Resorption of nutrients from senescing leaves is an important strategy for plants to adapt to the environments with very poor nutrient supplies, and it has been an important topic in ecological research for many years. This study investigated the changes in nutrient content, and the characteristics of nutrient resorption, during leaf aging for a pioneer species Pinus massoniana under four different restoration stages in a subtropical red soil erosion region. The results revealed that:(1) the average contents of leaf N, P, and K were (6.10±0.52)-(12.02±0.85) mg/g, (0.17±0.03)-(1.02±0.01) mg/g, and (1.58±0.49)-(9.46±0.90) mg/g, respectively. The contents of all three nutrient elements had a tendency to first increase then decrease during the process of leaf aging, indicating a dynamic process involving a period of rapid accumulation followed by a period of slow attenuation. Such a dynamic tendency was very obvious for N. Despite the fact that P and K showed a similar pattern to that of N, these nutrients showed relatively small changes during the dynamic process. (2) During the habitat restoration process, the contents of leaf N, P, and K increased as the habitat was restored, and the contents of N and P showed significantly positive correlation at different leaf ages compared to that in the leaf litter, suggesting that the two nutrients N and P had a covariation dynamic. (3) Among the three elemental leaf nutrients, the resorption efficiencies of P and K were relatively high, and N resorption efficiency was relatively low, which indicates there was a selection in the nutrient resorption response to the nutrient contents and circulation in different habitats. The nutrient resorption efficiency was increased at a very low environmental supply, or when the nutrient was a limiting factor to plant growth. Such an adaptation strategy would not only reduce the dependency of plants on outside environmental resources, but also help to maintain the balance of important nutrients within the plants. Throughout the leaf aging process, the leaf N/P content increased gradually, indicating a high resorption capacity of the limiting element P toward leaf senescence. Such feedback regulation improves the adaptability of P. massoniana to adapt to environments with poor nutrient supplies. The results of this research can provide a theoretical basis for further investigation into the mechanisms behind nutrient utilization for the pioneer species in subtropical red soil erosion areas with poor nutrient resources.