Climate warming profoundly affects plant biodiversity, community productivity, and soil properties in alpine and subalpine grassland ecosystems. However, these effects are poorly understood across elevational gradient...Climate warming profoundly affects plant biodiversity, community productivity, and soil properties in alpine and subalpine grassland ecosystems. However, these effects are poorly understood across elevational gradients in subalpine meadow ecosystems. To reveal the elevational patterns of warming effects on plant biodiversity, community structure, productivity, and soil properties, we conducted a warming experiment using open-top chambers from August 2019 to August 2022 at high(2764 m a. s. l.), medium(2631 m a. s. l.), and low(2544 m a. s. l.) elevational gradients on a subalpine meadow slope of Mount Wutai, Northern China. Our results showed that three years of warming significantly increased topsoil temperature but significantly decreased topsoil moisture at all elevations(P<0.05), and the percentage of increasing temperature and decreasing moisture both gradually raised with elevation lifting. Warming-induced decreasing proportions of soil organic carbon(SOC, by 19.24%), and total nitrogen(TN, by 24.56%) were the greatest at high elevational gradients. Experimental warming did not affect topsoil C: N, p H, NO_(3)^(-)-N, or NH_(4)^(+)-N at the three elevational gradients. Warming significantly increased species richness(P<0.01) and Shannon-Weiner index(P<0.05) at low elevational gradients but significantly decreased belowground biomass(P<0.05) at a depth of 0–10 cm at three elevational gradients. Warming caused significant increases in the aboveground biomass in the three elevational plots. Warming significantly increased the aboveground biomass of graminoids in medium(by 92.47%) and low(by 98.25%) elevational gradients, that of sedges in high(by 72.44%) and medium(by 57.16%) elevational plots, and that of forbs in high(by 75.88%), medium(by 34.38%), and low(by 74.95%) elevational plots. Species richness had significant linear correlations with SOC, TN, and C: N(P<0.05), but significant nonlinear responses to soil temperature and soil moisture in the warmed treatment(P<0.05). The warmed aboveground biomass had a significant nonlinear response to soil temperature and significant linear responses to soil moisture(P<0.05). This study provided evidence that altitude is a factor in sensitivity to climate warming, and these different parameters(e.g., plant species richness, Shannon-Weiner index, soil temperature, soil moisture, SOC, and TN) can be used to measure this sensitivity.展开更多
Grazing exclusion is one of the primary management practices used to restore degraded grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau.However,to date,the effects of long-term grazing exclusion measures on the process of restoring d...Grazing exclusion is one of the primary management practices used to restore degraded grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau.However,to date,the effects of long-term grazing exclusion measures on the process of restoring degraded alpine meadows have not been evaluated.In this study,moderately degraded plots,in which the vegetation coverage was approximately 65%and the dominant plant species was Potentilla anserina L,with grazing exclusion for 2 to 23 years,were selected in alpine meadows of Haibei in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.Plant coverage,plant height,biomass,soil bulk density,saturated water content,soil organic carbon(SOC)and total nitrogen(TN)were evaluated.The results were as follows:(1)With aboveground biomass and total saturated water content at 0-40 cm depth,the average SOC and TN contents in moderately degraded alpine meadows increased as a power function,and the plant height increased as a log function.(2)The average soil bulk density at 0-40 cm depth first decreased and then increased with increasing grazing exclusion duration,and the minimum value of 0.90 g·cm^(-3) was reached at 15.23 years.The plant coverage,total belowground biomass at 0-40 cm depth,total aboveground and belowground biomass first increased and then decreased,their maximum values(80.49%,2452.92g·m^(-2),2891.06 g·m^(-2))were reached at 9.41,9.46 and 10.25 years,respectively.Long-term grazing exclusion is apparently harmful for the sustainable restoration of degraded alpine meadows.The optimal duration of grazing exclusion for the restoration of moderately degraded alpine meadows was 10 years.This research suggests that moderate disturbance should be allowed in moderately degraded alpine meadows after 10years of grazing exclusion.展开更多
Ecosystems in high-altitude regions are more sensitive and respond more rapidly than other ecosystems to global climate warming.The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP)of China is an ecologically fragile zone that is sensitive ...Ecosystems in high-altitude regions are more sensitive and respond more rapidly than other ecosystems to global climate warming.The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP)of China is an ecologically fragile zone that is sensitive to global climate warming.It is of great importance to study the changes in aboveground biomass and species diversity of alpine meadows on the QTP under predicted future climate warming.In this study,we selected an alpine meadow on the QTP as the study object and used infrared radiators as the warming device for a simulation experiment over eight years(2011-2018).We then analyzed the dynamic changes in aboveground biomass and species diversity of the alpine meadow at different time scales,including an early stage of warming(2011-2013)and a late stage of warming(2016-2018),in order to explore the response of alpine meadows to short-term(three years)and long-term warming(eight years).The results showed that the short-term warming increased air temperature by 0.31℃and decreased relative humidity by 2.54%,resulting in the air being warmer and drier.The long-term warming increased air temperature and relative humidity by 0.19℃and 1.47%,respectively,and the air tended to be warmer and wetter.The short-term warming increased soil temperature by 2.44℃and decreased soil moisture by 12.47%,whereas the long-term warming increased soil temperature by 1.76℃and decreased soil moisture by 9.90%.This caused the shallow soil layer to become warmer and drier under both short-term and long-term warming.Furthermore,the degree of soil drought was alleviated with increased warming duration.Under the long-term warming,the importance value and aboveground biomass of plants in different families changed.The importance values of grasses and sedges decreased by 47.56%and 3.67%,respectively,while the importance value of weeds increased by 1.37%.Aboveground biomass of grasses decreased by 36.55%,while those of sedges and weeds increased by 8.09%and 15.24%,respectively.The increase in temperature had a non-significant effect on species diversity.The species diversity indices increased at the early stage of warming and decreased at the late stage of warming,but none of them reached significant levels(P>0.05).Species diversity had no significant correlation with soil temperature and soil moisture under both short-term and long-term warming.Soil temperature and aboveground biomass were positively correlated in the control plots(P=0.014),but negatively correlated under the long-term warming(P=0.013).Therefore,eight years of warming aggravated drought in the shallow soil layer,which is beneficial for the growth of weeds but not for the growth of grasses.Warming changed the structure of alpine meadow communities and had a certain impact on the community species diversity.Our studies have great significance for the protection and effective utilization of alpine vegetation,as well as for the prevention of grassland degradation or desertification in high-altitude regions.展开更多
The zone of alpine scrub and meadow, characterized by highlandsubpolar humid/subhumid climate, is a transitional area from deep gorges to theplateau proper.The natural zone is unique in physical environments and natur...The zone of alpine scrub and meadow, characterized by highlandsubpolar humid/subhumid climate, is a transitional area from deep gorges to theplateau proper.The natural zone is unique in physical environments and naturalecosystems, and could not be found at the lowlands elsewhere on the earth.Thepredominant type of vegeation is alpine meadow, including Kobresia meadow,herbaceous meadow and swampy meadow. It is an important pasturelands ofanimal husbandry for Tibetan on the plateau. Main vegetion types, animal groups,characteristics of alpine meadow soils, the altitudinal belt and the horizontalzonality of the natural zone, as well as utilization and management of the grasslandsare discussed in the present paper.展开更多
