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 biodiversitv conservation.展开更多
Plant traits and individual plant biomass allocation of 57 perennial herbaceous species,belonging to three common functional groups (forbs,grasses and sedges) at subalpine (3700 m ASL),alpine (4300 m ASL) and subniva...Plant traits and individual plant biomass allocation of 57 perennial herbaceous species,belonging to three common functional groups (forbs,grasses and sedges) at subalpine (3700 m ASL),alpine (4300 m ASL) and subnival (≥5000 m ASL) sites were examined to test the hypothesis that at high altitudes,plants reduce the proportion of aboveground parts and allocate more biomass to belowground parts,especially storage organs,as altitude increases,so as to geminate and resist environmental stress.However,results indicate that some divergence in biomass allocation exists among organs.With increasing altitude,the mean fractions of total biomass allocated to aboveground parts decreased.The mean fractions of total biomass allocation to storage organs at the subalpine site (7%±2% S.E.) were distinct from those at the alpine (23%±6%) and subnival (21%±6%) sites,while the proportions of green leaves at all altitudes remained almost constant.At 4300 m and 5000 m,the mean fractions of flower stems decreased by 45% and 41%,respectively,while fine roots increased by 86% and 102%,respectively.Specific leaf areas and leaf areas of forbs and grasses deceased with rising elevation,while sedges showed opposite trends.For all three functional groups,leaf area ratio and leaf area root mass ratio decreased,while fine root biomass increased at higher altitudes.Biomass allocation patterns of alpine plants were characterized by a reduction in aboveground reproductive organs and enlargement of fine roots,while the proportion of leaves remained stable.It was beneficial for high altitude plants to compensate carbon gain and nutrient uptake under low temperature and limited nutrients by stabilizing biomass investment to photosynthetic structures and increasing the absorption surface area of fine roots.In contrast to forbs and grasses that had high mycorrhizal infection,sedges had higher single leaf area and more root fraction,especially fine roots.展开更多
The alpine meadow, as one of the typical vegetation types on the Tibetan Plateau, is one of the most sensitive terrestrial ecosystems to climate warming. However, how climate warming affects the carbon cycling of the ...The alpine meadow, as one of the typical vegetation types on the Tibetan Plateau, is one of the most sensitive terrestrial ecosystems to climate warming. However, how climate warming affects the carbon cycling of the alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau is not very dear. A field experiment under controlled experimental warming and clipping conditions was conducted in an alpine meadow on the Northern Tibetan Plateau since July 2008. Open top chambers (0TCs) were used to simulate climate warming. The main objective of this study was to examine the responses of ecosystem respiration (Reco) and its temperature sensitivity to experimental warming and clipping at daily time scale. Therefore, we measured Reco once or twice a month from July to September in 2010, from June to September in 2011 and from August to September in 2012. Air temperature dominated daily variation of Reco whether or not experimental warming and clipping were present. Air temperature was exponentially correlated with Reco and it could significantly explain 58-96% variation of Redo at daily time scale. Experimental warming and clipping decreased daily mean Reco by 5.8-37.7% and -11.9-23.0%, respectively, although not all these changes were significant. Experimental warming tended to decrease the temperature sensitivity of Reco, whereas clipping tended to increase the temperature sensitivity of Reco at daily time scale. Our findings suggest that Reco wasmainly controlled by air temperature and may acclimate to climate warming due to its lower temperature sensitivity under experimental warming at daily time scale.展开更多
To better understand the ecological and economic benefits of short-term grazing exclusion on the aboveground net primary productivity(ANPP)of alpine pastures,we conducted annual multi-site transect surveys in the summ...To better understand the ecological and economic benefits of short-term grazing exclusion on the aboveground net primary productivity(ANPP)of alpine pastures,we conducted annual multi-site transect surveys in the summers from 2009 to 2011 and calculated the aboveground biomass discrepancy(ABD)between grazed and ungrazed pastures at plant community and economic group levels for three zonal alpine grassland types—meadow,steppe,and desert-steppe—across the northern Tibetan Plateau.Our results indicated that aboveground biomass(AGB)significantly differed among grassland types and declined northwesterly from 64.07 to11.44 g m-2with decreasing precipitation and increasing temperature.The mean ABD exhibited considerable community dependency,with meadow(12.47 g m-2)[steppe(6.91 g m-2)[desert steppe(2.54 g m-2),and it declined from 25.42 to 1.29 g m-2with decreasing precipitation and increasing temperature.‘Good forage’,i.e.grasses and sedges,benefited most from grazing exclusion,followed by edible forbs.With longer grazing exclusion durations(GEDs),the aboveground biomass of poisonous locoweeds initially decreased and then increased compared with the adjacent grazed sites.In the nested analysis of co-variances with a general linear model,growing season precipitation(GSP;from May to September)accounted for 52.67%ofthe observed variation in AGB,followed by AGT(9.77%)and pasture management systems(PMSs;grazing or grazing-excluded,5.31%).The variation in ABD was explained primarily by AGT(16.52%),GED(20.25%),and the interaction of AGT 9 GED(19.58%).Our results confirm that precipitation is the primary factor controlling the ANPP of alpine grasslands on the Northern Tibetan Plateau and that the ecological benefits arising from grazing exclusion are also partly dependent on grassland type and exclusion duration.Therefore,spatial and temporal variations in growing season precipitation and plant functional traits or economic group composition should be jointly considered when developing policies concerning the management展开更多
Atmospheric pollutants including SO_2, NO_2, CO, O_3 and inhalable particulate matter(PM2.5 and PM10) were monitored continuously from March 2014 to February 2015 to investigate characteristics of air pollution at L...Atmospheric pollutants including SO_2, NO_2, CO, O_3 and inhalable particulate matter(PM2.5 and PM10) were monitored continuously from March 2014 to February 2015 to investigate characteristics of air pollution at Lhasa, Tibetan Plateau. Species exhibited similar seasonal variations except O_3, with the peaks in winter but low valleys in summer. The maximum O_3 concentration was observed in spring, followed by summer, autumn, and winter. The positive correlation between O_3 and PM10 in spring indicated similar sources of them, and was assumed to be turbulent transport. Temperature was the dominant meteorological factor for most species in spring. High temperature accelerates O_3 photochemistry, and favors air disturbance which is conductive to dust resuspension in spring. Relative humidity(RH) and atmospheric pressure were the main meteorological factors in summer. RH showed negative correlations with species, while atmospheric pressure posed opposite situation. Wind speed(WS) was the dominant meteorological factor in autumn, the negative correlations between WS and species indicated diffusion by wind. Most species showed non-significant correlations with meteorological factors in winter, indicating the dependence of pollution on source emission rather than restriction by meteorology. Pollution weather character indicated that emissions were from biomass burning and dust suspension, and meteorological factors also played an important role. Air stream injection from the stratosphere was observed during O_3 pollution period. Air parcels from Southwest Asia were observed during air pollution period in winter. An enhancement in air pollutants such as O_3 would be expected in the future, more attention should be given to countermeasures for prevention of air pollution in the future.展开更多
