scholarly journals Soil Mesofauna Respond to the Upward Expansion of Deyeuxia purpurea in the Alpine Tundra of the Changbai Mountains, China

Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 615
Author(s):  
Yan Tao ◽  
Zhongqiang Wang ◽  
Chen Ma ◽  
Hongshi He ◽  
Jiawei Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Northeast China ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
Alpine Tundra ◽  
Changbai Mountains ◽  
Herbaceous Plant ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Soil Mesofauna ◽  
Faunal Communities ◽  
Low Altitude ◽  
Different Levels

Deyeuxia purpurea, a low-altitude species, has been expanding upwards into alpine tundra, and this upward expansion is causing serious ecological consequences. However, few studies have been performed regarding its effects on soil faunal communities. We examine how the upward expansion of D. purpurea affects the abundance, richness, and diversity of soil mesofauna, and evaluate how different taxa of soil mesofauna respond to the upward expansion of D. purpurea in the alpine tundra of Changbai Mountains, northeast China. A total of 128 soil mesofaunal samples were collected from four treatments, namely high upward expansion (HU), medium upward expansion (MU), low upward expansion (LU), and native plant habitats (NP). The results revealed that the abundance of soil mesofauna was increased with the rise of D. purpurea upward expansion, and the taxonomic composition varied with the different levels of D. purpurea upward expansion in the alpine tundra of the Changbai Mountains. No unique taxa were collected in the native plant habitats, and the upward expansion of D. purpurea promoted the colonization of predatory invertebrates. Isotomidae and Gamasida responded positively to the herbaceous plant upward expansion, and thus they were considered to be a positive indicator of upward expansion. Hypogastruridae and Enchytraeidae responded relatively negatively, while Oribatida, Actinedida, and Pseudachorutidae had ambivalent responses to the upward expansion. Overall, the abundance of soil mesofauna can indicate the levels of the upward expansion of D. purpurea. Soil mesofaunal guild characteristics were altered by the upward expansion. The different taxa of soil mesofauna responded to herbaceous plants’ upward expansion to various degrees. Therefore, this study provide evidence supporting the fact that the abundance of soil mesofauna can indicate the levels of upward expansion of D. purpurea, but the responses of soil mesofauna to the upward expansion of D. purpurea differ among their taxa.

Carbon storage and flux for alpine tundra ecosystems in Changbai Mountains, Northeast China

2007 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-113
Author(s):  
Yong-xiang Wang ◽  
Jing Wei ◽  
Ping Jiang ◽  
Gang Wu ◽  
Hong-chang Wang
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Northeast China ◽  
Alpine Tundra ◽  
Changbai Mountains ◽  
Tundra Ecosystems

scholarly journals Topographic Controls on Vegetation Changes in Alpine Tundra of the Changbai Mountains

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 756 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miaomiao Wu ◽  
Hong He ◽  
Shengwei Zong ◽  
Xinyuan Tan ◽  
Haibo Du ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Altitude ◽  
Vegetation Change ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Scale Effects ◽  
Alpine Tundra ◽  
Changbai Mountains ◽  
Vegetation Changes ◽  
Tundra Vegetation ◽  
Topographic Controls ◽  
Low Altitude

The vegetation of alpine tundra is undergoing significant changes and topography has played a significant role in mediating such changes. The roles of topography varied at different scales. In this study, we intended to identify topographic controls on tundra vegetation changes within the Changbai Mountains of Northeast China and reveal the scale effects. We delineated the vegetation changes of the last three decades using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time series. We conducted a trend analysis for each pixel to reveal the spatial change and used binary logistic regression models to analyze the relationship between topographic controls at different scales and vegetation changes. Results showed that about 30% of tundra vegetation experienced a significant (p < 0.05) change in the NDVI, with 21.3% attributable to the encroachment of low-altitude plants resulting in a decrease in the NDVI, and 8.7% attributable to the expansion of tundra endemic plants resulting in an increase in the NDVI. Plant encroachment occurred more severely in low altitude than in high altitude, whereas plant expansion mostly occurred near volcanic ash fields at high altitude. We found that plant encroachment tended to occur in complex terrains and the broad-scale mountain aspect had a greater effect on plant encroachment than the fine-scale local aspect. Our results suggest that it is important to include the mountain aspect in mountain vegetation change studies, as most such studies only use the local aspect.

scholarly journals Vegetation Heterogeneity Effects on Soil Macro-Arthropods in an Alpine Tundra of the Changbai Mountains, China

Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Tao ◽  
Zhongqiang Wang ◽  
Chen Ma ◽  
Hongshi He ◽  
Jiawei Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sampling Period ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
Alpine Tundra ◽  
Changbai Mountains ◽  
Arthropod Communities ◽  
Vaccinium Uliginosum ◽  
Deyeuxia Angustifolia ◽  
Vegetation Heterogeneity ◽  
Heterogeneity Effects ◽  
Rhododendron Aureum

