Climate Control on Tree Growth at the Upper and Lower Treelines: A Case Study in the Qilian Mountains,Tibetan Plateau

It is generally hypothesized that tree growth at the upper treeline is normally controlled by temperature while that at the lower treeline is precipitation limited. However, uniform patterns of inter-annual ring-width variations along altitudinal gradients are also observed in some situations. How changing elevation influences tree growth in the cold and arid Qilian Mountains, on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, is of considerable interest because of the sensitivity of the region’s local climate to different atmospheric circulation patterns. Here, a network of four Qilian juniper (Sabina przewalskii Kom.) ring-width chronologies was developed from trees distributed on a typical mountain slope at elevations ranging from 3000 to 3520 m above sea level (a.s.l.). The statistical characteristics of the four tree-ring chronologies show no significant correlation with increasing elevation. All the sampled tree growth was controlled by a common climatic signal (local precipitation) across the investigated altitudinal gradient (520 m). During the common reliable period, covering the past 450 years, the four chronologies have exhibited coherent growth patterns in both the high- and low-frequency domains. These results contradict the notion of contrasting climate growth controls at higher and lower elevations, and specifically the assumption that inter-annual tree-growth variability is controlled by temperature at the upper treeline. It should be stressed that these results relate to the relatively arid conditions at the sampling sites in the Qilian Mountains.     

Seasonal Response of Grasslands to Climate Change on the Tibetan Plateau

Background

Monitoring vegetation dynamics and their responses to climate change has been the subject of considerable research. This paper aims to detect change trends in grassland activity on the Tibetan Plateau between 1982 and 2006 and relate these to changes in climate.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Grassland activity was analyzed by evaluating remotely sensed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data collected at 15-day intervals between 1982 and 2006. The timings of vegetation stages (start of green-up, beginning of the growing season, plant maturity, start of senescence and end of the growing season) were assessed using the NDVI ratio method. Mean NDVI values were determined for major vegetation stages (green-up, fast growth, maturity and senescence). All vegetation variables were linked with datasets of monthly temperature and precipitation, and correlations between variables were established using Partial Least Squares regression. Most parts of the Tibetan Plateau showed significantly increasing temperatures, as well as clear advances in late season phenological stages by several weeks. Rainfall trends and significant long-term changes in early season phenology occurred on small parts of the plateau. Vegetation activity increased significantly for all vegetation stages. Most of these changes were related to increasing temperatures during the growing season and in some cases during the previous winter. Precipitation effects appeared less pronounced. Warming thus appears to have shortened the growing season, while increasing vegetation activity.

Conclusions/Significance

Shortening of the growing season despite a longer thermally favorable period implies that vegetation on the Tibetan Plateau is unable to exploit additional thermal resources availed by climate change. Ecosystem composition may no longer be well attuned to the local temperature regime, which has changed rapidly over the past three decades. This apparent lag of the vegetation assemblage behind changes in climate should be taken into account when projecting the impacts of climate change on ecosystem processes.     

Dynamic relationships between Picea crassifolia growth and climate at upper treeline in the Qilian Mts., Northeast Tibetan Plateau, China

Knowledge of the spatial pattern and temporal relationships between tree-growth and climatic factors are important not only for the projection of forest growth under varying climate but for dendroclimatology in general. Here, we systematically investigated tree-growth climate relationships of Picea crassifolia at upper treeline in the Qilian Mts., northwestern China. 297 trees from eleven sites, covering a large part of the natural range of this species, show increasing and partly divergent correlations with temperature in the most recent decades. The dominant signal at all sites was a strengthening of negative correlations of annual radial growth with summer temperature. In a subset of trees at six sites, a strengthening positive correlation with summer temperatures existed as well. Wetter and high altitude sites tended to show a higher percentage of trees that are positively correlated with warming temperatures, indicating that some individuals there may take advantage of warmer conditions. Divergent responses between the two sub-populations clustered by their response to climate factor were significantly stronger in the last 30 years compared to earlier time slices. In the same time frame, hydrothermal conditions of the investigation area changed to a drier and warmer combination. Drought conditions, most likely affecting the radial growth of most P. crassifolia, have been intensifying over time and expanding spatially from the middle Qilian Mts. to most of our study area during the last half century. While explanations such as methodological effects due to trend removal or human disturbance at the sampling sites might be able to explain the result at single sites, the spatial and temporal co-occurrence of large scale changes in climate and tree growth suggests a causal link between them.     