In order to investigate the general tendency of soil microbial community responses to fertilizers, a meta-analysis approach was used to synthesise observations on the effects of inorganic and organic fertilizer additi...In order to investigate the general tendency of soil microbial community responses to fertilizers, a meta-analysis approach was used to synthesise observations on the effects of inorganic and organic fertilizer addition(N: nitrogen;P: phosphorus;NP: nitrogen and phosphorus;PK: phosphorus and potassium;NPK: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium;OF: organic fertilizer;OF+NPK: organic fertilizer plus NPK) on soil microbial communities. Among the various studies, PK, NPK, OF and OF+NPK addition increased total phospholipid fatty acid(PLFA) by 52.0%, 19.5%, 334.3% and 58.3%, respectively;while NP, OF and OF+NPK addition increased fungi by 5.6%, 21.0% and 8.2%, respectively. NP, NPK and OF addition increased bacteria by 6.4%, 9.8% and 13.3%, respectively;while NP and NPK addition increased actinomycetes by 7.0% and 14.8%, respectively. Addition of ammonium nitrate rather than urea decreased gram-negative bacteria(G–). N addition increased total PLFA、bacteria and actinomycetes in croplands, but decreased fungi and bacteria in forests, and the F/B ratio in grasslands. NPK addition increased total PLFA in forests but not in croplands. The N addition rate was positively correlated with the effects of N addition on gram-positive bacteria(G+) and G–. Therefore, different fertilizers appear to have different effects on the soil microbial community. Organic fertilizers can have a greater positive effect on the soil microbial community than inorganic fertilizers. The effects of fertilizers on the soil microbial community varied with ecosystem types. The effect of N addition on the soil microbial community was related to both the forms of nitrogen that were added and the nitrogen addition rate.展开更多
Accurate quantification of aboveground biomass of grasslands in alpine regions plays an important role in accurate quantification of global carbon cycling.The monthly normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI),enh...Accurate quantification of aboveground biomass of grasslands in alpine regions plays an important role in accurate quantification of global carbon cycling.The monthly normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI),enhanced vegetation index(EVI),mean air temperature(Ta),≥5℃ accumulated air temperature(AccT),total precipitation(TP),and the ratio of TP to AccT(TP/AccT) were used to model aboveground biomass(AGB) in grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau.Three stepwise multiple regression methods,including stepwise multiple regression of AGB with NDVI and EVI,stepwise multiple regression of AGB with Ta,AccT,TP and TP/AccT,and stepwise multiple regression of AGB with NDVI,EVI,Ta,AccT,TP and TP/Acc T were compared.The mean absolute error(MAE) and root mean squared error(RMSE) values between estimated AGB by the NDVI and measured AGB were 31.05 g m^(-2) and 44.12 g m^(-2),and 95.43 g m^(-2) and 131.58 g m^(-2) in the meadow and steppe,respectively.The MAE and RMSE values between estimated AGB by the AccT and measured AGB were 33.61 g m^(-2) and 48.04 g m^(-2) in the steppe,respectively.The MAE and RMSE values between estimated AGB by the vegetation index and climatic data and measured AGB were 28.09 g m^(-2) and 42.71 g m^(-2),and 35.86 g m^(-2) and 47.94 g m^(-2),in the meadow and steppe,respectively.The study finds that a combination of vegetation index and climatic data can improve the accuracy of estimates of AGB that are arrived at using the vegetation index or climatic data.The accuracy of estimates varied depending on the type of grassland.展开更多
Aims Grassland is the most widely distributed vegetation type on the Xizang Plateau.Accurate remote sensing estimation of the grass-land aboveground biomass(AGB)in this region is influenced by the types of vegetation ...Aims Grassland is the most widely distributed vegetation type on the Xizang Plateau.Accurate remote sensing estimation of the grass-land aboveground biomass(AGB)in this region is influenced by the types of vegetation indexes(VIs)used,the grain size(resolution)of the remote sensing data and the targeted ecosystem features.This study attempts to answer the following questions:(i)Which VI can most accurately reflect the grassland AGB distribution on the Xizang Plateau?(ii)How does the grain size of remote sensing imagery affect AGB reflection?(iii)What is the spatial distribution pattern of the grassland AGB on the plateau and its relationship with the climate?Methods We investigated 90 sample sites and measured site-specific AGBs using the harvest method for three grassland types(alpine meadow,alpine steppe and desert steppe).For each sample site,four VIs,namely,Normalized Difference VI(NDVI),Enhanced VI,Normalized Difference Water Index(NDWI)and Modified Soil-Adjusted VI(MSAVI)were extracted from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS)products with grain sizes of 250 m and 1 km.Linear regression models were employed to iden-tify the best estimator of the AGB for the entire grassland and the three individual grassland types.Paired Wilcoxon tests were applied to assess the grain size effect on the AGB estimation.General linear models were used to quantify the relationships between the spatial distribution of the grassland AGB and climatic factors.Important Findings The results showed that the best estimator for the entire grass-land AGB on the Xizang Plateau was MSAVI at a 250 m grain size(MSAVI_(250 m)).For each individual grassland type,the best estimator was MSAVI at a grain size of 250 m for alpine meadow,NDWI at a grain size of 1 km for alpine steppe and NDVI at a grain size of 1 km for desert steppe.The explanation ability of each VI for the grassland AGB did not significantly differ for the two grain sizes.Based on the best fit model(AGB=−10.80+139.13 MSAVI_(250 m)),the spatial pattern of t展开更多
Predicting how human activity will influence the response of alpine grasslands to future warming has many uncertainties.In this study, a field experiment with controlled warming and clipping was conducted in an alpine...Predicting how human activity will influence the response of alpine grasslands to future warming has many uncertainties.In this study, a field experiment with controlled warming and clipping was conducted in an alpine meadow at three elevations(4313 m, 4513 m and 4693 m) in Northern Tibet to test the hypothesis that clipping would alter warming effect on biomass production.Open top chambers(OTCs) were used to increase temperature since July,2008 and the OTCs increased air temperature by approximately 0.9o C ~ 1.8o C during the growing in2012.Clipping was conducted three times one year during growing season and the aboveground parts of all live plants were clipped to approximately 0.01 m in height using scissors since 2009.Gross primary production(GPP) was calculated from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer GPP algorithm and aboveground plant production was estimated using the surface-measured normalized difference vegetation index in 2012.Warming decreased the GPP, aboveground biomass(AGB) and aboveground net primary production(ANPP) at all three elevations when clipping was not applied.In contrast, warming increased AGB at all three elevations, GPP at the two lower elevations and ANPP at the two higher elevations when clipping was applied.These findings show that clipping reduced the negative effect of warming on GPP, AGB and ANPP, suggesting that clipping may reduce the effect of climate warming on GPP, AGB and ANPP in alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau, and therefore, may be a viable strategy for mitigating the effects of climate change on grazing and animal husbandry on the Tibetan Plateau.展开更多
Animal husbandry and crop farming are specialized for development in separate areas on the Tibetan Plateau. Such a pattern of isolation has led to current concerns of rangeland and farming system degradation due to in...Animal husbandry and crop farming are specialized for development in separate areas on the Tibetan Plateau. Such a pattern of isolation has led to current concerns of rangeland and farming system degradation due to intensive land use. The crop-livestock integration, however, has been proven to increase food and feed productivity thorough niche complementarity, and is thereby especially effective for promoting ecosystem resilience. Regional synergy has emerged as an integrated approach to reconcile rangeland livestock with forage crop production. It moves beyond the specialized sectors of animal husbandry and intensive agriculture to coordinate them through regional coupling. Therefore, crop-livestock integration(CLI) has been suggested as one of the effective solutions to forage deficit and livestock production in grazing systems. But it is imperative that CLI moves forward from the farm level to the regional scale, in order to secure regional synergism during agro-pastoral development. The national key R & D program, Technology and Demonstration of Recovery and Restoration of Degraded Alpine Ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau, aims to solve the problems of alpine grassland degradation by building up a grass-based animal husbandry technology system that includes synergizing forage production and ecological functioning, reconciling the relationship between ecology, forage production and animal husbandry, and achieving the win-win goals of curbing grassland degradation and changing the development mode of animal husbandry. It is imperative to call for regional synergy through integrating ecological functioning with ecosystem services, given the alarming threat of rangeland degradation on the Tibetan Plateau. The series of papers in this issue, together with those published previously, provide a collection of rangeland ecology and management studies in an effort to ensure the sustainable use and management of the alpine ecosystems.展开更多