The harsh environmental conditions in alpine tundra exert a significant influence on soil macro-arthropod communities, yet few studies have been performed regarding the effects of vegetation heterogeneity on these communities. In order to better understand this question, a total of 96 soil macro-arthropod samples were collected from four habitats in the Changbai Mountains in China, namely, the Vaccinium uliginosum habitat, Sanguisorba sitchensis habitat, Rhododendron aureum habitat, and Deyeuxia angustifolia habitat. The results revealed that the taxonomic composition of the soil macro-arthropods varied among the habitats, and that dissimilarities existed in these communities. The abundance, richness and diversity in the D. angustifolia habitat were all at their maximum during the sampling period. The vegetation heterogeneity affected the different taxa of the soil macro-arthropods at various levels. In addition, the vegetation heterogeneity had direct effects not only on soil macro-arthropod communities, but also indirectly impacted the abundance, richness and diversity by altering the soil fertility and soil texture. Overall, our results provide experimental evidence that vegetation heterogeneity can promote the abundance, richness and diversity of soil macro-arthropods, yet the responses of soil macro-arthropods to vegetation heterogeneity differed among their taxa.

scholarly journals Herbaceous Encroachment from Mountain Birch Forests to Alpine Tundra Plant Communities Through Above- and Belowground Competition

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinyuan Tan ◽  
Hong He ◽  
Shengwei Zong ◽  
Miaomiao Wu ◽  
Kai Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Belowground Biomass ◽  
Alpine Tundra ◽  
Herbaceous Plants ◽  
Changbai Mountains ◽  
Mountain Birch ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Alpine Plant ◽  
Alpine Plant Communities ◽  
Birch Forests

Alpine plant communities are highly sensitive to global warming. One of the consequences of the warming is encroachment by herbaceous plants from forests at low elevations into alpine ecosystems. In the Changbai Mountains, narrowleaf small reed (Deyeuxia angustifolia (Kom.) Y. L. Chang) from mountain birch forests encroached upward into alpine tundra, gradually replacing native tundra shrubs such as Rhododendron (Rhododendron aureum Georgi). How encroaching plants affect native plant communities is not fully understood. In this study, we analyzed above- and belowground biomass of alpine plant communities at five encroachment levels to investigate how biomass allocation changed at species and community scales. Our research showed that native plants are forced to change their morphology to cope with competition, at both above- and belowground levels, from encroaching plants. We found that (1) R. aureum increased the shoot height and leaf area in order to compete with D. angustifolia; (2) above- and belowground biomass of D. angustifolia increased while above- and belowground biomass of R. aureum decreased with increasing levels of encroachment; and (3) D. angustifolia encroachment reduced the total biomass of alpine tundra. Encroachment by herbaceous plants has a long-term negative impact on the ability of tundra plants to sequester carbon in the alpine tundra of the Changbai Mountains.

scholarly journals The Impact of Human Pressure and Climate Change on the Habitat Availability and Protection of Cypripedium (Orchidaceae) in Northeast China

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 84
Author(s):  
Huanchu Liu ◽  
Hans Jacquemyn ◽  
Xingyuan He ◽  
Wei Chen ◽  
Yanqing Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Northeast China ◽  
Habitat Destruction ◽  
Changbai Mountains ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Human Pressure ◽  
Terrestrial Orchids ◽  
The Future ◽  
Suitable Habitats ◽  
The Impact

Human pressure on the environment and climate change are two important factors contributing to species decline and overall loss of biodiversity. Orchids may be particularly vulnerable to human-induced losses of habitat and the pervasive impact of global climate change. In this study, we simulated the extent of the suitable habitat of three species of the terrestrial orchid genus Cypripedium in northeast China and assessed the impact of human pressure and climate change on the future distribution of these species. Cypripedium represents a genus of long-lived terrestrial orchids that contains several species with great ornamental value. Severe habitat destruction and overcollection have led to major population declines in recent decades. Our results showed that at present the most suitable habitats of the three species can be found in Da Xing’an Ling, Xiao Xing’an Ling and in the Changbai Mountains. Human activity was predicted to have the largest impact on species distributions in the Changbai Mountains. In addition, climate change was predicted to lead to a shift in distribution towards higher elevations and to an increased fragmentation of suitable habitats of the three investigated Cypripedium species in the study area. These results will be valuable for decision makers to identify areas that are likely to maintain viable Cypripedium populations in the future and to develop conservation strategies to protect the remaining populations of these enigmatic orchid species.

scholarly journals SUSTAINABILITY OF PEDOBIONT MEADOW COMMUNITIES UNDER ANTHROPOGENIC LOAD

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.A. Gordienko ◽  
◽  
R.A. Sukhodolskaya ◽  
D.N. Vavilov ◽  
Yu.A. Lukyanova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Layer ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
Soil Mesofauna ◽  
High Soil Moisture ◽  
Small Width ◽  
Disturbed Soil ◽  
Disturbed Areas ◽  
Rapid Restoration ◽  
Litter Invertebrates ◽  
Large Soil

Studies of the soil mesofauna were carried out in Tanaev meadows of the «Nizhnyaya Kama» National Park in natural and disturbed areas. The abundance of pedobionts and herpetobionts in natural areas significantly exceeded the abundance in disturbed areas. However, the taxonomic composition and trophic structure were similar. In general, communities structure indexes in natural sites indicate a stable ecosystem of floodplain meadows. The observance of pipe laying technology during further restoration of disturbed areas, high soil moisture and a small width of the disturbed soil layer contribute to the preservation and rapid restoration of the structure and population of large soil and litter invertebrates of meadow phytocenosis.

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