The impacts of desertification on the vegetation composition, structure, and species diversity of alpine Kobresia steppe meadow were evaluated in an area of severe desertification in Anduo County, Tibet Autonomous Reg...The impacts of desertification on the vegetation composition, structure, and species diversity of alpine Kobresia steppe meadow were evaluated in an area of severe desertification in Anduo County, Tibet Autonomous Region, northern China. We investigated and analyzed the floristic features of communities at four different stages of desertification (slight desertification [SLD], moderate desertification [MD], severe desertification [SD], and very severe desertification [VSD]). The composition and structure of the alpine Kobresia steppe meadow at the SLD site differed significantly from that at the MD, SD, and VSD sites. Species that were more drought resistant and inedible by livestock were the dominant species at the SD site. No plants were found in the shifting dunes of the VSD site. Species diversity also decreased with increasing desertification. The SLD site had the largest mean number of species and individuals and the largest richness index; the MD grassland had the largest Shannon-Wiener index and evenness index, but the smallest Simpson's index. The vegetation cover declined from 91.8% to 34.8% as desertification increased from SLD to SD, and reached 0% in VSD areas with shifting dunes.展开更多
This paper evaluated the impacts of mounds created by the plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on the vege- tation composition, structure, and species diversity of an alpine Kobresia steppe meadow in Nagqu County, Tibet ...This paper evaluated the impacts of mounds created by the plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on the vege- tation composition, structure, and species diversity of an alpine Kobresia steppe meadow in Nagqu County, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. Based on mound height or the depth of erosion pit, we defined five stages of erosion and compared the floristic features of communities at these stages with those in undisturbed sites. In the study area, the mounds and pits covered up to 7% of the total area. Lancea tibetica, Lamiophlomis rotata, and Potentilla bifurca were the dominant species in erosion pits, and Kobresia pygmaea, the dominant species in undisturbed sites, became a com- panion species in eroded areas. In the process of erosion, the original vegetation was covered by soil ejected by the pika, then the mounds were gradually eroded by wind and rain, and finally erosion pits formed. The vegetation coverage in- creased with increasing erosion stages but remained significantly lower than that in undisturbed sites. Improved coverage eventually reduced soil erosion, and pit depth eventually stabilized at around 20cm. Aboveground biomass increased with increasing erosion stage, but the proportion of low-quality forage reached more than 94%. The richness index and Shannon-Wiener index increased significantly with increasing erosion stage, but the richness index in mound and pit areas was significantly lower than that in undisturbed sites.展开更多
Elucidating the factors that determine the effects of temporal and spatial variation of nutrients is important for analyzing the characteristics of an ecosystem. The goal of this paper was to estimate how values obtai...Elucidating the factors that determine the effects of temporal and spatial variation of nutrients is important for analyzing the characteristics of an ecosystem. The goal of this paper was to estimate how values obtained using a particular sampling approach correlated with the actual data for an entire plot. The mesh partition method was employed to divide an integrated observing field (IOF) located at the Haibei National Field Research Station of an alpine grassland ecosystem, China, into 25 subplots. Five of the 25 subplots were randomly selected for soil sampling and to determine the source of variations in soil nutrient content from 2001 to 2012. The results showed that, contributions of temporal and spatial variation in available nitrogen in the 0 - 10 cm soil layer accounted for 47.3% and 52.7%, respectively. The contribution of spatial variance was higher than that of temporal variance especially in the surface soil layers. The available soil nitrogen content in the alpine meadow was not obviously affected by fluctuations in rainfall and temperature. Increasing the number of samples could reduce calculation errors in measuring available soil nitrogen content, while collecting a reasonable number of samples can save time and labor.展开更多
The heat storage terms in the soil-vegetation-atmosphere system may play an important role in the surface energy budget.In this paper,we evaluate the heat storage terms of a subalpine meadow based on a ficld experimen...The heat storage terms in the soil-vegetation-atmosphere system may play an important role in the surface energy budget.In this paper,we evaluate the heat storage terms of a subalpine meadow based on a ficld experiment conducted in the complex terrain of the eastern Qilian Mountains of Northwest China and their impact on the closure of the surface energy balance under such non-ideal conditions.During the night, the average sum of the storage terms was -5.5 W m^（-2）,which corresponded to 10.4%of net radiation.The sum of the terms became positive at 0730 LST and negative again at about 1500 LST,with a maximum value of 19 W m^（-2） observed at approximately 0830 LST.During the day,the average of the sum of the storage terms was 6.5 W m^（-2）,which corresponded to 4.0%of net radiation.According to the slopes obtained when linear regression of the net radiation and partitioned fluxes was forced through the origin,there is an imbalance of 14.0%in the subalpine meadow when the storage terms are not considered in the surface energy balance.This imbalance was improved by 3.4%by calculating the sum of the storage terms.The soil heat storage flux gave the highest contribution（1.59%）,while the vegetation enthalpy change and the rest of the storage terms were responsible for improvements of 1.04%and 0.77%,respectively.展开更多
To explore the difference in pollen harvest between the western honey bee Apis mellifera and a native eastern honey bee A.cerana in the Zoige alpine meadows in the northeastern part of the QinghaiTibetan Plateau,we in...To explore the difference in pollen harvest between the western honey bee Apis mellifera and a native eastern honey bee A.cerana in the Zoige alpine meadows in the northeastern part of the QinghaiTibetan Plateau,we investigated species diversity of the harvested pollen and the amount of harvested pollen per bee for both species,and calculated the niche overlap(in terms of similarity in harvested pollen)between the two bee species during the flowering season from June to August 2016.Results showed that the species diversity of the harvested pollen was indistinguishable between the two bee species.Nevertheless,A.mellifera carried more(although not significant)pollens per bee than A.cerana.Moreover,pollen composition differed between the two bee species:A.mellifera mainly foraged on Anemone rivularis,Saussurea nigrescens and Anemone trullifolia,while A.cerana foraged on Anemone rivularis,Stellera chamaejasme,and Pedicularis longiflora.Consistently,the niche overlap between the two honeybee species was particularly small in several observations.Our results indicate a niche separation in pollen resource between the two honeybee species in a Tibetan alpine meadow.展开更多
Alpine meadow ecosystem is fragile and highly sensitive to climate change.An understanding of the allocation of above-and below-ground plant biomass and correlations with environmental factors in alpine meadow ecosyst...Alpine meadow ecosystem is fragile and highly sensitive to climate change.An understanding of the allocation of above-and below-ground plant biomass and correlations with environmental factors in alpine meadow ecosystem can result in better protection and effective utilization of alpine meadow vegetation.We chose an alpine meadow in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China as the study area and designed experimental warming plots using a randomized block experimental design.We used single-tube infrared radiators as warming devices,established the warming treatments,and measured plant above- (AGB) and below-ground biomass (BGB) during the growing seasons (May to September) in 2012 and 2013.We determined the allocation of biomass and the relationship between biomass and soil environment under the warming treatment.Biomass indices including above-ground biomass,below-ground biomass and the ratio of root to shoot (R/S) ,and soil factors including soil moisture and soil temperature at different depths were measured.The results showed that (1) BGB of the alpine meadow had the most significant allometric correlation with its AGB (y=298.7x~ (0.44) ,P<0.001) ,but the relationship decreased under warming treatment and the determination coefficient of the functional equation was 0.102 which was less than that of 0.188 of the unwarming treatment (control) ; (2) BGB increased,especially in the deeper soil layers under warming treatment (P>0.05) .At 0–10 cm soil depth,the percentages of BGB under warming treatment were smaller than those of the control treatment with the decreases being 8.52% and 8.23% in 2012 and 2013,respectively.However,the BGB increased 2.13% and 2.06% in 2012 and 2013,respectively,at 10–50 cm soil depths; (3) BGB had significant positive correlations with soil moisture at 100 cm depth and with soil temperature at 20–100 cm depths (P<0.05) ,but the mean correlation coefficient of soil temperature was 0.354,greater than the 0.245 of soil moisture.R/S ratio had a significant negative correlation with soil temperature at 20 cm depth (P<0.05) .The warmer soil temperatures in shallow layers increased the biomass allocation to above-ground plant parts,which leading to the increase in AGB;whereas the enhanced thawing of frozen soil in deep layers causing by warming treatment produced more moisture that affected plant biomass allocation.展开更多