Environmental and Geo-spatial factors have long been considered as crucial determinants of species composition and distributions. However,quantifying the relative contributions of these factors for the alpine ecosyste...Environmental and Geo-spatial factors have long been considered as crucial determinants of species composition and distributions. However,quantifying the relative contributions of these factors for the alpine ecosystems is lacking. The Tibetan Plateau has a unique ecological environment and vegetation types. Our objectives are to quantify the spatial distributions of plant communities on the Northern Tibetan Alpine grasslands and to explore the relationships between vegetation composition,Geo-spatial factors and environmental factors. We established 63 field plots along a 1200-km gradient on the Northern Tibetan Plateau Alpine Grassland and employed the two-way indicator species analysis(TWINSPAN) and the detrended canonical correspondence analysis(DCCA). Fourteen communities of alpine grassland were identifiable along the transect and consisted of three vegetation types: Alpine meadow,Alpine steppe,and desert steppe. Vegetation composition and spatial distribution appeared to be largely determined by mean annual precipitation and less influenced by temperature. A large fraction(73.5%) of the variation in vegetation distribution was explained by environmental variables along this transect,somewhat less by Geo-spatial factors(56.3%). The environmental and Geo-spatial factors explained 29.6% and 12.3% of the total variation,respectively,while their interaction explained 43.9%. Our findings provide strong empirical evidence for explaining biological and environmental synergetic relationships in Northern Tibet.展开更多
The Gaoligong Mountains(GLGM),located in southwestern China,extend north to south along the western border of the Hengduan Mountains,spanning approximately 600 km.In this study,we consolidated findings from 17 bird su...The Gaoligong Mountains(GLGM),located in southwestern China,extend north to south along the western border of the Hengduan Mountains,spanning approximately 600 km.In this study,we consolidated findings from 17 bird surveys conducted in the GLGM between 2010 and 2022.We found that the GLGM harbors tremendous bird diversity,with a total of 796 documented bird species in the region.Nearly a quarter(23.0%)of these species are listed as state key protected species or as Chinese and global threatened species.Analysis of species richness at the county level showed a decreasing trend with increasing latitude,with the greatest diversity in Yingjiang(661 species).Observations indicated that the GLGM belongs to the Oriental realm,primarily composed of bird species from southern and southwestern China.The GLGM plays an important role in avian conservation by sheltering exceptional bird diversity,providing corridors and flyways for bird migration and dispersal,and mitigating the effects of climate change.In response to the conservation needs of birds and other wildlife,the Chinese government has established numerous protected areas within the GLGM.Despite these efforts,avian conservation still faces considerable challenges in the GLGM due to limitations in the protected area network,transboundary nature of the regions,and existing gaps in monitoring and research.展开更多
The accurate simulation and prediction of grassland aboveground biomass (AGB) and theoretical livestock carrying capacity are key steps for maintaining ecosystem balance and sustainable grassland management.The AGB in...The accurate simulation and prediction of grassland aboveground biomass (AGB) and theoretical livestock carrying capacity are key steps for maintaining ecosystem balance and sustainable grassland management.The AGB in fenced grassland is not affected by grazing and its variability is only driven by climate change,which can be regarded as the grassland potential AGB (AGB_(p)).In this study,we compiled the data for 345 AGB field observations in fenced grasslands and their corresponding climate data,soil data,and topographical data on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (TP).We further simulated and predicted grassland AGB_(p)and theoretical livestock carrying capacity under the climate conditions of the past (2000-2018) and future two decades (2021-2040) based on a random forest (RF) algorithm.The results showed that simulated AGB_(p)matched well with observed values in the field (R^(2)=0.76,P<0.001) in the past two decades.The average grassland AGB_(p)on the Tibetan Plateau was 102.4g m^(-2),and the inter-annual changes in AGB_(p)during this period showed a non-significant increasing trend.AGB_(p)fluctuation was positively correlated with growing season precipitation (R^(2)=0.57,P<0.001),and negatively correlated with the growing season diurnal temperature range (R^(2)=0.51,P<0.001).The average theoretical livestock carrying capacity was 0.94 standardized sheep units (SSU) ha^(-1)on the TP,in which about 54.1%of the areas showed an increasing trend during the past two decades.Compared with the past two decades,the theoretical livestock carrying capacity showed a decreasing trend in the future,which was mainly distributed in the central and northern TP.This study suggested that targeted planning and management should be carried out to alleviate the forage-livestock contradiction in grazing systems on the Tibetan Plateau.展开更多
Enclosure is one of the most widely used management tools for degraded alpine grassland on the northern Tibetan Plateau, but the responses of different types of grassland to enclosure may vary, and research on these r...Enclosure is one of the most widely used management tools for degraded alpine grassland on the northern Tibetan Plateau, but the responses of different types of grassland to enclosure may vary, and research on these responses can provide a scientific basis for improving ecological conservation. This study took one site for each of three grassland types(alpine meadow, alpine steppe and alpine desert) on the northern Tibetan Plateau as examples, and explored the effects of enclosure on plant and soil nutrients by comparing differences in plant community biomass, leaf-soil nutrient content and their stoichiometry between samples from inside and outside the fence. The results showed that enclosure can significantly increase all aboveground biomass in these three grassland types, but it only increased the 10–20 cm underground biomass in the alpine desert. Enclosure also significantly increased the leaf nutrient content of the dominant plants and contents of total nitrogen(N), total potassium(K), and organic carbon(C) in 10–20 cm soil in alpine desert, thus changing the stoichiometry between C, N and P(phosphorus). However, enclosure significantly increased only the N content of dominant plant leaves in alpine steppe, while other nutrients and stoichiometries of both plant leaves and soil did not show significant differences in alpine meadow and alpine steppe. These results suggested that enclosure has differential effects on these three types of alpine grasslands on the northern Tibetan Plateau, and the alpine desert showed the most active ecological conservation in the responses of its soil and plant nutrients.展开更多
Variations in the fractions of biomass allocated to functional components are widely considered as plant responses to resource availability for grassland plants. Observations indicated shoots isometrically relates to ...Variations in the fractions of biomass allocated to functional components are widely considered as plant responses to resource availability for grassland plants. Observations indicated shoots isometrically relates to roots at the community level but allometrically at the species level in Tibetan alpine grasslands. These differences may result from the specific complementarity of functional groups between functional components, such as leaf, root, stem and reproductive organ. To test the component complementary responses to regional moisture variation, we conducted a multi-site transect survey to measure plant individual size and component biomass fractions of common species belonging to the functional groups: forbs, grasses, legumes and sedges on the Northern Tibetan Plateau in peak growing season in 2010. Along the mean annual precipitation (MAP) gradient, we sampled 7o species, in which 2o are in alpine meadows, 20 in alpine steppes, 15 in alpine desert-steppes and 15 in alpine deserts, respectively. Our results showed that the size of alpine plants is small with individual biomass mostly lower than 1.0 g. Plants keep relative conservative component individual responses moisture functional fractions across alpine grasslands at the level. However, the complementary between functional components to variations specifically differ among groups. These results indicate that functional group diversity may be an effective tool for scaling biomass allocation patterns from individual up to community level. Therefore, it is necessary andvaluable to perform intensive and systematic studies on identification and differentiation the influences of compositional changes in functional groups on ecosystem primary services and processes.展开更多
