[Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometry of five common herbaceous species across islands in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea.]

, while the range of C:N, N:P and C:P was 18.18-46.79, 8.53-37.38, 174.45-1120.40, respectively. With the increases of latitude, contents of N and P in aboveground parts increased, but N:P decreased. Relative to N content, P content showed higher variation and was largely dependent on environment. Climate factors explained 60% of the variation of N and P contents and N:P across nine islands. In contrast, N and P contents and N:P of roots were independent of latitude, with climatic factors only explained 6%-10% of their variations. The contribution of climatic factors and soil nutrients contributed to the variations of N and P contents differed between above ground parts and roots of five species. Soil N and P had significant effects on P content in roots. Soil P content was positively correlated to aboveground P content. Soil properties explained 37% of the variation in N and P contents of plant roots. Our results suggested that latitude-associated environment shifts were the main drivers of variation in N and P contents and N:P in aboveground parts, and soil nutrients especially affected variation in P in roots of five common plant species, when the effects of plant phylogeny was controlled.