Spatial Distribution of Phosphorus in Surface Soils of Wetlands with Different Plant Communities in the Yellow River Delta, China

Spatial distribution characteristics of available phosphorus (AP) and total phosphorus (TP) in wetland soils withPhragmites australis,Suaeda salsaandTamarix chinnensiswere investigated and their influencing factors was also indentified using principal correspondence analysis for ordination in the Yellow River Delta of China. Our results showed that TP and AP contents in both sites withPhragmites australisandSuaeda salsa, and the horizontal distributions of AP content in three sites exhibited similar distribution characteristics to that of AP:TP ratios. Additionally, soil properties such as soil moisture, salinity, total nitrogen, total carbon and pH values were the important influencing factors of higher spatial variability of AP and TP.