Soil microbes play important roles in terrestrial ecosystem carbon and nitrogen cycling. Climatic warming and elevated CO2 are two aspects of climatic change. In this study, we used a meta-analysis approach to synthes...Soil microbes play important roles in terrestrial ecosystem carbon and nitrogen cycling. Climatic warming and elevated CO2 are two aspects of climatic change. In this study, we used a meta-analysis approach to synthesise observations related to the effects of warming and elevated CO2 on soil microbial biomass and community structure. Ecosystem types were mainly grouped into forests and grasslands. Warming methods included open top chambers and infrared radiators. Experimental settings included all-day warming, daytime warming and nighttime warming. Warming increased soil actinomycetes and saprotrophic fungi, while elevated CO2 decreased soil gram-positive bacteria(G+). Mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation were negatively correlated with warming effects on gram-negative bacteria(G–) and total phospholipid fatty acid(PLFA), respectively. Elevation was positively correlated with the warming effect on total PLFA, bacteria, G+ and G–. Grassland exhibited a positive response of total PLFA and actinomycetes to warming, while forest exhibited a positive response in the ratio of soil fungi to bacteria(F/B ratio) to warming. The open top chamber method increased G–, while the infrared radiator method decreased the F/B ratio. Daytime warming rather than all-day warming increased G–. Our findings indicated that the effects of warming on soil microbes differed with ecosystem types, warming methods, warming times, elevation and local climate conditions.展开更多
Beta diversity,the variation of community composition among sites,bridges alpha and gamma diversity and can reveal the mechanisms of community assembly through applying distance-decay models and/or partitioning beta d...Beta diversity,the variation of community composition among sites,bridges alpha and gamma diversity and can reveal the mechanisms of community assembly through applying distance-decay models and/or partitioning beta diversity into turnover and nestedness components from functional and phylogenetic perspectives.Mountains as the most natural experiment system provide good opportunities for exploring beta diversity patterns and the underlying ecological processes.Here,we simultaneously consider distance-decay models and multiple di-mensions of beta diversity to examine spatial variations of bird communities,and to evaluate the relative importance of niche-based and neutral community assembly mechanisms along a 3600-m elevational gradient in the central Himalayas,China.Our results showed that species turnover dominates taxonomic,functional,and phylogenetic beta diversity.We observed strongest evidence of spatial distance decays in taxonomic similarities of birds,followed by its phylogenetic and functional analogues.Turnover component was highest in taxonomic beta diversity,while nestedness component was highest in functional beta diversity.Further,all correlations of assemblage similarity with climatic distance were higher than that with spatial distances.Standardized values of overall taxonomic,functional,and phylogenetic beta diversity and their turnover components increase with increasing elevational distance,while the standardized values of taxonomic and phylogenetic nestedness decreased with increasing elevational distance.Our results highlighted the niche-based deterministic processes in shaping elevational bird diversity patterns that were determined by the relative roles of decreasing trend of environmental filtering and increasing trend of limiting similarity along elevation distances.展开更多
Pennisetum centrasiaticum is widely distributed in arid and semi-arid areas of Tibet. Its rhizome system is developed and has strong resistance to adversity. In this study, the physiological characteristics and drough...Pennisetum centrasiaticum is widely distributed in arid and semi-arid areas of Tibet. Its rhizome system is developed and has strong resistance to adversity. In this study, the physiological characteristics and drought resistance of P.centrasiaticum seedlings from 12 drought-stressed sites in Tibet were examined at the Lhasa Plateau Ecosystem Research Station of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. PEG-6000 solution with five levels of water potential(0, –0.7, –1.4, –2.1, and –2.8 MPa) was used to simulate drought stress, and malondialdehyde(MDA), proline(Pro) and chlorophyll contents were determined. The balance between production and elimination of reactive oxygen species in P.centrasiaticum was destroyed, leading to membrane lipid peroxidation and the production of MDA, and accelerating the decomposition of chlorophyll. P.centrasiaticum absorbed water from the outside to resist drought by secreting proline and other osmotic regulating substances. The Pro and chlorophyll contents in P.centrasiaticum showed a temporary rising trend, and then decreased with the decrease in water potential. MDA content increased with the decrease in water potential. By using the membership function method, the drought resistance of P.centrasiaticum seedlings from the 12 areas was evaluated, and the results showed that the drought resistance at the sites went from strong to weak in this order: Xietongmen > Linzhou > Sog > Damxung > Tingri > Namling > Gyirong > Linzhi > Purang > Dingjie > Longzi > Sa’gya. The drought resistance of P.centrasiaticum was strong in Xietongmen, Linzhou and Sog. Whether P.centrasiaticum from these three areas is suitable for cultivation in arid and semi-arid areas of Tibet needs further study.展开更多
Many cities face heat wave(HW) events, combined with the existent surface urban heat island(SUHI) effects. This places pressure on human settlements and sustainable development. However, few studies have investigated ...Many cities face heat wave(HW) events, combined with the existent surface urban heat island(SUHI) effects. This places pressure on human settlements and sustainable development. However, few studies have investigated the SUHI effects from the perspective of HWs. In this study, the summer HWs in Beijing from 2001 to 2021 were calculated, and the evolution of HWs and SUHIs was quantitatively analyzed based on the dynamic nature of the urban-rural boundary. Beijing experienced 27 HWs in the 21 years, including 10 instances in June, four in July, and 13 in August. The SUHI varied during HWs, between 2–3℃ in most years. The highest SUHI occurred in 2019, reaching 3.99℃ and covering the largest area(10,887 km^(2)). The fluctuation in HWs and SUHIs generally displayed the same spatiotemporal pattern, and HWs amplified the SUHIs to a certain extent, with the highest correlation coefficient being 0.44. Additionally, impervious surfaces and cropland contributed most to SUHIs,and night light enhanced SUHIs. Observing the co-evolution of HWs and SUHIs will be helpful for ecological maintenance and urban infrastructure optimization and provide theoretical support for reducing heat risk and improving the human settlement environment.展开更多
Affected by climate warming and anthropogenic disturbances, the thermo-mechanical stability of warm and ice-rich frozen ground along the Qinghai-Tibet engineering corridor(QTEC) is continuously decreased, which may de...Affected by climate warming and anthropogenic disturbances, the thermo-mechanical stability of warm and ice-rich frozen ground along the Qinghai-Tibet engineering corridor(QTEC) is continuously decreased, which may delay the construction of major projects in the future. In this study, based on chemical stabilization of warm and icerich frozen ground, the soil-cement column(SCC) for ground improvement was recommended to reinforce the foundations in warm and ice-rich permafrost regions. To explore the validity of countermeasures mentioned above, both the original foundation and the composite foundation consisting of SCC with soil temperature of -1.0℃ were prepared in the laboratory, and then the plate loading tests were carried out. The laboratory investigations indicated that the bearing capacity of composite foundation consisting of SCC was higher than that of original foundation, and the total deformation of original foundation was greater than that of composite foundation, meaning that overall stability of foundation with warm and ice-rich frozen soil can be improved by SCC installation. Meanwhile, a numerical model considering the interface interaction between frozen soil and SCC was established for interpretating the bearing mechanism of composite foundation. The numerical investigations revealed that the SCC within composite foundation was responsible for the more applied load, and the applied load can be delivered to deeper zone in depth due to the SCC installation, which was favorable for improving the bearing characteristic of composite foundation. The investigations provide the valuable guideline for the choice of engineering supporting techniques to major projects within the QTEC.展开更多
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 biodiversitv conservation.
