth. However, the contents of TOC, and Fe/Al‐P, etc., varied among soil layers and among wetland types. Furthermore, the stoichiometric characteristics changed significantly in some soil layers, with mean values being less than the Chinese average. Statistically, significant positive correlations were determined between TC and TN ( r = .56), TDC and TP ( r = .62), N:P and pH ( r = .57) ( p < .05) and and pH ( r = .66, p < .01). VWC was negatively correlated with pH ( r = −.56, p < .05), while C/P was negatively associated with soil temperature (ST) and SBD ( r = −.55, r = −.64, p < .05). TDC, IP, TN, Fe/Al‐P and ST were identified as the dominant factors, with the percentage of variance 41%, 20%, 12%, 9% and 6% respectively. These findings have a great scientific significance for the ecological conservation of wetlands in the lower Yellow River area.