The principles of remotely estimating grassland cover density in an alpine meadow soil from space lie in the synchronous collection of in situ samples with the satellite pass and statistically linking these cover dens...The principles of remotely estimating grassland cover density in an alpine meadow soil from space lie in the synchronous collection of in situ samples with the satellite pass and statistically linking these cover densities to their image properties according to their geographic coordinates. The principles and procedures for quantifying grassland cover density from satellite image data were presented with an example from Qinghai Lake, China demonstrating how quantification could be made more accurate through the integrated use of remote sensing and global positioning systems (GPS). An empirical model was applied to an entire satellite image to convert pixel values into ground cover density. Satellite data based on 68 field samples was used to produce a map of ten cover densities. After calibration a strong linear regression relationship (r2 = 0.745) between pixel values on the satellite image and in situ measured grassland cover density was established with an 89% accuracy level. However, to minimize positional uncertainty of field samples, integrated use of hyperspatial satellite data and GPS could be utilized. This integration could reduce disparity in ground and space sampling intervals, and improve future quantification accuracy even more.展开更多
Fencing is the most common land-management practice to protect grassland degradation from livestock overgrazing on the Tibetan Plateau. However, it is unclear whether fencing reduces CO_2, CH_4, and N_2O emission. Her...Fencing is the most common land-management practice to protect grassland degradation from livestock overgrazing on the Tibetan Plateau. However, it is unclear whether fencing reduces CO_2, CH_4, and N_2O emission. Here, we selected four vegetation types of alpine meadow(graminoid, shrub, forb, and sparse vegetation) to determine fencing effects on ecosystem respiration(Re), CH_4, and N_2O fluxes during the growing season. Despite increased average monthly ecosystem respiration(Re) for fenced graminoid vegetation at the end of the growing season, there was no significant difference between grazing and fencing across all vegetation types. Fencing significantly reduced average CH_4 uptake by about 50% in 2008 only for forb vegetation and increased average N_2O release for graminoid vegetation by 38% and 48% in 2008 and 2009,respectively. Temperature, moisture, total organic carbon, C/N, nitrate, ammonia, and/or bulk density of soil, as well as above-and belowground biomass, explained 19%~71% and 6%~33% of variation in daily and average Re and CH_4 fluxes across all vegetation types, while soil-bulk density explained 27% of variation in average N_2O fluxes. Stepwise regression showed that soil temperature and soil moisture controlled average Re, while soil moisture and bulk density controlled average CH_4 fluxes. These results indicate that abiotic factors control Re, CH_4, and N_2O fluxes; and grazing exclusion has little effect on reducing their emission—implying that climatic change rather than grazing may have a more important influence on the budgets of Re and CH_4 for the Tibetan alpine meadow during the growing season.展开更多
Climate warming and livestock grazing are known to have great influences on alpine ecosystems like those of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau(QTP) in China. However, it is lacking of studies on the effects of warming and gr...Climate warming and livestock grazing are known to have great influences on alpine ecosystems like those of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau(QTP) in China. However, it is lacking of studies on the effects of warming and grazing on plant and soil properties in these alpine ecosystems. In this study, we reported the related research from manipulative experiment in 2010–2012 in the QTP. The aim of this study was to investigate the individual and combined effects of warming and clipping on plant and soil properties in the alpine meadow ecosystem. Infrared radiators were used to simulate climate warming starting in July 2010, while clipping was performed once in October 2011 to simulate the local livestock grazing. The experiment was designed as a randomized block consisting of five replications and four treatments: control(CK), warming(W), clipping(C) and warming+clipping combination(WC). The plant and soil properties were investigated in the growing season of the alpine meadow in 2012. The results showed that W and WC treatments significantly decreased relative humidity at 20-cm height above ground as well as significantly increases air temperature at the same height, surface temperature, and soil temperature at the depth of 0–30 cm. However, the C treatment did not significantly decrease soil moisture and soil temperature at the depth of 0–60 cm. Relative to CK, vegetation height and species number increased significantly in W and WC treatment, respectively, while vegetation aboveground biomass decreased significantly in C treatment in the early growing season. However, vegetation cover, species diversity, belowground biomass and soil properties at the depth of 0–30 cm did not differ significantly in W, C and WC treatments. Soil moisture increased at the depth of 40–100 cm in W and WC treatments, while belowground biomass, soil activated carbon, organic carbon and total nitrogen increased in the 30–50 cm soil layer in W, C and WC treatments. Although the initial responses of plant and soil properties to experimental warming and clipping were slow and weak, the drought induced by the downward shift of soil moisture in the upper soil layers may induce plant belowground biomass to transfer to the deeper soil layers. This movement would modify the distributions of soil activated carbon, organic carbon and total nitrogen. However, long-term data collection is needed to further explain this interesting phenomenon.展开更多
Steller chamaejasme L.(S. chamaejasme for short) is one of the most noxious unpalatable weeds in China, which has been frequently reported its negative interaction(i.e. competition and allelopathy) with other herbaceo...Steller chamaejasme L.(S. chamaejasme for short) is one of the most noxious unpalatable weeds in China, which has been frequently reported its negative interaction(i.e. competition and allelopathy) with other herbaceous species in grasslands. This study compared species diversity, biomass and sexual reproduction of herbaceous plants in meadows with S. chamaejasme and in open meadows without S. chamaejasme in overgrazing meadows on the Tibetan Plateau in China to determine whether positive facilitation exist between S. chamaejasme and other herbaceous species under livestock's overgrazing. The results showed that there are more herbaceous species in meadows with S. chamaejasme than those in open meadows(35s and30s, respectively). Diversity index and above-ground biomass were also significantly higher in meadows with S. chamaejasme. There were 39%(11/28) of all species with sexual reproduction found in meadows with S. chamaejasme, which was 7 times more than those in open meadows. Our study showed that S. chamaejasme could provide biotic refuge for neighboring plants and preserve plant diversity from livestock's overgrazing in alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau. It also suggested that inter-specific facilitation between S. chamaejasme and other herbaceous species may play a key role in overgrazing alpine meadows.展开更多
Due to their particular physiology and life history traits, bryophytes are critical in regulating biogeochemical cycles and functions in alpine ecosystem. Hence, it is crucial to investigate their nutrient utilization...Due to their particular physiology and life history traits, bryophytes are critical in regulating biogeochemical cycles and functions in alpine ecosystem. Hence, it is crucial to investigate their nutrient utilization strategies in comparison with vascular plants and understand their responses to the variation of growing season caused by climate change. Firstly, this study testified whether or not bryophytes can absorb nitrogen(N) directly from soil through spiking three chemical forms of 15N stable isotope tracer. Secondly, with stronger ability of carbohydrates assimilation and photosynthesis, it is supposed that N utilization efficiency of vascular plants is significantly higher than that of bryophytes. However, the recovery of soil N by bryophytes can still compete with vascular plants due to their greater phytomass. Thirdly, resource acquisition may be varied from the change of growing season, during which N pulse can be manipulated with 15N tracer addition at different time. Both of bryophytes and vascular plants contain more N in a longer growing season, and prefer inorganic over organic N. Bryophytes assimilate more NH4+ than NO3– and amino acid, which can be indicated from the greater shoot excess 15N of bryophytes. However, vascular plants prefer to absorb NO3– for their developed root systems and vascular tissue. Concerning the uptake of three forms N by bryophytes, there is significant difference between two manipulated lengths of growing season. Furthermore, the capacity of bryophytes to tolerate N-pollution may be lower than currently appreciated, which indicates the effect of climate change on asynchronous variation of soil N pools with plant requirements.展开更多
