scholarly journals Meta-analysis of relationships between environmental factors and aboveground biomass in the alpine grassland on the Tibetan Plateau

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 1707-1715 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Sun ◽  
G. W. Cheng ◽  
W. P. Li
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Alpine Meadow ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Alpine Grassland ◽  
Mean Annual Precipitation ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Alpine Steppe

Abstract. The Tibetan Plateau, known as the "world's third pole" for its extremely harsh and fragile ecological environment, has attracted great attention because of its sensitivity to global changes. Alpine grassland on the Tibetan Plateau has an important function in the global carbon cycle. Many studies have examined the effects of various environmental factors on biomass distribution. In this study, the relationships between the habitat parameters and the aboveground biomass (AGB) abundance on the Tibetan Plateau were examined through a meta-analysis of 110 field sites across the widely distributed alpine steppe and meadow. The obtained data were then analysed using the classification and regression tree model and the generalized additive model. The results showed that the AGB abundance in alpine steppe was positively correlated with six environmental factors, namely, soil organic carbon density of the top soil layer from 0 cm to 30 cm (SOC30 cm), longitude, mean annual precipitation (MAP), latitude, clay, and soil moisture. For the alpine meadow, five main factors were detected, namely, altitude, soil moisture, nitrogen, MAP, and mean annual temperature. The increased AGB abundance in the alpine steppe was associated with the increased SOC30 cm, MAP, and latitude, and the increased longitude resulted in decreased AGB abundance. For the alpine meadow, altitude and soil moisture showed strongly negative effects on AGB abundance, and soil nitrogen content was positively related to the AGB distribution across all examined sites. Our results suggest the combined effects of meteorological, topographic, and soil factors on the spatial patterns of AGB on the Tibetan Plateau.

scholarly journals The critical factors that affected the distribution of aboveground biomass in the alpine steppe and meadow, Tibetan Plateau

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 14559-14588
Author(s):  
J. Sun ◽  
G. W. Cheng ◽  
W. P. Li
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Alpine Meadow ◽  
Alpine Grassland ◽  
Critical Factors ◽  
Alpine Steppe ◽  
Habitat Factors

Abstract. Tibetan Plateau – the third pole of the world, with its extremly harsh and fragile ecological environment, is so sensitive to global change that it attracts many scientists' attention. Alpine grassland here is an important component of the global carbon cycle. Many studies have examined links between environmental factors and distribution of biomass, but little showed the critical environmental factors affecting the distribution of biomass. To document the general relationships between the habitat factors and aboveground biomass (AGB) in Tibetan Plateau, and to identify the critical factors for the distribution of AGB in the alpine steppe and meadow, the data of AGB and habitat factors from 110 field sites across the widely distributed alpine steppe and meadow of the plateau were compiled and analyzed with the classification and regression tree (CART) model, and the generalized additive model (GAM). The results showed that (1) the spatial pattern of AGB in alpine steppe was determined by six major environmental factors: soil organic carbon density of soil 0–30 cm depth (SOC1), longitude, mean annual precipitation (MAP), latitude, clay and soil moisture. As to the alpine meadow, the major factors were altitude, soil moisture, nitrogen, MAP and mean annual temperature (MAT). (2) As to the alpine steppe, increased SOC1, MAP and latitude were associated with increased AGB abundance, but increased longitude resulted in lower abundance of AGB. As to the alpine meadow, the distribution of AGB had strong negative relationships with altitude and soil moisture, but a positive correlation with soil nitrogen content across sites. The results suggested that the combined effects of meteorological factors, topographic factors, and soil factors were more significant for the spatial pattern of AGB in Tibetan Plateau. In addition, our work highlights the importance of further studies to seek effects of slope and aspect in alpine grassland.

scholarly journals Precipitation and aridity index regulating spatial patterns of vegetation production and species diversity based on alpine grassland transect, Tibetan Plateau