基金supported by the National Science & Technology Pillar Program (Grant Nos. 2007BAD80B03 and 2007BAC06B01)a West Light Joint Scholar-ship from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2008the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40771074 and 30700080)
文摘Plant traits and individual plant biomass allocation of 57 perennial herbaceous species,belonging to three common functional groups (forbs,grasses and sedges) at subalpine (3700 m ASL),alpine (4300 m ASL) and subnival (≥5000 m ASL) sites were examined to test the hypothesis that at high altitudes,plants reduce the proportion of aboveground parts and allocate more biomass to belowground parts,especially storage organs,as altitude increases,so as to geminate and resist environmental stress.However,results indicate that some divergence in biomass allocation exists among organs.With increasing altitude,the mean fractions of total biomass allocated to aboveground parts decreased.The mean fractions of total biomass allocation to storage organs at the subalpine site (7%±2% S.E.) were distinct from those at the alpine (23%±6%) and subnival (21%±6%) sites,while the proportions of green leaves at all altitudes remained almost constant.At 4300 m and 5000 m,the mean fractions of flower stems decreased by 45% and 41%,respectively,while fine roots increased by 86% and 102%,respectively.Specific leaf areas and leaf areas of forbs and grasses deceased with rising elevation,while sedges showed opposite trends.For all three functional groups,leaf area ratio and leaf area root mass ratio decreased,while fine root biomass increased at higher altitudes.Biomass allocation patterns of alpine plants were characterized by a reduction in aboveground reproductive organs and enlargement of fine roots,while the proportion of leaves remained stable.It was beneficial for high altitude plants to compensate carbon gain and nutrient uptake under low temperature and limited nutrients by stabilizing biomass investment to photosynthetic structures and increasing the absorption surface area of fine roots.In contrast to forbs and grasses that had high mycorrhizal infection,sedges had higher single leaf area and more root fraction,especially fine roots.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41171084and 40771121)Innovation Project of the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research,Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No.2012ZD005)+2 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of the Tibet Autonomous Region (Name. the Response Experiment of the Alpine Meadow Vegetation to Climate Warming)the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No.2010CB951704)the National Science and Technology Plan Project of China (Grant No.2011BAC09B03)
文摘The alpine meadow, as one of the typical vegetation types on the Tibetan Plateau, is one of the most sensitive terrestrial ecosystems to climate warming. However, how climate warming affects the carbon cycling of the alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau is not very dear. A field experiment under controlled experimental warming and clipping conditions was conducted in an alpine meadow on the Northern Tibetan Plateau since July 2008. Open top chambers (0TCs) were used to simulate climate warming. The main objective of this study was to examine the responses of ecosystem respiration (Reco) and its temperature sensitivity to experimental warming and clipping at daily time scale. Therefore, we measured Reco once or twice a month from July to September in 2010, from June to September in 2011 and from August to September in 2012. Air temperature dominated daily variation of Reco whether or not experimental warming and clipping were present. Air temperature was exponentially correlated with Reco and it could significantly explain 58-96% variation of Redo at daily time scale. Experimental warming and clipping decreased daily mean Reco by 5.8-37.7% and -11.9-23.0%, respectively, although not all these changes were significant. Experimental warming tended to decrease the temperature sensitivity of Reco, whereas clipping tended to increase the temperature sensitivity of Reco at daily time scale. Our findings suggest that Reco wasmainly controlled by air temperature and may acclimate to climate warming due to its lower temperature sensitivity under experimental warming at daily time scale.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41171044)Knowledge Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDB03030401&KZCXZ-XB3-08)by a General Financial Grant from theChina Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2013M530716)
文摘To better understand the ecological and economic benefits of short-term grazing exclusion on the aboveground net primary productivity(ANPP)of alpine pastures,we conducted annual multi-site transect surveys in the summers from 2009 to 2011 and calculated the aboveground biomass discrepancy(ABD)between grazed and ungrazed pastures at plant community and economic group levels for three zonal alpine grassland types—meadow,steppe,and desert-steppe—across the northern Tibetan Plateau.Our results indicated that aboveground biomass(AGB)significantly differed among grassland types and declined northwesterly from 64.07 to11.44 g m-2with decreasing precipitation and increasing temperature.The mean ABD exhibited considerable community dependency,with meadow(12.47 g m-2)[steppe(6.91 g m-2)[desert steppe(2.54 g m-2),and it declined from 25.42 to 1.29 g m-2with decreasing precipitation and increasing temperature.‘Good forage’,i.e.grasses and sedges,benefited most from grazing exclusion,followed by edible forbs.With longer grazing exclusion durations(GEDs),the aboveground biomass of poisonous locoweeds initially decreased and then increased compared with the adjacent grazed sites.In the nested analysis of co-variances with a general linear model,growing season precipitation(GSP;from May to September)accounted for 52.67%ofthe observed variation in AGB,followed by AGT(9.77%)and pasture management systems(PMSs;grazing or grazing-excluded,5.31%).The variation in ABD was explained primarily by AGT(16.52%),GED(20.25%),and the interaction of AGT 9 GED(19.58%).Our results confirm that precipitation is the primary factor controlling the ANPP of alpine grasslands on the Northern Tibetan Plateau and that the ecological benefits arising from grazing exclusion are also partly dependent on grassland type and exclusion duration.Therefore,spatial and temporal variations in growing season precipitation and plant functional traits or economic group composition should be jointly considered when developing policies concerning the management
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.21577022,21190053,40975074)Ministry of Science and Technology of China(2016YFC0203700)
文摘Atmospheric pollutants including SO_2, NO_2, CO, O_3 and inhalable particulate matter(PM2.5 and PM10) were monitored continuously from March 2014 to February 2015 to investigate characteristics of air pollution at Lhasa, Tibetan Plateau. Species exhibited similar seasonal variations except O_3, with the peaks in winter but low valleys in summer. The maximum O_3 concentration was observed in spring, followed by summer, autumn, and winter. The positive correlation between O_3 and PM10 in spring indicated similar sources of them, and was assumed to be turbulent transport. Temperature was the dominant meteorological factor for most species in spring. High temperature accelerates O_3 photochemistry, and favors air disturbance which is conductive to dust resuspension in spring. Relative humidity(RH) and atmospheric pressure were the main meteorological factors in summer. RH showed negative correlations with species, while atmospheric pressure posed opposite situation. Wind speed(WS) was the dominant meteorological factor in autumn, the negative correlations between WS and species indicated diffusion by wind. Most species showed non-significant correlations with meteorological factors in winter, indicating the dependence of pollution on source emission rather than restriction by meteorology. Pollution weather character indicated that emissions were from biomass burning and dust suspension, and meteorological factors also played an important role. Air stream injection from the stratosphere was observed during O_3 pollution period. Air parcels from Southwest Asia were observed during air pollution period in winter. An enhancement in air pollutants such as O_3 would be expected in the future, more attention should be given to countermeasures for prevention of air pollution in the future.