Above- and Belowground Biomass Allocation in Shrub Biomes across the Northeast Tibetan Plateau

Biomass partitioning has been explored across various biomes. However, the strategies of allocation in plants still remain contentious. This study investigated allocation patterns of above- and belowground biomass at the community level, using biomass survey from the Tibetan Plateau. We explored above- and belowground biomass by conducting three consecutive sampling campaigns across shrub biomes on the northeast Tibetan Plateau during 2011–2013. We then documented the above-ground biomass (AGB), below-ground biomass (BGB) and root: shoot ratio (R/S) and the relationships between R/S and environment factors using data from 201 plots surveyed from 67 sites. We further examined relationships between above-ground and below-ground biomass across various shrub types. Our results indicated that the median values of AGB, BGB, and R/S in Tibetan shrub were 1102.55, 874.91 g m^-2, and 0.85, respectively. R/S showed significant trend with mean annual precipitation (MAP), while decreased with mean annual temperature (MAT). Reduced major axis analysis indicated that the slope of the log-log relationship between above- and belowground biomass revealed a significant difference from 1.0 over space, supporting the optimal hypothesis. Interestingly, the slopes of the allometric relationship between log AGB and log BGB differed significantly between alpine and desert shrub. Our findings supported the optimal theory of above- and belowground biomass partitioning in Tibetan shrub, while the isometric hypothesis for alpine shrub at the community level.     

祁连圆柏光合作用日变化特征及其与生理生态因子的关系

以吐鲁沟国家森林公园内百年左右树龄的祁连圆柏为对象,采用Li-6400光合作用测定系统,在自然环境条件下测定了其生长季内各月份生理生态因子和净光合速率的日变化,探讨祁连圆柏生理生态特征以及与其生理生态因子间的关系.结果表明,在整个生长季内,祁连圆柏的净光合速率日变化为双峰型曲线,其在10:00和16:00达到峰值,于14:00达到最小值,光合作用存在明显的午休现象",而月份之间的净光合速率表现为8月>5月>6月>7月.祁连圆柏的气孔限制值与净光合速率有相似的日进程,呈现出M"型的双峰曲线,分别在10:00和16:00达到峰值,而胞间CO2浓度日变化趋势与气孔限制值相反,表现出W"型双峰曲线.水分利用效率与净光合速率有相同的日变化趋势,其在整个生长季内表现为5月>8月>7月>6月.在整个生长季内,影响祁连圆柏光合变化的主要决定生理生态因子是胞间CO2浓度和气温,限制生理生态因子是气孔导度和光合有效辐射强度.     

Downward-Shifting Temperature Range for the Growth of Snow-Bacteria on Glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau

Fifty-seven snow-bacteria strains were isolated from the snow of the Zadang and Mengdagangri Glaciers located in the central and southern part of the Tibetan Plateau, respectively. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strains isolated from the Zadang Glacier belonged to the Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, and were dominated by the Firmicutes. Strains from the Mengdagangri Glacier belonged to the Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria, and were dominated by the Actinobacteria. Sixty-one percent of the isolates were colored with pigment. Sixty-nine percent of isolates from the Zadang Glacier were psychrotolerants, and there were no psychrophiles. We compared the growth-temperature range of 26 snow-bacteria strains to their closest mesophilic type strains and found that 46% of them had an optimum growth-temperature at or lower than 20°C, and 65% were all able to grow at 0°C. However, only 5.3% of mesophilic strains had optimum growth-temperatures at or lower than 20°C, and 9% could grow at 0°C. Snow-bacteria shift their growth-temperature downward; and doing this, in terms of the minimum and optimum temperatures for growth, might be an important strategy for them to adapt to low temperature after they have been deposited on the glacier. Our results suggested that, in order to adapt from mesophilic environments to a cold habitat, snow-bacteria widen their temperature range for growth, convert from mesophiles to psychrotolerants, but not to psychrophiles. In addition, eight isolates formed pigmented colonies, while their mesophilic counterparts were achromogenic. This helped us to confirm through comparative analysis that pigmented microorganisms were more abundant in high-altitude glaciers than in mesophilic environments.     