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Sun
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Alpine Meadow ◽  
Net Primary Production ◽  
Aridity Index ◽  
Alpine Grassland ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Aboveground Net Primary Production ◽  
Alpine Steppe ◽  
Unimodal Pattern

Although the relationship between the aboveground net primary production (ANPP) and speciesdiversity (SR) have been widely reported, there is considerable disagreement about the fitting patterns of SR–ANPP, which has been variously described as ‘positive’, ‘negative’, ‘unimodal’, ‘U-shaped’ and so on. Not surprisingly, the effect-factors including precipitation, aridity index and geographic conditions (e.g.,altitude, longitude and latitude) on ANPP and SR continue to interest researchers, especially the effects at high altitude regions. We investigated ANPP and SR from 113 sampled sites (399 plots) across alpine meadow and steppe in the Tibetan Plateau, which included Tibet, Qinghai and Sichuan province. The effects of various environmental factors (precipitation, temperature, aridity index, altitude, longitude,latitude and vegetation type on SR and ANPP) were explored. The results indicate that a unimodal pattern was confirmed between ANPP and SR in alpine steppe (R 2 =0.45, P <0.0001), alpine meadow ( R 2 =0.4, P <0.0001), and all samples across alpine grassland ( R 2 =0.52, P <0.0001). For the aboveground net primary production, the appropriate precipitation and aridity is 600mm and 42, respectively. Under thesame moisture conditions, the maximum value of diversity is 0.75. Longitude ( R 2 =0.69, P <0.0001) and altitude ( R 2 =0.48, P <0.0001) have positive and negative effects on aboveground net primary production, and a similar relationship exists with diversity ( R 2 =0.44, P <0.0001 and R 2 =0.3, P <0.0001).The same patterns of diversity and production responding to precipitation and the aridity index were evident in alpine steppe and meadow, and a unimodal pattern was confirmed between ANPP and SR in both locations.

scholarly journals Does Grazing Exclusion Improve Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Stocks in Alpine Grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau? A Meta-Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang Liu ◽  
Haiyan Sheng ◽  
Zhaoqi Wang ◽  
Zhiwen Ma ◽  
Xiaotao Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Alpine Meadow ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
C:N Ratio ◽  
Mean Annual Precipitation ◽  
Alpine Grasslands ◽  
Grazing Exclusion ◽  
Alpine Steppe ◽  
Soc Stock ◽  
Grassland Types

Grazing exclusion has been widely used to restore the degraded alpine grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). However, the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (STN) pools after grazing exclusion and their controlling factors are currently less understood in this region. Here, a meta-analysis was conducted to quantitatively assess the changes in SOC and STN stocks in topsoil (0–30 cm) following grazing exclusion in three major grassland types (alpine meadow, alpine steppe, and alpine desert steppe) on the QTP and to explore the potential factors controlling the effects of grazing exclusion on SOC and STN stocks. The results showed that overall, grazing exclusion significantly increased SOC stock by 16.5% and STN stock by 11.2%. Significant increases in both SOC and STN stocks were observed after grazing exclusion of alpine meadow. In contrast, grazing exclusion did not improve SOC and STN stocks in the other two grassland types. The difference in mean annual precipitation among grassland types was a likely reason for the different dynamics of SOC and STN stocks after grazing exclusion. The effect sizes of both SOC and STN stocks were positively related to the duration of grazing exclusion, and a positive relationship was detected between the effect size of SOC stock and that of STN stock, demonstrating that the dynamics of SOC and STN were closely coupled during the period of grazing exclusion. However, grazing exclusion had no impact on soil C:N ratio for all grassland types, indicating that soil C:N ratio was generally stable after grazing exclusion. Therefore, it is suggested that the increase in STN can support continuous SOC accumulation following grazing exclusion. In conclusion, the findings suggest that the effects of grazing exclusion on SOC and STN stocks differ among grassland types on the QTP, and grazing exclusion of alpine meadows may provide substantial opportunities for improving SOC and STN stocks in this region.