Grazing exclusion is widely adopted in restoring degraded alpine grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. However, its effectiveness remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of grazing e...Grazing exclusion is widely adopted in restoring degraded alpine grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. However, its effectiveness remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of grazing exclusion on plant productivity, species diversity and soil organic carbon(SOC) and soil total nitrogen(STN) storage along a transect spanning from east to west of alpine meadows in northern Tibet, China. After six years of grazing exclusion, plant cover, aboveground biomass(AGB), belowground biomass(BGB), SOC and STN were increased, but species diversity indices declined. The enhancement of AGB and SOC caused by grazing exclusion was correlated positively with mean annual precipitation(MAP). Grazing exclusion led to remarkable biomass increase of sedge species, especially Kobresia pygmaea, whereas decrease of biomass in forbs and no obvious change in grass, leguminous and noxious species. Root biomass was concentrated in the near surface layer(10 cm) after grazing exclusion. The effects of grazing exclusion on SOC storage were confined to shallow soil layer in sites with lower MAP. It is indicated that grazing exclusion is an effective measure to increase forage production and enhance soil carbon sequestration in the studied region. The effect is more efficient in sites with higher precipitation. However, the results revealed a tradeoff between vegetation restoration and ecological biodiversity. Therefore, carbon pools recover more quickly than plant biodiversity in the alpine meadows. We suggest that grazing exclusion should be combined with other measures to reconcile grassland restoration and biodiversity conservation.展开更多
Alpine meadow plants,adapted to humid and cold environments,are highly sensitive to environmental factors such as drought and heat.However,the physiological responses of individual alpine meadow species to drought and...Alpine meadow plants,adapted to humid and cold environments,are highly sensitive to environmental factors such as drought and heat.However,the physiological responses of individual alpine meadow species to drought and heat stress remain unclear.In this study,four representative species of typical functional groups in an alpine meadow of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were selected as experimental materials.Heat(H1,H2),drought(D1,D2),and combined stress(D1H1,D2H2)treatments were implemented to reveal the biomass and physiological characteristics’response to a constant drought and heat environment.Our results showed that the leaf water content(LWC)of Kobresia humilis and Poa annua increased significantly under heat stress and the compound stress(P<0.05).The effect of a single factor on LWC was greater than that of multiple factors.The aboveground biomass(AGB)of Oxytropis ochrocephala and Saussurea pulchra decreased significantly under compound stress(P<0.05).The response patterns of the net photosynthetic rate(Pn)and transpiration rate(Tr)of K.humilis and P.annua under various stress treatments were similar;as were those of O.ochrocephala and S.pulchra.The stomatal conductance(Gs)variation in K.humilis,P.annua,O.ochrocephala,and S.pulchra were the same under three kinds of stress treatments.The photosynthetic characteristics were more sensitive to the effects of composite than those of single factors.The drought×heat×species treatment had a significant influence on various indexes except on height(Ht)and the belowground biomass(BGB)(P<0.01).Within a certain range,daytime temperature(DT)promoted the Ht and increased the LWC of the plants,while it inhibited their AGB and intercellular CO2 concentration(Ci).The Pn,Tr,and Gs were more sensitive to soil moisture than to DT.The results help improve understanding of the physiological response regularity of representative alpine meadow plant species to continuous drought and high temperature conditions at the species level,and provided experimental data and theoretical basis to identify the decisive factors of stress response.展开更多
In order to clarify the interactive mechanism between grazing yak and alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,our study assessed seed density(by species)in the topsoil of alpine meadow with different grazing inte...In order to clarify the interactive mechanism between grazing yak and alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,our study assessed seed density(by species)in the topsoil of alpine meadow with different grazing intensities in the Tianzhu area,north-eastern margins of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and their rates of occurrence in yak dung.Seed density in the topsoil of the lightly grazed,moderately grazed,heavily grazed and extremely grazed alpine meadows in November,2010 were1 551,1 692,2 660 and 1 830 grains m-2,while in the same meadows in April,2011 densities were 1 530,2 404,2 530 and2 692 grains m-2,respectively.In the cold season pasture,mean seed density in yak dung from November to April in the lightly grazed,moderately grazed,heavily grazed and extremely grazed sites were 121,127,187,and 120 grains kg-1of dry yak dung.The proportion of total seed numbers in yak dung to soil seed bank in lightly grazed,moderately grazed,heavily grazed and extremely grazed alpine meadow was 1.40,2.62,0.69,and 0.90%.12 species out of the 47 were not found in topsoil but were found in yak dung,10 species out of 45 were not found in yak dung but were found in the topsoil.Endozoochorous dispersal by yaks is therefore very important for soil seed bank and plant biodiversity and population dynamics in alpine meadows.展开更多
In this study,effects of elevated air temperatures on thermal and hydrologic process of the shallow soil in the active layer were investigated. Open-top chambers(OTCs)were utilized to increase air temperatures 1-2℃ i...In this study,effects of elevated air temperatures on thermal and hydrologic process of the shallow soil in the active layer were investigated. Open-top chambers(OTCs)were utilized to increase air temperatures 1-2℃ in OTC-1 and 3-5℃ in OTC-2 in the alpine meadow ecosystem on the Qinghai- Tibetan Plateau.Results show that the annual air temperatures under OTC-1 and OTC-2 were 1.21℃ and 3.62℃ higher than the Control,respectively.The entirely-frozen period of shallow soil in the active layer was shortened and the fully thawed period was prolonged with temperature increase.The maximum penetration depth and duration of the negative isotherm during the entirely-frozen period decreased, and soil freezing was retarded in the local scope of the soil profile when temperature increased.Meanwhile, the positive isotherm during the fully-thawed period increased,and the soil thawing was accelerated.Soil moisture under different manipulations decreased with the temperature increase at the same depth. During the early freezing period and the early fully- thawed period,the maximum soil moisture under the Control manipulation was at 0.2 m deep,whereas under OTC-1 and OTC-2 manipulations,the maximum soil moisture were at 0.4-0.5 m deep. These results indicate that elevated temperatures led to a decrease of the moisture in the surface soil.The coupled relationship between soil temperature and moisture was significantly affected by the temperature increase.During the freezing and thawing processes, the soil temperature and moisture under different manipulations fit the regression model given by the equationθV=a/{1+exp[b(TS+c)]}+d.展开更多
Improving our knowledge of the effects of environmental factors(e.g.soil conditions,precipitation and temperature) on belowground biomass in an alpine grassland is essential for understanding the consequences of carbo...Improving our knowledge of the effects of environmental factors(e.g.soil conditions,precipitation and temperature) on belowground biomass in an alpine grassland is essential for understanding the consequences of carbon storage in this biome.The object of this study is to investigate the relative importance of soil nutrients and climate factors on belowground biomass in an alpine meadow in the source region of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers,Tibetan Plateau.Soil organic carbon(SOC),total nitrogen(TN) and total phosphorous(TP) contents and belowground biomass were measured at 22 sampling sites across an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau.We analyzed the data by using the redundancy analysis to determine the main environmental factors affecting the belowground biomass and the contribution of each factor.The results showed that SOC,TN and TP were the main factors that influenced belowground biomass,and the contribution of SOC,TN and TP on biomass was in the range of 47.87%–72.06% at soil depths of 0–30 cm.Moreover,the combined contribution of annual mean temperature(AMT) and mean annual precipitation(MAP) on belowground biomass ranged from 0.92% to 4.10%.A potential mechanism for the differences in belowground biomass was caused by the variations in soil nitrogen and phosphorous,which were coupled with SOC.A significant correlation was observed between MAP and soil nutrients(SOC,TN and TP) at the soil depth of 0–10 cm(P<0.05).We concluded that precipitation is an important driving force in regulating ecosystem functioning as reflected in variations of soil nutrients(SOC,TN and TP) and dynamics of belowground biomass in alpine grassland ecosystems.展开更多
