Comparison of phosphorus fractions and phosphatase activities in coastal wetland soils along vegetation zones of Yancheng National Nature Reserve, China

• All the phosphorus fractions are higher in soils with plant compared to bare flat.
• Alkaline and acid phosphatase were significantly related to total organic carbon.
• Exotic Spartina alterniflora showed great potential to enhance P cycling in coast.

Phosphorus (P) fractions and phosphatase activities were measured in 22 coastal wetland soils with typical vegetation successions in Yancheng National Nature Reserve, China. P forms and phosphatase activities varied greatly from site to site even under the same vegetation cover. NH4Cl–P, bicarbonate/dithionite extracted P and NaOH–P were remarkably higher (p < 0.05) in soils with exotic invasive plants, Spartina alterniflora, than in soils with the native species Suaeda salsa, Scirpus mariquete and Phragmites australis. HCl–P and refractory P showed little variation. No significant differences were detected for either alkaline phosphatase (ALAP) or acid phosphatase (ACAP) among the soils. All of the above properties were much higher in soils with plant growth compared to bare flat soils. Regression analysis demonstrated that organic matter (OM), Al, Ca, Fe and total P (TP) were able to explain more than 70% of the variations in the P fractions (except 29% of NH4Cl–P), and OM was the most important contributing factor. ALAP and ACAP were irrelevant to P but were significantly related to TOC, suggesting that carbon was a limiting factor for P mineralization in this area. Owing to its huge biomass and densities, Spartina alterniflora displayed great potential for carbon input, thus facilitating P mineralization and cycling. The results enhance our understanding of P availability differences in this area covered by invasive and native vegetation.