scholarly journals Precipitation and aridity index regulating spatial patterns of vegetation production and species diversity based on alpine grassland transect, Tibetan Plateau

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Sun
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Alpine Meadow ◽  
Net Primary Production ◽  
Aridity Index ◽  
Alpine Grassland ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Aboveground Net Primary Production ◽  
Alpine Steppe ◽  
Unimodal Pattern

Although the relationship between the aboveground net primary production (ANPP) and speciesdiversity (SR) have been widely reported, there is considerable disagreement about the fitting patterns of SR–ANPP, which has been variously described as ‘positive’, ‘negative’, ‘unimodal’, ‘U-shaped’ and so on. Not surprisingly, the effect-factors including precipitation, aridity index and geographic conditions (e.g.,altitude, longitude and latitude) on ANPP and SR continue to interest researchers, especially the effects at high altitude regions. We investigated ANPP and SR from 113 sampled sites (399 plots) across alpine meadow and steppe in the Tibetan Plateau, which included Tibet, Qinghai and Sichuan province. The effects of various environmental factors (precipitation, temperature, aridity index, altitude, longitude,latitude and vegetation type on SR and ANPP) were explored. The results indicate that a unimodal pattern was confirmed between ANPP and SR in alpine steppe (R 2 =0.45, P <0.0001), alpine meadow ( R 2 =0.4, P <0.0001), and all samples across alpine grassland ( R 2 =0.52, P <0.0001). For the aboveground net primary production, the appropriate precipitation and aridity is 600mm and 42, respectively. Under thesame moisture conditions, the maximum value of diversity is 0.75. Longitude ( R 2 =0.69, P <0.0001) and altitude ( R 2 =0.48, P <0.0001) have positive and negative effects on aboveground net primary production, and a similar relationship exists with diversity ( R 2 =0.44, P <0.0001 and R 2 =0.3, P <0.0001).The same patterns of diversity and production responding to precipitation and the aridity index were evident in alpine steppe and meadow, and a unimodal pattern was confirmed between ANPP and SR in both locations.

scholarly journals Plant diversity is closely related to the density of zokor mounds in three alpine rangelands on the Tibetan Plateau

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6921 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yujie Niu ◽  
Jianwei Zhou ◽  
Siwei Yang ◽  
Bin Chu ◽  
Huimin Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Alpine Meadow ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Alpine Steppe ◽  
Alpine Shrub ◽  
Plateau Zokor

Background Plateau zokor (Myospalax baileyi) is a subterranean rodent endemic to the Tibetan Plateau. This species has been generally viewed as a pest in China due to the competition for food with livestock and also causing soil erosion. As a result, plateau zokor has been the target of widespread poisoning or trapping campaigns designed to control or eliminate it since 1970s. But there is little research on the effect of plateau zokor on plant diversity in alpine rangelands. Therefore, objectively evaluating the positive effects of the plateau zokors disturbance on their living environment and plant communities is of great significance to understand the function of plateau zokor in alpine ecosystem. Methods Here, we selected three rangelands (alpine meadow, alpine steppe and alpine shrub meadow) in which plateau zokors are typically distributed on the Tibetan Plateau, and five zokor mound density gradients were selected in each rangeland type to study the effects of the mounds on soil moisture and temperature related to plant species diversity. Results The results showed that, with the mound density increasing, the soil temperature decreased significantly in all three rangeland types, and the soil moisture significantly increased in all three rangeland types. In the alpine meadow, both the plant diversity and cumulative species richness increased significantly with increasing mound density. The increase in broad-leaved forbs is the main reason for the increase of plant diversity in the alpine meadow disturbed by zokor mounds. In the alpine steppe, the plant diversity decreased significantly with increasing mound density, while the cumulative species richness initially decreased and then increased. In the alpine shrub meadow, the plant diversity first increased and then decreased with increasing mound density as did the cumulative species richness. In conclusion, plateau zokor mounds dominated the distribution of soil moisture and temperature and significantly affected plant diversity in these three rangelands on Tibetan Plateau; the results further deepen our understanding toward a co-evolved process.