基金carried out in the framework of the 1331 Project of Cultural Ecology Collaborative Innovation Center in Wutai Mountain (00000342)co-financed by Program for the Philosophy and Social Sciences Research of Higher Learning Institutions of Shanxi (2022J027)+1 种基金Applied Basic Research Project of Shanxi Province (202203021221225)Basic Research Project of Xinzhou Science and Technology Bureau (20230501)。
文摘Climate warming profoundly affects plant biodiversity, community productivity, and soil properties in alpine and subalpine grassland ecosystems. However, these effects are poorly understood across elevational gradients in subalpine meadow ecosystems. To reveal the elevational patterns of warming effects on plant biodiversity, community structure, productivity, and soil properties, we conducted a warming experiment using open-top chambers from August 2019 to August 2022 at high(2764 m a. s. l.), medium(2631 m a. s. l.), and low(2544 m a. s. l.) elevational gradients on a subalpine meadow slope of Mount Wutai, Northern China. Our results showed that three years of warming significantly increased topsoil temperature but significantly decreased topsoil moisture at all elevations(P<0.05), and the percentage of increasing temperature and decreasing moisture both gradually raised with elevation lifting. Warming-induced decreasing proportions of soil organic carbon(SOC, by 19.24%), and total nitrogen(TN, by 24.56%) were the greatest at high elevational gradients. Experimental warming did not affect topsoil C: N, p H, NO_(3)^(-)-N, or NH_(4)^(+)-N at the three elevational gradients. Warming significantly increased species richness(P<0.01) and Shannon-Weiner index(P<0.05) at low elevational gradients but significantly decreased belowground biomass(P<0.05) at a depth of 0–10 cm at three elevational gradients. Warming caused significant increases in the aboveground biomass in the three elevational plots. Warming significantly increased the aboveground biomass of graminoids in medium(by 92.47%) and low(by 98.25%) elevational gradients, that of sedges in high(by 72.44%) and medium(by 57.16%) elevational plots, and that of forbs in high(by 75.88%), medium(by 34.38%), and low(by 74.95%) elevational plots. Species richness had significant linear correlations with SOC, TN, and C: N(P<0.05), but significant nonlinear responses to soil temperature and soil moisture in the warmed treatment(P<0.05). The warmed aboveground biomass had a significant nonlinear response to soil temperature and significant linear responses to soil moisture(P<0.05). This study provided evidence that altitude is a factor in sensitivity to climate warming, and these different parameters(e.g., plant species richness, Shannon-Weiner index, soil temperature, soil moisture, SOC, and TN) can be used to measure this sensitivity.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32001149,U20A2006,31971507)Applied Basic Research Project of Qinghai Province(2022-ZJ-716)+3 种基金Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS(2022436)Joint Grant from Chinese Academy of Sciences-People’s Government of Qinghai Province on Sanjiangyuan National Park(LHZX-2020-07)Chinese Academy of Science(CAS)"Light of West China"Program(2018)"The effect of grazing on grassland productivity in the basin of Qinghai Lake"。
文摘Grazing exclusion is one of the primary management practices used to restore degraded grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau.However,to date,the effects of long-term grazing exclusion measures on the process of restoring degraded alpine meadows have not been evaluated.In this study,moderately degraded plots,in which the vegetation coverage was approximately 65%and the dominant plant species was Potentilla anserina L,with grazing exclusion for 2 to 23 years,were selected in alpine meadows of Haibei in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.Plant coverage,plant height,biomass,soil bulk density,saturated water content,soil organic carbon(SOC)and total nitrogen(TN)were evaluated.The results were as follows:(1)With aboveground biomass and total saturated water content at 0-40 cm depth,the average SOC and TN contents in moderately degraded alpine meadows increased as a power function,and the plant height increased as a log function.(2)The average soil bulk density at 0-40 cm depth first decreased and then increased with increasing grazing exclusion duration,and the minimum value of 0.90 g·cm^(-3) was reached at 15.23 years.The plant coverage,total belowground biomass at 0-40 cm depth,total aboveground and belowground biomass first increased and then decreased,their maximum values(80.49%,2452.92g·m^(-2),2891.06 g·m^(-2))were reached at 9.41,9.46 and 10.25 years,respectively.Long-term grazing exclusion is apparently harmful for the sustainable restoration of degraded alpine meadows.The optimal duration of grazing exclusion for the restoration of moderately degraded alpine meadows was 10 years.This research suggests that moderate disturbance should be allowed in moderately degraded alpine meadows after 10years of grazing exclusion.
基金This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41501219)the Applied Basic Research Project of Shanxi Province(2016021136)+2 种基金the National College Students'Innovative Entrepreneurial Training Plan Program of China(201910119007)the Research Project of Philosophy and Social Sciences in Colleges and Universities of Shanxi Province(2019W134)the Soft Science Research Project of Shanxi Province(2018041072-1).
文摘Ecosystems in high-altitude regions are more sensitive and respond more rapidly than other ecosystems to global climate warming.The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP)of China is an ecologically fragile zone that is sensitive to global climate warming.It is of great importance to study the changes in aboveground biomass and species diversity of alpine meadows on the QTP under predicted future climate warming.In this study,we selected an alpine meadow on the QTP as the study object and used infrared radiators as the warming device for a simulation experiment over eight years(2011-2018).We then analyzed the dynamic changes in aboveground biomass and species diversity of the alpine meadow at different time scales,including an early stage of warming(2011-2013)and a late stage of warming(2016-2018),in order to explore the response of alpine meadows to short-term(three years)and long-term warming(eight years).The results showed that the short-term warming increased air temperature by 0.31℃and decreased relative humidity by 2.54%,resulting in the air being warmer and drier.The long-term warming increased air temperature and relative humidity by 0.19℃and 1.47%,respectively,and the air tended to be warmer and wetter.The short-term warming increased soil temperature by 2.44℃and decreased soil moisture by 12.47%,whereas the long-term warming increased soil temperature by 1.76℃and decreased soil moisture by 9.90%.This caused the shallow soil layer to become warmer and drier under both short-term and long-term warming.Furthermore,the degree of soil drought was alleviated with increased warming duration.Under the long-term warming,the importance value and aboveground biomass of plants in different families changed.The importance values of grasses and sedges decreased by 47.56%and 3.67%,respectively,while the importance value of weeds increased by 1.37%.Aboveground biomass of grasses decreased by 36.55%,while those of sedges and weeds increased by 8.09%and 15.24%,respectively.The increase in temperature had a non-significant effect on species diversity.The species diversity indices increased at the early stage of warming and decreased at the late stage of warming,but none of them reached significant levels(P>0.05).Species diversity had no significant correlation with soil temperature and soil moisture under both short-term and long-term warming.Soil temperature and aboveground biomass were positively correlated in the control plots(P=0.014),but negatively correlated under the long-term warming(P=0.013).Therefore,eight years of warming aggravated drought in the shallow soil layer,which is beneficial for the growth of weeds but not for the growth of grasses.Warming changed the structure of alpine meadow communities and had a certain impact on the community species diversity.Our studies have great significance for the protection and effective utilization of alpine vegetation,as well as for the prevention of grassland degradation or desertification in high-altitude regions.
