Investigating the effects of grazing on the ecological chemometric characteristics of carbon （C）， nitrogen （N）， and phosphorus （P） in the plant-soil continuum of long-term enclosed grasslands is crucial for sustainable grassland management. This study investigated a 38-year-old enclosed grassland in Yunwu Mountain， Ningxia， by systematically analyzing ecological-metabolic ratios and their coupling relationships at the community level （community-weighted average） for leaves and soil across four grazing intensities of Gansu Cervus canadensis （Cervus elaphus kansuensis）： ungrazed， light grazing， moderate grazing， and heavy grazing. Results indicated： （1） Moderate grazing most effectively promoted N and P accumulation. Plant growth shifted from P limitation under no grazing and combined N-P limitation under light/moderate grazing to N limitation under heavy grazing； （2） With increasing grazing intensity， both topsoil soil organic carbon （SOC） and C∶N ratio in the topsoil （0~10 cm） showed an initial increase followed by a decrease， peaking at moderate grazing levels at 40.40 g·kg^-1 and 12.08， respectively. Conversely， soil N， C∶P， and N∶P ratios were the lowest at light grazing levels at 3.22 g·kg^-1， 48.15， and 4.43， respectively. All soil parameters decreased with increasing soil depth. （3） Leaf C and N contents showed negative correlations with most soil SOC， N， P， and their ratios， while leaf P content was correlated positively with these parameters. Soil depth influenced both plant leaf and soil chemical parameters， whereas grazing intensity primarily affected soil-related indicators. In summary， grazing significantly influenced the chemical-nutrient characteristics of the plant-soil system in the long-term enclosed grassland of Yunwu Mountain. Moderate grazing promoted plant growth and soil nutrient accumulation， representing a critical grazing intensity threshold for maintaining regional grassland health. These findings provide data support and theoretical basis for further optimizing grazing management and promoting the sustainable use of long-term closed-pasture grasslands.

Cervus elaphus grazing  /  Steppe  /  Long-term fencing  /  Ecological stoichiometry