Climate and land management affect nutrient cycling in grassland ecosystems. We aimed to understand whether temperate and tropical grasslands differ in terms of soil organic carbon (SOC), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) concentrations, and their C:N:P stoichiometric ratios in grazed and ungrazed natural grasslands and pastures. For this, we used a meta-analysis approach (1296 records, 241 papers), and regression models to explain the observed patterns in terms of mean annual precipitation (MAP), mean annual temperature (MAT), altitude, and latitude. SOC, N, and P concentrations were higher in temperate regions than in tropical ones, and they negatively correlated with MAT and MAP. The grassland type effect was more significant for tropical regions. In tropical regions, soil C:N ratios were higher in ungrazed than in grazed pastures, and soil N:P ratios in ungrazed sites were higher in pastures than in natural grasslands. Grazing increases soil N and SOC for natural grasslands in temperate regions. Our findings suggest that soil stoichiometric C:N:P stoichiometric signatures in grasslands differed between tropical and temperate regions on a global scale. P is a key element in regulation and restriction on soil C and N cycling in tropical regions but less in the temperate ones. Our findings suggest the direction of effects of grazing or grassland type on C:N:P stoichiometric signature. Since imbalances in soil stoichiometric ratios may have implications for ecosystem functioning, the assessment of these patterns could serve as a valuable tool for management and conservation of grasslands and pastures in both tropical and temperate regions.

气候和土地管理影响草原生态系统的养分循环。我们的目的是了解温带和热带草原在放牧和未放牧的天然草原和牧场的土壤有机碳 (SOC)、氮 (N) 和磷 (P) 浓度及其 C:N:P 化学计量比方面是否存在差异。为此，我们使用荟萃分析方法（1296 条记录，241 篇论文）和回归模型来解释观察到的年平均降水量 (MAP)、年平均气温 (MAT)、海拔和纬度的模式。温带地区的 SOC、N 和 P 浓度高于热带地区，且与 MAT 和 MAP 呈负相关。热带地区草地类型效应更为显着。在热带地区，未放牧的牧场土壤C:N比高于放牧牧场，未放牧牧场的土壤N:P比高于天然草地。放牧增加了温带地区天然草地的土壤氮和有机碳。我们的研究结果表明，全球范围内热带和温带地区草地土壤化学计量 C:N:P 化学计量特征存在差异。在热带地区，磷是调节和限制土壤碳氮循环的关键元素，但在温带地区则较少。我们的研究结果表明放牧或草地类型对 C:N:P 化学计量特征的影响方向。由于土壤化学计量比的不平衡可能会对生态系统功能产生影响，因此对这些模式的评估可以作为管理和保护热带和温带地区草原和牧场的宝贵工具。