文摘The zone of alpine scrub and meadow, characterized by highlandsubpolar humid/subhumid climate, is a transitional area from deep gorges to theplateau proper.The natural zone is unique in physical environments and naturalecosystems, and could not be found at the lowlands elsewhere on the earth.Thepredominant type of vegeation is alpine meadow, including Kobresia meadow,herbaceous meadow and swampy meadow. It is an important pasturelands ofanimal husbandry for Tibetan on the plateau. Main vegetion types, animal groups,characteristics of alpine meadow soils, the altitudinal belt and the horizontalzonality of the natural zone, as well as utilization and management of the grasslandsare discussed in the present paper.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40271012)the Science & Technology Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region (Grant No. 200101046)PHD foundation of Foshan university
文摘The impacts of desertification on the vegetation composition, structure, and species diversity of alpine Kobresia steppe meadow were evaluated in an area of severe desertification in Anduo County, Tibet Autonomous Region, northern China. We investigated and analyzed the floristic features of communities at four different stages of desertification (slight desertification [SLD], moderate desertification [MD], severe desertification [SD], and very severe desertification [VSD]). The composition and structure of the alpine Kobresia steppe meadow at the SLD site differed significantly from that at the MD, SD, and VSD sites. Species that were more drought resistant and inedible by livestock were the dominant species at the SD site. No plants were found in the shifting dunes of the VSD site. Species diversity also decreased with increasing desertification. The SLD site had the largest mean number of species and individuals and the largest richness index; the MD grassland had the largest Shannon-Wiener index and evenness index, but the smallest Simpson's index. The vegetation cover declined from 91.8% to 34.8% as desertification increased from SLD to SD, and reached 0% in VSD areas with shifting dunes.
基金Under the auspices of the Science and Technology Committee of Tibet Autonomous Region (No. 200101046)
文摘This paper evaluated the impacts of mounds created by the plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on the vege- tation composition, structure, and species diversity of an alpine Kobresia steppe meadow in Nagqu County, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. Based on mound height or the depth of erosion pit, we defined five stages of erosion and compared the floristic features of communities at these stages with those in undisturbed sites. In the study area, the mounds and pits covered up to 7% of the total area. Lancea tibetica, Lamiophlomis rotata, and Potentilla bifurca were the dominant species in erosion pits, and Kobresia pygmaea, the dominant species in undisturbed sites, became a com- panion species in eroded areas. In the process of erosion, the original vegetation was covered by soil ejected by the pika, then the mounds were gradually eroded by wind and rain, and finally erosion pits formed. The vegetation coverage in- creased with increasing erosion stages but remained significantly lower than that in undisturbed sites. Improved coverage eventually reduced soil erosion, and pit depth eventually stabilized at around 20cm. Aboveground biomass increased with increasing erosion stage, but the proportion of low-quality forage reached more than 94%. The richness index and Shannon-Wiener index increased significantly with increasing erosion stage, but the richness index in mound and pit areas was significantly lower than that in undisturbed sites.
文摘Elucidating the factors that determine the effects of temporal and spatial variation of nutrients is important for analyzing the characteristics of an ecosystem. The goal of this paper was to estimate how values obtained using a particular sampling approach correlated with the actual data for an entire plot. The mesh partition method was employed to divide an integrated observing field (IOF) located at the Haibei National Field Research Station of an alpine grassland ecosystem, China, into 25 subplots. Five of the 25 subplots were randomly selected for soil sampling and to determine the source of variations in soil nutrient content from 2001 to 2012. The results showed that, contributions of temporal and spatial variation in available nitrogen in the 0 - 10 cm soil layer accounted for 47.3% and 52.7%, respectively. The contribution of spatial variance was higher than that of temporal variance especially in the surface soil layers. The available soil nitrogen content in the alpine meadow was not obviously affected by fluctuations in rainfall and temperature. Increasing the number of samples could reduce calculation errors in measuring available soil nitrogen content, while collecting a reasonable number of samples can save time and labor.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.40575006 and 40830957)the Public Welfare Research Project of China(Grant Nos.GYHY200806021 and 2005DIB3J100).
文摘The heat storage terms in the soil-vegetation-atmosphere system may play an important role in the surface energy budget.In this paper,we evaluate the heat storage terms of a subalpine meadow based on a ficld experiment conducted in the complex terrain of the eastern Qilian Mountains of Northwest China and their impact on the closure of the surface energy balance under such non-ideal conditions.During the night, the average sum of the storage terms was -5.5 W m^（-2）,which corresponded to 10.4%of net radiation.The sum of the terms became positive at 0730 LST and negative again at about 1500 LST,with a maximum value of 19 W m^（-2） observed at approximately 0830 LST.During the day,the average of the sum of the storage terms was 6.5 W m^（-2）,which corresponded to 4.0%of net radiation.According to the slopes obtained when linear regression of the net radiation and partitioned fluxes was forced through the origin,there is an imbalance of 14.0%in the subalpine meadow when the storage terms are not considered in the surface energy balance.This imbalance was improved by 3.4%by calculating the sum of the storage terms.The soil heat storage flux gave the highest contribution（1.59%）,while the vegetation enthalpy change and the rest of the storage terms were responsible for improvements of 1.04%and 0.77%,respectively.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31470482)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
文摘To explore the difference in pollen harvest between the western honey bee Apis mellifera and a native eastern honey bee A.cerana in the Zoige alpine meadows in the northeastern part of the QinghaiTibetan Plateau,we investigated species diversity of the harvested pollen and the amount of harvested pollen per bee for both species,and calculated the niche overlap(in terms of similarity in harvested pollen)between the two bee species during the flowering season from June to August 2016.Results showed that the species diversity of the harvested pollen was indistinguishable between the two bee species.Nevertheless,A.mellifera carried more(although not significant)pollens per bee than A.cerana.Moreover,pollen composition differed between the two bee species:A.mellifera mainly foraged on Anemone rivularis,Saussurea nigrescens and Anemone trullifolia,while A.cerana foraged on Anemone rivularis,Stellera chamaejasme,and Pedicularis longiflora.Consistently,the niche overlap between the two honeybee species was particularly small in several observations.Our results indicate a niche separation in pollen resource between the two honeybee species in a Tibetan alpine meadow.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41501219)
文摘Alpine meadow ecosystem is fragile and highly sensitive to climate change.An understanding of the allocation of above-and below-ground plant biomass and correlations with environmental factors in alpine meadow ecosystem can result in better protection and effective utilization of alpine meadow vegetation.We chose an alpine meadow in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China as the study area and designed experimental warming plots using a randomized block experimental design.We used single-tube infrared radiators as warming devices,established the warming treatments,and measured plant above- (AGB) and below-ground biomass (BGB) during the growing seasons (May to September) in 2012 and 2013.We determined the allocation of biomass and the relationship between biomass and soil environment under the warming treatment.Biomass indices including above-ground biomass,below-ground biomass and the ratio of root to shoot (R/S) ,and soil factors including soil moisture and soil temperature at different depths were measured.The results showed that (1) BGB of the alpine meadow had the most significant allometric correlation with its AGB (y=298.7x~ (0.44) ,P<0.001) ,but the relationship decreased under warming treatment and the determination coefficient of the functional equation was 0.102 which was less than that of 0.188 of the unwarming treatment (control) ; (2) BGB increased,especially in the deeper soil layers under warming treatment (P>0.05) .At 0–10 cm soil depth,the percentages of BGB under warming treatment were smaller than those of the control treatment with the decreases being 8.52% and 8.23% in 2012 and 2013,respectively.However,the BGB increased 2.13% and 2.06% in 2012 and 2013,respectively,at 10–50 cm soil depths; (3) BGB had significant positive correlations with soil moisture at 100 cm depth and with soil temperature at 20–100 cm depths (P<0.05) ,but the mean correlation coefficient of soil temperature was 0.354,greater than the 0.245 of soil moisture.R/S ratio had a significant negative correlation with soil temperature at 20 cm depth (P<0.05) .The warmer soil temperatures in shallow layers increased the biomass allocation to above-ground plant parts,which leading to the increase in AGB;whereas the enhanced thawing of frozen soil in deep layers causing by warming treatment produced more moisture that affected plant biomass allocation.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2006CB400505) and the National NaturalSciences Foundation of China (Nos. 49971056 and 40171007)