scholarly journals Effects of Patchiness on Surface Soil Moisture of Alpine Meadow on the Northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau: Implications for Grassland Restoration

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 4121
Author(s):  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Shuhua Yi ◽  
Yu Qin ◽  
Yi Sun ◽  
Donghui Shangguan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Surface Soil ◽  
Alpine Meadow ◽  
Alpine Grassland ◽  
Grassland Restoration ◽  
Landscape Indices ◽  
Surface Soil Moisture ◽  
Bare Patch

Surface soil moisture (SSM) is a key limiting factor for vegetation growth in alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). Patches with various sizes and types may cause the redistribution of SSM by changing soil hydrological processes, and then trigger or accelerate alpine grassland degradation. Therefore, it is vital to understand the effects of patchiness on SSM at multi-scales to provide a reference for alpine grassland restoration. However, there is a lack of direct observational evidence concerning the role of the size and type of patches on SSM, and little is known about the effects of patches pattern on SSM at plot scale. Here, we first measured SSM of typical patches with different sizes and types at patch scale and investigated their patterns and SSM spatial distribution through unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-mounted multi-type cameras at plot scale. We then analyzed the role of the size and type of patchiness on SSM at both patch and plot scales. Results showed that: (1) in situ measured SSM of typical patches was significantly different (P < 0.01), original vegetation patch (OV) had the highest SSM, followed by isolate vegetation patch (IV), small bare patch (SP), medium bare patch (MP) and large bare patch (LP); (2) the proposed method based on UAV images was able to estimate SSM (0–40 cm) with a satisfactory accuracy (R2 = 0.89, P < 0.001); (3) all landscape indices of OV, with the exception of patch density, were positively correlated with SSM at plot scale, while most of the landscape indices of LP and IV showed negative correlations (P < 0.05). Our results indicated that patchiness intensified the spatial heterogeneity of SSM and potentially accelerated the alpine meadow degradation. Preventing the development of OV into IV and the expansion of LP is a critical task for alpine meadow management and restoration.

Water and CO2 fluxes over semiarid alpine steppe and humid alpine meadow ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau

2016 ◽  
Vol 131 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 547-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Wang ◽  
Huizhi Liu ◽  
Yaping Shao ◽  
Yang Liu ◽  
Jihua Sun
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Alpine Meadow ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Co2 Fluxes ◽  
Alpine Steppe

scholarly journals Field evidence for earlier leaf-out dates in alpine grassland on the eastern Tibetan Plateau from 1990 to 2006

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 20140291 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. K. Zhou ◽  
B. Q. Yao ◽  
W. X. Xu ◽  
X. Ye ◽  
J. J. Fu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Alpine Meadow ◽  
Grassland Management ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Spring Phenology ◽  
Ecosystem Responses ◽  
Vegetation Communities ◽  
Alpine Steppe ◽  
Field Evidence

Worldwide, many plant species are experiencing an earlier onset of spring phenophases due to climate warming. Rapid recent temperature increases on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) have triggered changes in the spring phenology of the local vegetation. However, remote sensing studies of the land surface phenology have reached conflicting interpretations about green-up patterns observed on the TP since the mid-1990s. We investigated this issue using field phenological observations from 1990 to 2006, for 11 dominant plants on the TP at the levels of species, families (Gramineae—grasses and Cyperaceae—sedges) and vegetation communities (alpine meadow and alpine steppe). We found a significant trend of earlier leaf-out dates for one species ( Koeleria cristata ). The leaf-out dates of both Gramineae and Cyperaceae had advanced (the latter significantly, starting an average of 9 days later per year than the former), but the correlation between them was significant. The leaf-out dates of both vegetation communities also advanced, but the pattern was only significant in the alpine meadow. This study provides the first field evidence of advancement in spring leaf phenology on the TP and suggests that the phenology of the alpine steppe can differ from that of the alpine meadow. These findings will be useful for understanding ecosystem responses to climate change and for grassland management on the TP.