基金The National Key Research and Development Program of China(2016YFC0502001,2016YFC0502005,2017YFA0604801)The Tibet Natural Science Foundation(XZ2018ZRG-141)+1 种基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China(31600432,41571042)The Tibet Science and Technology Major Projects of the Pratacultural Industry。
文摘In order to investigate the general tendency of soil microbial community responses to fertilizers, a meta-analysis approach was used to synthesise observations on the effects of inorganic and organic fertilizer addition(N: nitrogen;P: phosphorus;NP: nitrogen and phosphorus;PK: phosphorus and potassium;NPK: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium;OF: organic fertilizer;OF+NPK: organic fertilizer plus NPK) on soil microbial communities. Among the various studies, PK, NPK, OF and OF+NPK addition increased total phospholipid fatty acid(PLFA) by 52.0%, 19.5%, 334.3% and 58.3%, respectively;while NP, OF and OF+NPK addition increased fungi by 5.6%, 21.0% and 8.2%, respectively. NP, NPK and OF addition increased bacteria by 6.4%, 9.8% and 13.3%, respectively;while NP and NPK addition increased actinomycetes by 7.0% and 14.8%, respectively. Addition of ammonium nitrate rather than urea decreased gram-negative bacteria(G–). N addition increased total PLFA、bacteria and actinomycetes in croplands, but decreased fungi and bacteria in forests, and the F/B ratio in grasslands. NPK addition increased total PLFA in forests but not in croplands. The N addition rate was positively correlated with the effects of N addition on gram-positive bacteria(G+) and G–. Therefore, different fertilizers appear to have different effects on the soil microbial community. Organic fertilizers can have a greater positive effect on the soil microbial community than inorganic fertilizers. The effects of fertilizers on the soil microbial community varied with ecosystem types. The effect of N addition on the soil microbial community was related to both the forms of nitrogen that were added and the nitrogen addition rate.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(31600432)National Key Research Projects of China(2016YFC0502005+3 种基金2016YFC0502006)Chinese Academy of Science Western Light Talents Program(Response of livestock carrying capability to climatic change and grazing in the alpine meadow of Northern Tibetan Plateau)Science and Technology Plan Projects of Tibet Autonomous Region(Forage Grass Industry)National Science and Technology Plan Project of China(2013BAC04B01,2011BAC09B03,2007BAC06B01)
文摘Accurate quantification of aboveground biomass of grasslands in alpine regions plays an important role in accurate quantification of global carbon cycling.The monthly normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI),enhanced vegetation index(EVI),mean air temperature(Ta),≥5℃ accumulated air temperature(AccT),total precipitation(TP),and the ratio of TP to AccT(TP/AccT) were used to model aboveground biomass(AGB) in grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau.Three stepwise multiple regression methods,including stepwise multiple regression of AGB with NDVI and EVI,stepwise multiple regression of AGB with Ta,AccT,TP and TP/AccT,and stepwise multiple regression of AGB with NDVI,EVI,Ta,AccT,TP and TP/Acc T were compared.The mean absolute error(MAE) and root mean squared error(RMSE) values between estimated AGB by the NDVI and measured AGB were 31.05 g m^(-2) and 44.12 g m^(-2),and 95.43 g m^(-2) and 131.58 g m^(-2) in the meadow and steppe,respectively.The MAE and RMSE values between estimated AGB by the AccT and measured AGB were 33.61 g m^(-2) and 48.04 g m^(-2) in the steppe,respectively.The MAE and RMSE values between estimated AGB by the vegetation index and climatic data and measured AGB were 28.09 g m^(-2) and 42.71 g m^(-2),and 35.86 g m^(-2) and 47.94 g m^(-2),in the meadow and steppe,respectively.The study finds that a combination of vegetation index and climatic data can improve the accuracy of estimates of AGB that are arrived at using the vegetation index or climatic data.The accuracy of estimates varied depending on the type of grassland.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(31300356)Chinese National Key Program for Developing Basic Science(2013CB956302)+1 种基金China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2013M530717)Hundred Talents Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences(Y11S0400P5).
文摘Aims Grassland is the most widely distributed vegetation type on the Xizang Plateau.Accurate remote sensing estimation of the grass-land aboveground biomass(AGB)in this region is influenced by the types of vegetation indexes(VIs)used,the grain size(resolution)of the remote sensing data and the targeted ecosystem features.This study attempts to answer the following questions:(i)Which VI can most accurately reflect the grassland AGB distribution on the Xizang Plateau?(ii)How does the grain size of remote sensing imagery affect AGB reflection?(iii)What is the spatial distribution pattern of the grassland AGB on the plateau and its relationship with the climate?Methods We investigated 90 sample sites and measured site-specific AGBs using the harvest method for three grassland types(alpine meadow,alpine steppe and desert steppe).For each sample site,four VIs,namely,Normalized Difference VI(NDVI),Enhanced VI,Normalized Difference Water Index(NDWI)and Modified Soil-Adjusted VI(MSAVI)were extracted from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS)products with grain sizes of 250 m and 1 km.Linear regression models were employed to iden-tify the best estimator of the AGB for the entire grassland and the three individual grassland types.Paired Wilcoxon tests were applied to assess the grain size effect on the AGB estimation.General linear models were used to quantify the relationships between the spatial distribution of the grassland AGB and climatic factors.Important Findings The results showed that the best estimator for the entire grass-land AGB on the Xizang Plateau was MSAVI at a 250 m grain size(MSAVI_(250 m)).For each individual grassland type,the best estimator was MSAVI at a grain size of 250 m for alpine meadow,NDWI at a grain size of 1 km for alpine steppe and NDVI at a grain size of 1 km for desert steppe.The explanation ability of each VI for the grassland AGB did not significantly differ for the two grain sizes.Based on the best fit model(AGB=−10.80+139.13 MSAVI_(250 m)),the spatial pattern of t
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.41171084)the Natural Science Foundation of Tibet Autonomous Region(Response of species richness and aboveground biomass to warming in the alpine meadows of Tibet)
文摘Predicting how human activity will influence the response of alpine grasslands to future warming has many uncertainties.In this study, a field experiment with controlled warming and clipping was conducted in an alpine meadow at three elevations(4313 m, 4513 m and 4693 m) in Northern Tibet to test the hypothesis that clipping would alter warming effect on biomass production.Open top chambers(OTCs) were used to increase temperature since July,2008 and the OTCs increased air temperature by approximately 0.9o C ~ 1.8o C during the growing in2012.Clipping was conducted three times one year during growing season and the aboveground parts of all live plants were clipped to approximately 0.01 m in height using scissors since 2009.Gross primary production(GPP) was calculated from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer GPP algorithm and aboveground plant production was estimated using the surface-measured normalized difference vegetation index in 2012.Warming decreased the GPP, aboveground biomass(AGB) and aboveground net primary production(ANPP) at all three elevations when clipping was not applied.In contrast, warming increased AGB at all three elevations, GPP at the two lower elevations and ANPP at the two higher elevations when clipping was applied.These findings show that clipping reduced the negative effect of warming on GPP, AGB and ANPP, suggesting that clipping may reduce the effect of climate warming on GPP, AGB and ANPP in alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau, and therefore, may be a viable strategy for mitigating the effects of climate change on grazing and animal husbandry on the Tibetan Plateau.
基金The National Key Research and Development Program(2016YFC0502001)。
文摘Animal husbandry and crop farming are specialized for development in separate areas on the Tibetan Plateau. Such a pattern of isolation has led to current concerns of rangeland and farming system degradation due to intensive land use. The crop-livestock integration, however, has been proven to increase food and feed productivity thorough niche complementarity, and is thereby especially effective for promoting ecosystem resilience. Regional synergy has emerged as an integrated approach to reconcile rangeland livestock with forage crop production. It moves beyond the specialized sectors of animal husbandry and intensive agriculture to coordinate them through regional coupling. Therefore, crop-livestock integration(CLI) has been suggested as one of the effective solutions to forage deficit and livestock production in grazing systems. But it is imperative that CLI moves forward from the farm level to the regional scale, in order to secure regional synergism during agro-pastoral development. The national key R & D program, Technology and Demonstration of Recovery and Restoration of Degraded Alpine Ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau, aims to solve the problems of alpine grassland degradation by building up a grass-based animal husbandry technology system that includes synergizing forage production and ecological functioning, reconciling the relationship between ecology, forage production and animal husbandry, and achieving the win-win goals of curbing grassland degradation and changing the development mode of animal husbandry. It is imperative to call for regional synergy through integrating ecological functioning with ecosystem services, given the alarming threat of rangeland degradation on the Tibetan Plateau. The series of papers in this issue, together with those published previously, provide a collection of rangeland ecology and management studies in an effort to ensure the sustainable use and management of the alpine ecosystems.