文摘The principles of remotely estimating grassland cover density in an alpine meadow soil from space lie in the synchronous collection of in situ samples with the satellite pass and statistically linking these cover densities to their image properties according to their geographic coordinates. The principles and procedures for quantifying grassland cover density from satellite image data were presented with an example from Qinghai Lake, China demonstrating how quantification could be made more accurate through the integrated use of remote sensing and global positioning systems (GPS). An empirical model was applied to an entire satellite image to convert pixel values into ground cover density. Satellite data based on 68 field samples was used to produce a map of ten cover densities. After calibration a strong linear regression relationship (r2 = 0.745) between pixel values on the satellite image and in situ measured grassland cover density was established with an 89% accuracy level. However, to minimize positional uncertainty of field samples, integrated use of hyperspatial satellite data and GPS could be utilized. This integration could reduce disparity in ground and space sampling intervals, and improve future quantification accuracy even more.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation Committee of China(41230750 and 41101081)Key Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(KFZD-SW-312)the"National Key Research and Development Program of China"(2016YFC0501802)
文摘Fencing is the most common land-management practice to protect grassland degradation from livestock overgrazing on the Tibetan Plateau. However, it is unclear whether fencing reduces CO_2, CH_4, and N_2O emission. Here, we selected four vegetation types of alpine meadow(graminoid, shrub, forb, and sparse vegetation) to determine fencing effects on ecosystem respiration(Re), CH_4, and N_2O fluxes during the growing season. Despite increased average monthly ecosystem respiration(Re) for fenced graminoid vegetation at the end of the growing season, there was no significant difference between grazing and fencing across all vegetation types. Fencing significantly reduced average CH_4 uptake by about 50% in 2008 only for forb vegetation and increased average N_2O release for graminoid vegetation by 38% and 48% in 2008 and 2009,respectively. Temperature, moisture, total organic carbon, C/N, nitrate, ammonia, and/or bulk density of soil, as well as above-and belowground biomass, explained 19%~71% and 6%~33% of variation in daily and average Re and CH_4 fluxes across all vegetation types, while soil-bulk density explained 27% of variation in average N_2O fluxes. Stepwise regression showed that soil temperature and soil moisture controlled average Re, while soil moisture and bulk density controlled average CH_4 fluxes. These results indicate that abiotic factors control Re, CH_4, and N_2O fluxes; and grazing exclusion has little effect on reducing their emission—implying that climatic change rather than grazing may have a more important influence on the budgets of Re and CH_4 for the Tibetan alpine meadow during the growing season.
基金financially supported by the Hundred Talent Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41301211, 41201195)
文摘Climate warming and livestock grazing are known to have great influences on alpine ecosystems like those of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau(QTP) in China. However, it is lacking of studies on the effects of warming and grazing on plant and soil properties in these alpine ecosystems. In this study, we reported the related research from manipulative experiment in 2010–2012 in the QTP. The aim of this study was to investigate the individual and combined effects of warming and clipping on plant and soil properties in the alpine meadow ecosystem. Infrared radiators were used to simulate climate warming starting in July 2010, while clipping was performed once in October 2011 to simulate the local livestock grazing. The experiment was designed as a randomized block consisting of five replications and four treatments: control(CK), warming(W), clipping(C) and warming+clipping combination(WC). The plant and soil properties were investigated in the growing season of the alpine meadow in 2012. The results showed that W and WC treatments significantly decreased relative humidity at 20-cm height above ground as well as significantly increases air temperature at the same height, surface temperature, and soil temperature at the depth of 0–30 cm. However, the C treatment did not significantly decrease soil moisture and soil temperature at the depth of 0–60 cm. Relative to CK, vegetation height and species number increased significantly in W and WC treatment, respectively, while vegetation aboveground biomass decreased significantly in C treatment in the early growing season. However, vegetation cover, species diversity, belowground biomass and soil properties at the depth of 0–30 cm did not differ significantly in W, C and WC treatments. Soil moisture increased at the depth of 40–100 cm in W and WC treatments, while belowground biomass, soil activated carbon, organic carbon and total nitrogen increased in the 30–50 cm soil layer in W, C and WC treatments. Although the initial responses of plant and soil properties to experimental warming and clipping were slow and weak, the drought induced by the downward shift of soil moisture in the upper soil layers may induce plant belowground biomass to transfer to the deeper soil layers. This movement would modify the distributions of soil activated carbon, organic carbon and total nitrogen. However, long-term data collection is needed to further explain this interesting phenomenon.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 31100360, 31200378, 31000233)
文摘Steller chamaejasme L.(S. chamaejasme for short) is one of the most noxious unpalatable weeds in China, which has been frequently reported its negative interaction(i.e. competition and allelopathy) with other herbaceous species in grasslands. This study compared species diversity, biomass and sexual reproduction of herbaceous plants in meadows with S. chamaejasme and in open meadows without S. chamaejasme in overgrazing meadows on the Tibetan Plateau in China to determine whether positive facilitation exist between S. chamaejasme and other herbaceous species under livestock's overgrazing. The results showed that there are more herbaceous species in meadows with S. chamaejasme than those in open meadows(35s and30s, respectively). Diversity index and above-ground biomass were also significantly higher in meadows with S. chamaejasme. There were 39%(11/28) of all species with sexual reproduction found in meadows with S. chamaejasme, which was 7 times more than those in open meadows. Our study showed that S. chamaejasme could provide biotic refuge for neighboring plants and preserve plant diversity from livestock's overgrazing in alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau. It also suggested that inter-specific facilitation between S. chamaejasme and other herbaceous species may play a key role in overgrazing alpine meadows.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation Youth Project of China (Grant No.31100358)the "Strategic Priority Research Program-Climate Change:Carbon Budget and Related Issues" of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDA05050307)+1 种基金Key Projects in the National Science & Technology Pillar Program during the Twelfth Five-year Plan Period"Vegetation Stabilization Techniques of Alpine Forest-Grassland Ecotone" (Grant No. 2011BAC09 B04-02-03)International Science & Technology Cooperation Program of China (Grant No. 2013DFR90670) for fund support
文摘Due to their particular physiology and life history traits, bryophytes are critical in regulating biogeochemical cycles and functions in alpine ecosystem. Hence, it is crucial to investigate their nutrient utilization strategies in comparison with vascular plants and understand their responses to the variation of growing season caused by climate change. Firstly, this study testified whether or not bryophytes can absorb nitrogen(N) directly from soil through spiking three chemical forms of 15N stable isotope tracer. Secondly, with stronger ability of carbohydrates assimilation and photosynthesis, it is supposed that N utilization efficiency of vascular plants is significantly higher than that of bryophytes. However, the recovery of soil N by bryophytes can still compete with vascular plants due to their greater phytomass. Thirdly, resource acquisition may be varied from the change of growing season, during which N pulse can be manipulated with 15N tracer addition at different time. Both of bryophytes and vascular plants contain more N in a longer growing season, and prefer inorganic over organic N. Bryophytes assimilate more NH4+ than NO3– and amino acid, which can be indicated from the greater shoot excess 15N of bryophytes. However, vascular plants prefer to absorb NO3– for their developed root systems and vascular tissue. Concerning the uptake of three forms N by bryophytes, there is significant difference between two manipulated lengths of growing season. Furthermore, the capacity of bryophytes to tolerate N-pollution may be lower than currently appreciated, which indicates the effect of climate change on asynchronous variation of soil N pools with plant requirements.
