Ecosystem mean residence times of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus (τe,C, τe,N and τe,P, respectively) are important ecosystem properties. By analyzing the dependence of the observation-based estimates of τe,C, τe,N and τe,P of 127 mature forests on climate, vegetation, soil and terrain-related variables, we found that climate, particularly mean annual minimum temperature (Tmin), had the greatest influence on τe,C, τe,N and τe,P. Different from previous studies, we found that both τe,C and τe,P increased with Tmin when Tmin > 0 ℃. Despite a decreasing phosphorus input with Tmin, vegetation adapted to low phosphorus environment by increasing internal recycling and phosphorus use efficiency, together with the increasing soil clay content with Tmin, not the direct response to Tmin, explained why both τe,C and τe,P increased with Tmin when Tmin > 0 ℃. Our results highlight the importance of factors beyond climate in regulating residence times, especially in subtropical forests.