Comparative analysis of land surface parameters on three typical underlying surfaces over the Tibetan Plateau

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhangwei Ding ◽  
Yaoming Ma ◽  
Xuelong Chen
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Alpine Meadow ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Alpine Grassland ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Transfer Coefficients ◽  
Surface Parameters ◽  
Yearly Average ◽  
Land Surface Parameters

&lt;p&gt;To improve land surface parameterizations of radiation and energy balance, eddy covariance measurements were performed on three typical land covers types over the Tibetan Plateau , including bare soil, naturally sparse alpine meadow and dense alpine grassland from 2007 to 2012. We investigated how land surface parameters changed with surface properties and vegetation canopy growth and analyzed the characteristics of diurnal and seasonal variations of aerodynamic parameters. Results show that the annual mean surface albedo and surface roughness lengths for momentum were 0.27 and 2.29 cm, 0.241 and 1.39 cm and 0.19 and 6.52 cm over bare soil, naturally sparse alpine meadow and dense alpine grassland areas, respectively. The yearly average turbulence transfer coefficients for momentum and sensible heat under neutral condition were 4.12&amp;#215;10&lt;sup&gt;-3&lt;/sup&gt; and 2.29&amp;#215;10&lt;sup&gt;-3&lt;/sup&gt;, 4.11&amp;#215;10&lt;sup&gt;-3&lt;/sup&gt; and 2.33&amp;#215;10&lt;sup&gt;-3&lt;/sup&gt; and 6.67&amp;#215;10&lt;sup&gt;-3&lt;/sup&gt; and 4.14&amp;#215;10&lt;sup&gt;-3&lt;/sup&gt;, respectively. The median values of &amp;#954;B&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; averaged over multiple years are 6.65, 5.89 and 4.88, respectively.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals The aridity index governs the variation of vegetation characteristics in alpine grassland, Northern Tibet Plateau

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Biying Liu ◽  
Jian Sun ◽  
Miao Liu ◽  
Tao Zeng ◽  
Juntao Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Alpine Meadow ◽  
Aridity Index ◽  
Alpine Grassland ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Mean Annual Precipitation ◽  
Vegetation Dynamic ◽  
Vegetation Biomass ◽  
Northern Tibet ◽  
Alpine Steppe

The vegetation dynamic (e.g., community productivity) is an important index used to evaluate the ecosystem function of grassland ecosystem. However, the critical factors that affect vegetation biomass are disputed continuously, and most of the debates focus on mean annual precipitation (MAP) or temperature (MAT). This article integrated these two factors, used the aridity index (AI) to describe the dynamics of MAP and MAT, and tested the hypothesis that vegetation traits are influenced primarily by the AI. We sampled 275 plots at 55 sites (five plots at each site, including alpine steppe and meadow) across an alpine grassland of the northern Tibet Plateau, used correlation analysis and redundancy analysis (RDA) to explore which key factors determine the biomass dynamic, and explained the mechanism by which they affect the vegetation biomass in different vegetation types via structural equation modelling (SEM). The results supported our hypothesis, in all of the environmental factors collected, the AI made the greatest contribution to biomass variations in RDA , and the correlation between the AI and biomass was the largest (R = 0.85, p < 0.05). The final SEM also validated our hypothesis that the AI explained 79.3% and 84.4% of the biomass variations in the alpine steppe and the meadow, respectively. Furthermore, we found that the soils with higher carbon to nitrogen ratio and soil total nitrogen had larger biomass, whereas soil organic carbon had a negative effect on biomass in alpine steppe; however, opposite effects of soil factors on biomass were observed in an alpine meadow. The findings demonstrated that the AI was the most critical factor affecting biomass in the alpine grasslands, and different reaction mechanisms of biomass response to the AI existed in the alpine steppe and alpine meadow.

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