基金Under the auspices of Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.XDA05060700)Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China(No.2013M530716)
文摘Grazing exclusion is widely adopted in restoring degraded alpine grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. However, its effectiveness remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of grazing exclusion on plant productivity, species diversity and soil organic carbon(SOC) and soil total nitrogen(STN) storage along a transect spanning from east to west of alpine meadows in northern Tibet, China. After six years of grazing exclusion, plant cover, aboveground biomass(AGB), belowground biomass(BGB), SOC and STN were increased, but species diversity indices declined. The enhancement of AGB and SOC caused by grazing exclusion was correlated positively with mean annual precipitation(MAP). Grazing exclusion led to remarkable biomass increase of sedge species, especially Kobresia pygmaea, whereas decrease of biomass in forbs and no obvious change in grass, leguminous and noxious species. Root biomass was concentrated in the near surface layer(10 cm) after grazing exclusion. The effects of grazing exclusion on SOC storage were confined to shallow soil layer in sites with lower MAP. It is indicated that grazing exclusion is an effective measure to increase forage production and enhance soil carbon sequestration in the studied region. The effect is more efficient in sites with higher precipitation. However, the results revealed a tradeoff between vegetation restoration and ecological biodiversity. Therefore, carbon pools recover more quickly than plant biodiversity in the alpine meadows. We suggest that grazing exclusion should be combined with other measures to reconcile grassland restoration and biodiversity conservation.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31672475)Natural Science Foundation of Qinghai Province (2019-ZJ908)+1 种基金National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC0501901)the Second Comprehensive Scientific Investigation of the Tibetan Plateau (2019QZKK0302)
文摘Alpine meadow plants,adapted to humid and cold environments,are highly sensitive to environmental factors such as drought and heat.However,the physiological responses of individual alpine meadow species to drought and heat stress remain unclear.In this study,four representative species of typical functional groups in an alpine meadow of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were selected as experimental materials.Heat(H1,H2),drought(D1,D2),and combined stress(D1H1,D2H2)treatments were implemented to reveal the biomass and physiological characteristics’response to a constant drought and heat environment.Our results showed that the leaf water content(LWC)of Kobresia humilis and Poa annua increased significantly under heat stress and the compound stress(P<0.05).The effect of a single factor on LWC was greater than that of multiple factors.The aboveground biomass(AGB)of Oxytropis ochrocephala and Saussurea pulchra decreased significantly under compound stress(P<0.05).The response patterns of the net photosynthetic rate(Pn)and transpiration rate(Tr)of K.humilis and P.annua under various stress treatments were similar;as were those of O.ochrocephala and S.pulchra.The stomatal conductance(Gs)variation in K.humilis,P.annua,O.ochrocephala,and S.pulchra were the same under three kinds of stress treatments.The photosynthetic characteristics were more sensitive to the effects of composite than those of single factors.The drought×heat×species treatment had a significant influence on various indexes except on height(Ht)and the belowground biomass(BGB)(P<0.01).Within a certain range,daytime temperature(DT)promoted the Ht and increased the LWC of the plants,while it inhibited their AGB and intercellular CO2 concentration(Ci).The Pn,Tr,and Gs were more sensitive to soil moisture than to DT.The results help improve understanding of the physiological response regularity of representative alpine meadow plant species to continuous drought and high temperature conditions at the species level,and provided experimental data and theoretical basis to identify the decisive factors of stress response.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31001029)
文摘In order to clarify the interactive mechanism between grazing yak and alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,our study assessed seed density(by species)in the topsoil of alpine meadow with different grazing intensities in the Tianzhu area,north-eastern margins of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and their rates of occurrence in yak dung.Seed density in the topsoil of the lightly grazed,moderately grazed,heavily grazed and extremely grazed alpine meadows in November,2010 were1 551,1 692,2 660 and 1 830 grains m-2,while in the same meadows in April,2011 densities were 1 530,2 404,2 530 and2 692 grains m-2,respectively.In the cold season pasture,mean seed density in yak dung from November to April in the lightly grazed,moderately grazed,heavily grazed and extremely grazed sites were 121,127,187,and 120 grains kg-1of dry yak dung.The proportion of total seed numbers in yak dung to soil seed bank in lightly grazed,moderately grazed,heavily grazed and extremely grazed alpine meadow was 1.40,2.62,0.69,and 0.90%.12 species out of the 47 were not found in topsoil but were found in yak dung,10 species out of 45 were not found in yak dung but were found in the topsoil.Endozoochorous dispersal by yaks is therefore very important for soil seed bank and plant biodiversity and population dynamics in alpine meadows.
基金founded by The National Science Foundation of China(No.40730634 andNo.40925002)
文摘In this study,effects of elevated air temperatures on thermal and hydrologic process of the shallow soil in the active layer were investigated. Open-top chambers(OTCs)were utilized to increase air temperatures 1-2℃ in OTC-1 and 3-5℃ in OTC-2 in the alpine meadow ecosystem on the Qinghai- Tibetan Plateau.Results show that the annual air temperatures under OTC-1 and OTC-2 were 1.21℃ and 3.62℃ higher than the Control,respectively.The entirely-frozen period of shallow soil in the active layer was shortened and the fully thawed period was prolonged with temperature increase.The maximum penetration depth and duration of the negative isotherm during the entirely-frozen period decreased, and soil freezing was retarded in the local scope of the soil profile when temperature increased.Meanwhile, the positive isotherm during the fully-thawed period increased,and the soil thawing was accelerated.Soil moisture under different manipulations decreased with the temperature increase at the same depth. During the early freezing period and the early fully- thawed period,the maximum soil moisture under the Control manipulation was at 0.2 m deep,whereas under OTC-1 and OTC-2 manipulations,the maximum soil moisture were at 0.4-0.5 m deep. These results indicate that elevated temperatures led to a decrease of the moisture in the surface soil.The coupled relationship between soil temperature and moisture was significantly affected by the temperature increase.During the freezing and thawing processes, the soil temperature and moisture under different manipulations fit the regression model given by the equationθV=a/{1+exp[b(TS+c)]}+d.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41501057)the West Light Foundation of Chinese Academy of Sciences,the Open Fund of the Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Eco-regulationthe National Basic Research Program of China(2013CBA01808)
文摘Improving our knowledge of the effects of environmental factors(e.g.soil conditions,precipitation and temperature) on belowground biomass in an alpine grassland is essential for understanding the consequences of carbon storage in this biome.The object of this study is to investigate the relative importance of soil nutrients and climate factors on belowground biomass in an alpine meadow in the source region of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers,Tibetan Plateau.Soil organic carbon(SOC),total nitrogen(TN) and total phosphorous(TP) contents and belowground biomass were measured at 22 sampling sites across an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau.We analyzed the data by using the redundancy analysis to determine the main environmental factors affecting the belowground biomass and the contribution of each factor.The results showed that SOC,TN and TP were the main factors that influenced belowground biomass,and the contribution of SOC,TN and TP on biomass was in the range of 47.87%–72.06% at soil depths of 0–30 cm.Moreover,the combined contribution of annual mean temperature(AMT) and mean annual precipitation(MAP) on belowground biomass ranged from 0.92% to 4.10%.A potential mechanism for the differences in belowground biomass was caused by the variations in soil nitrogen and phosphorous,which were coupled with SOC.A significant correlation was observed between MAP and soil nutrients(SOC,TN and TP) at the soil depth of 0–10 cm(P<0.05).We concluded that precipitation is an important driving force in regulating ecosystem functioning as reflected in variations of soil nutrients(SOC,TN and TP) and dynamics of belowground biomass in alpine grassland ecosystems.