基金National Key Technology Research and Development Program of China(2016YFC0501802,2017YFA0604802)National Natural Science Foundation of China(41571195,41501103)Youth Innovation Team Project of Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling(LENOM2016Q0002)
文摘Environmental and Geo-spatial factors have long been considered as crucial determinants of species composition and distributions. However,quantifying the relative contributions of these factors for the alpine ecosystems is lacking. The Tibetan Plateau has a unique ecological environment and vegetation types. Our objectives are to quantify the spatial distributions of plant communities on the Northern Tibetan Alpine grasslands and to explore the relationships between vegetation composition,Geo-spatial factors and environmental factors. We established 63 field plots along a 1200-km gradient on the Northern Tibetan Plateau Alpine Grassland and employed the two-way indicator species analysis(TWINSPAN) and the detrended canonical correspondence analysis(DCCA). Fourteen communities of alpine grassland were identifiable along the transect and consisted of three vegetation types: Alpine meadow,Alpine steppe,and desert steppe. Vegetation composition and spatial distribution appeared to be largely determined by mean annual precipitation and less influenced by temperature. A large fraction(73.5%) of the variation in vegetation distribution was explained by environmental variables along this transect,somewhat less by Geo-spatial factors(56.3%). The environmental and Geo-spatial factors explained 29.6% and 12.3% of the total variation,respectively,while their interaction explained 43.9%. Our findings provide strong empirical evidence for explaining biological and environmental synergetic relationships in Northern Tibet.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(2022YFC2602500,2022YFC2602502)Biodiversity Survey and Assessment Project of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment,China,Second Xizang Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(STEP,2019QZKK0501)+3 种基金Major Science and Technique Programs in Yunnan Province(202102AA310055)National Natural Science Foundation of China(32070435)Science and Technology Basic Resources Investigation Program of China“Wild germplasm collection and preservation in Great Gaoligong Mountain”(2021FY100200)Project for Talent and Platform of Science and Technology in Yunnan Province Science and Technology Department(202205AM070007)。
文摘The Gaoligong Mountains(GLGM),located in southwestern China,extend north to south along the western border of the Hengduan Mountains,spanning approximately 600 km.In this study,we consolidated findings from 17 bird surveys conducted in the GLGM between 2010 and 2022.We found that the GLGM harbors tremendous bird diversity,with a total of 796 documented bird species in the region.Nearly a quarter(23.0%)of these species are listed as state key protected species or as Chinese and global threatened species.Analysis of species richness at the county level showed a decreasing trend with increasing latitude,with the greatest diversity in Yingjiang(661 species).Observations indicated that the GLGM belongs to the Oriental realm,primarily composed of bird species from southern and southwestern China.The GLGM plays an important role in avian conservation by sheltering exceptional bird diversity,providing corridors and flyways for bird migration and dispersal,and mitigating the effects of climate change.In response to the conservation needs of birds and other wildlife,the Chinese government has established numerous protected areas within the GLGM.Despite these efforts,avian conservation still faces considerable challenges in the GLGM due to limitations in the protected area network,transboundary nature of the regions,and existing gaps in monitoring and research.
基金The Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program (STEP)(2019QZKK1002)The National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (41807331)The West Light Foundation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (2018)。
文摘The accurate simulation and prediction of grassland aboveground biomass (AGB) and theoretical livestock carrying capacity are key steps for maintaining ecosystem balance and sustainable grassland management.The AGB in fenced grassland is not affected by grazing and its variability is only driven by climate change,which can be regarded as the grassland potential AGB (AGB_(p)).In this study,we compiled the data for 345 AGB field observations in fenced grasslands and their corresponding climate data,soil data,and topographical data on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (TP).We further simulated and predicted grassland AGB_(p)and theoretical livestock carrying capacity under the climate conditions of the past (2000-2018) and future two decades (2021-2040) based on a random forest (RF) algorithm.The results showed that simulated AGB_(p)matched well with observed values in the field (R^(2)=0.76,P<0.001) in the past two decades.The average grassland AGB_(p)on the Tibetan Plateau was 102.4g m^(-2),and the inter-annual changes in AGB_(p)during this period showed a non-significant increasing trend.AGB_(p)fluctuation was positively correlated with growing season precipitation (R^(2)=0.57,P<0.001),and negatively correlated with the growing season diurnal temperature range (R^(2)=0.51,P<0.001).The average theoretical livestock carrying capacity was 0.94 standardized sheep units (SSU) ha^(-1)on the TP,in which about 54.1%of the areas showed an increasing trend during the past two decades.Compared with the past two decades,the theoretical livestock carrying capacity showed a decreasing trend in the future,which was mainly distributed in the central and northern TP.This study suggested that targeted planning and management should be carried out to alleviate the forage-livestock contradiction in grazing systems on the Tibetan Plateau.
基金The Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDA19050502,XDA20010201)The National Key Research Projects of China(2017YFA0604801,2016YFC0502001)The National Natural Science Foundation of China(31770477)。
文摘Enclosure is one of the most widely used management tools for degraded alpine grassland on the northern Tibetan Plateau, but the responses of different types of grassland to enclosure may vary, and research on these responses can provide a scientific basis for improving ecological conservation. This study took one site for each of three grassland types(alpine meadow, alpine steppe and alpine desert) on the northern Tibetan Plateau as examples, and explored the effects of enclosure on plant and soil nutrients by comparing differences in plant community biomass, leaf-soil nutrient content and their stoichiometry between samples from inside and outside the fence. The results showed that enclosure can significantly increase all aboveground biomass in these three grassland types, but it only increased the 10–20 cm underground biomass in the alpine desert. Enclosure also significantly increased the leaf nutrient content of the dominant plants and contents of total nitrogen(N), total potassium(K), and organic carbon(C) in 10–20 cm soil in alpine desert, thus changing the stoichiometry between C, N and P(phosphorus). However, enclosure significantly increased only the N content of dominant plant leaves in alpine steppe, while other nutrients and stoichiometries of both plant leaves and soil did not show significant differences in alpine meadow and alpine steppe. These results suggested that enclosure has differential effects on these three types of alpine grasslands on the northern Tibetan Plateau, and the alpine desert showed the most active ecological conservation in the responses of its soil and plant nutrients.
基金supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDB03030401 & XDA05060700)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41171044, 31070391, 41271067)the General Financial Grant from the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2013M530716)
文摘Variations in the fractions of biomass allocated to functional components are widely considered as plant responses to resource availability for grassland plants. Observations indicated shoots isometrically relates to roots at the community level but allometrically at the species level in Tibetan alpine grasslands. These differences may result from the specific complementarity of functional groups between functional components, such as leaf, root, stem and reproductive organ. To test the component complementary responses to regional moisture variation, we conducted a multi-site transect survey to measure plant individual size and component biomass fractions of common species belonging to the functional groups: forbs, grasses, legumes and sedges on the Northern Tibetan Plateau in peak growing season in 2010. Along the mean annual precipitation (MAP) gradient, we sampled 7o species, in which 2o are in alpine meadows, 20 in alpine steppes, 15 in alpine desert-steppes and 15 in alpine deserts, respectively. Our results showed that the size of alpine plants is small with individual biomass mostly lower than 1.0 g. Plants keep relative conservative component individual responses moisture functional fractions across alpine grasslands at the level. However, the complementary between functional components to variations specifically differ among groups. These results indicate that functional group diversity may be an effective tool for scaling biomass allocation patterns from individual up to community level. Therefore, it is necessary andvaluable to perform intensive and systematic studies on identification and differentiation the influences of compositional changes in functional groups on ecosystem primary services and processes.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(31600432,41571042)The National Key Research Projects of China(2017YFA0604801)+2 种基金The Youth Innovation Research Team Project of Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling(LENOM2016Q0002)Chinese Academy of Science Western Light Talents Program(Response of livestock carrying capability to climatic change and grazing in the alpine meadow of Northern Tibetan Plateau)Tibet Science and Technology Major Projects of Pratacultural Industry
文摘Soil microbes play important roles in terrestrial ecosystem carbon and nitrogen cycling. Climatic warming and elevated CO2 are two aspects of climatic change. In this study, we used a meta-analysis approach to synthesise observations related to the effects of warming and elevated CO2 on soil microbial biomass and community structure. Ecosystem types were mainly grouped into forests and grasslands. Warming methods included open top chambers and infrared radiators. Experimental settings included all-day warming, daytime warming and nighttime warming. Warming increased soil actinomycetes and saprotrophic fungi, while elevated CO2 decreased soil gram-positive bacteria(G+). Mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation were negatively correlated with warming effects on gram-negative bacteria(G–) and total phospholipid fatty acid(PLFA), respectively. Elevation was positively correlated with the warming effect on total PLFA, bacteria, G+ and G–. Grassland exhibited a positive response of total PLFA and actinomycetes to warming, while forest exhibited a positive response in the ratio of soil fungi to bacteria(F/B ratio) to warming. The open top chamber method increased G–, while the infrared radiator method decreased the F/B ratio. Daytime warming rather than all-day warming increased G–. Our findings indicated that the effects of warming on soil microbes differed with ecosystem types, warming methods, warming times, elevation and local climate conditions.
基金supported by the Key R&D Program of Tibet Auton-omous Region(XZ202301ZY0019G)Project for the Local Development of Science and Technology by the Central Government(XZ202301YD0007C)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.31400361).
文摘Beta diversity,the variation of community composition among sites,bridges alpha and gamma diversity and can reveal the mechanisms of community assembly through applying distance-decay models and/or partitioning beta diversity into turnover and nestedness components from functional and phylogenetic perspectives.Mountains as the most natural experiment system provide good opportunities for exploring beta diversity patterns and the underlying ecological processes.Here,we simultaneously consider distance-decay models and multiple di-mensions of beta diversity to examine spatial variations of bird communities,and to evaluate the relative importance of niche-based and neutral community assembly mechanisms along a 3600-m elevational gradient in the central Himalayas,China.Our results showed that species turnover dominates taxonomic,functional,and phylogenetic beta diversity.We observed strongest evidence of spatial distance decays in taxonomic similarities of birds,followed by its phylogenetic and functional analogues.Turnover component was highest in taxonomic beta diversity,while nestedness component was highest in functional beta diversity.Further,all correlations of assemblage similarity with climatic distance were higher than that with spatial distances.Standardized values of overall taxonomic,functional,and phylogenetic beta diversity and their turnover components increase with increasing elevational distance,while the standardized values of taxonomic and phylogenetic nestedness decreased with increasing elevational distance.Our results highlighted the niche-based deterministic processes in shaping elevational bird diversity patterns that were determined by the relative roles of decreasing trend of environmental filtering and increasing trend of limiting similarity along elevation distances.
基金The National Key Research and Development Program of China(2016YFC0502005)The Tibet Science and Technology Major Projects of the Pratacultural Industry(XZ201901NA03)+1 种基金The Lhasa Industrial Integration Project(XCKJ004)Research and Demonstration on the De-velopment Model of Forage Industry in Dagze County(LSKJ2018006)。
文摘Pennisetum centrasiaticum is widely distributed in arid and semi-arid areas of Tibet. Its rhizome system is developed and has strong resistance to adversity. In this study, the physiological characteristics and drought resistance of P.centrasiaticum seedlings from 12 drought-stressed sites in Tibet were examined at the Lhasa Plateau Ecosystem Research Station of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. PEG-6000 solution with five levels of water potential(0, –0.7, –1.4, –2.1, and –2.8 MPa) was used to simulate drought stress, and malondialdehyde(MDA), proline(Pro) and chlorophyll contents were determined. The balance between production and elimination of reactive oxygen species in P.centrasiaticum was destroyed, leading to membrane lipid peroxidation and the production of MDA, and accelerating the decomposition of chlorophyll. P.centrasiaticum absorbed water from the outside to resist drought by secreting proline and other osmotic regulating substances. The Pro and chlorophyll contents in P.centrasiaticum showed a temporary rising trend, and then decreased with the decrease in water potential. MDA content increased with the decrease in water potential. By using the membership function method, the drought resistance of P.centrasiaticum seedlings from the 12 areas was evaluated, and the results showed that the drought resistance at the sites went from strong to weak in this order: Xietongmen > Linzhou > Sog > Damxung > Tingri > Namling > Gyirong > Linzhi > Purang > Dingjie > Longzi > Sa’gya. The drought resistance of P.centrasiaticum was strong in Xietongmen, Linzhou and Sog. Whether P.centrasiaticum from these three areas is suitable for cultivation in arid and semi-arid areas of Tibet needs further study.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.41771178, No.42030409Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities,No.N2111003Basic Scientific Research Project (Key Project) of the Education Department of Liaoning Province,No.LJKZ0964。
文摘Many cities face heat wave(HW) events, combined with the existent surface urban heat island(SUHI) effects. This places pressure on human settlements and sustainable development. However, few studies have investigated the SUHI effects from the perspective of HWs. In this study, the summer HWs in Beijing from 2001 to 2021 were calculated, and the evolution of HWs and SUHIs was quantitatively analyzed based on the dynamic nature of the urban-rural boundary. Beijing experienced 27 HWs in the 21 years, including 10 instances in June, four in July, and 13 in August. The SUHI varied during HWs, between 2–3℃ in most years. The highest SUHI occurred in 2019, reaching 3.99℃ and covering the largest area(10,887 km^(2)). The fluctuation in HWs and SUHIs generally displayed the same spatiotemporal pattern, and HWs amplified the SUHIs to a certain extent, with the highest correlation coefficient being 0.44. Additionally, impervious surfaces and cropland contributed most to SUHIs,and night light enhanced SUHIs. Observing the co-evolution of HWs and SUHIs will be helpful for ecological maintenance and urban infrastructure optimization and provide theoretical support for reducing heat risk and improving the human settlement environment.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41471062, No. 41971085, No. 41971086)。
文摘Affected by climate warming and anthropogenic disturbances, the thermo-mechanical stability of warm and ice-rich frozen ground along the Qinghai-Tibet engineering corridor(QTEC) is continuously decreased, which may delay the construction of major projects in the future. In this study, based on chemical stabilization of warm and icerich frozen ground, the soil-cement column(SCC) for ground improvement was recommended to reinforce the foundations in warm and ice-rich permafrost regions. To explore the validity of countermeasures mentioned above, both the original foundation and the composite foundation consisting of SCC with soil temperature of -1.0℃ were prepared in the laboratory, and then the plate loading tests were carried out. The laboratory investigations indicated that the bearing capacity of composite foundation consisting of SCC was higher than that of original foundation, and the total deformation of original foundation was greater than that of composite foundation, meaning that overall stability of foundation with warm and ice-rich frozen soil can be improved by SCC installation. Meanwhile, a numerical model considering the interface interaction between frozen soil and SCC was established for interpretating the bearing mechanism of composite foundation. The numerical investigations revealed that the SCC within composite foundation was responsible for the more applied load, and the applied load can be delivered to deeper zone in depth due to the SCC installation, which was favorable for improving the bearing characteristic of composite foundation. The investigations provide the valuable guideline for the choice of engineering supporting techniques to major projects within the QTEC.