气候变化下青藏高原全缘叶绿绒蒿的潜在分布变迁

青藏高原物种丰富且属于气候变化敏感区,研究气候变化对青藏高原物种的潜在分布影响,对于该区域物种多样性保护具有重要意义。该研究以一级濒危藏药植物全缘叶绿绒蒿为研究对象,利用加权平均算法(weighted average algorithm, WAA)构建随机森林(RF)、灵活判别分析(FDA)及人工神经网络(ANN)的集成模型,同时对比分析了WAA模型和不同生态位模型的预测精度。最后利用WAA模型预测了全缘叶绿绒蒿在当前(1970~2000年平均)和未来(2041~2060年平均)气候情景下的潜在分布,其中未来气候考虑了2种“共享社会经济路径”(SSP2-45和SSP5-85)。结果显示:(1) WAA模型的预测表明,基于RF、FDA和ANN的集成模型的AUC值为0.926,在AUC值最高RF模型的基础上提高了3%,在FDA和ANN模型的AUC值的基础上均提高了5%。(2) WAA模型确定,全缘叶绿绒蒿的潜在分布对年降水量和最暖季降水量最为敏感,其次是最热月份最高气温,同时对最湿月份降水量以及等温性表现出较低的敏感性。(3)当前全缘叶绿绒蒿潜在分布区主要分布在甘肃西南部、青海东部至南部、四川西部和西北部、云南西北部和东北部、西藏东部。(4)未来气候变化下青藏高原全缘叶绿绒蒿潜在分布预测表明,在2050年SSP2-45情景下,全缘叶绿绒蒿的潜在分布区大小与当前潜在分布区大小基本相同,但整体向西北方向高海拔高纬度地区迁移;在SSP5-85情景下,全缘叶绿绒蒿的潜在分布区明显收缩,且向西北高纬度高海拔地区延伸的趋势更加明显。     

Pastoralist Decision-Making on the Tibetan Plateau

Despite a growing body of research about rangeland degradation and the effects of policies implemented to address it on the Tibetan Plateau, little in-depth research has been conducted on how pastoralists make decisions. Based on qualitative research in Gouli Township, Qinghai province, China, we analyze the context in which Tibetan herders make decisions, and their decisions about livestock and pastures. We refute three fundamental assumptions upon which current policy is premised: that pastoralists aim to increase livestock numbers without limit; that, blindly following tradition, they do not actively manage livestock and rangelands; and that they lack environmental knowledge. We demonstrate that pastoralists carefully assess limits to livestock holdings based on land and labor availability; that they increasingly manage their livestock and rangelands through contracting; and that herding knowledge is a form of embodied practical skill. We further discuss points of convergence and contradiction between herders’ observations and results of a vegetation analysis.     

青藏高原微生物多样性研究

正青藏高原被誉为世界屋脊,其内部除平原外还有许多山峰、冰川、高山湖泊和高山沼泽,是生态环境最为奇特、生物资源最为丰富的自然资源宝库之一。同时,青藏高原的微生物群落结构及其多样性与其他区域存在巨大差异,因而具有极高的科学研究价值,并逐渐被人们所关注。研究发现气候变化对青藏高原高寒草地生态系统草丛-地境界面微生物会产生重要的影响[1]。冰川雪藻的研究主要在南部的Yala冰川开展,     

青藏高原东北缘江西沟2号遗址2012年出土石制品的初步研究

江西沟2号遗址(JXG2)发现于2004年,2012年围绕地层测年及环境研究开展了小面积试掘。本文通过对2012年出土的659件石制品进行的观察和初步研究,并结合其他出土遗物及考古年代学研究的基本结论,对遗址所反映的史前人类行为的变化及其与环境的关系作了初步报告。根据出土文化遗物(主要指石制品和陶片)的差异,遗址可以分为上下两个文化层,上文化层为10～80cm,包含陶片和细石器为主的石制品;下文化层为距地表80cm以下的堆积,该层仅包含石制品,其中除以燧石为原料的细石器产品,同时出土石英砸击产品。光释光和AMS14C年代测定结果表明古人类在该遗址活动的时间主要集中在全新世中期,遗址石制品原料和技术变化的研究初步揭示了该时段区域内史前人类的行为变化和生活方式的转变。     

全球气候变化对沈阳地区春玉米生长的可能影响

利用玉米（Ｚｅａ ｍａｙｓ Ｌ．）生长生理生态学模拟模型（ＭＰＥＳＭ）,分别模拟了未来气候变化的１２种气候条件下（ＣＯ２浓度倍增,平均气温上升１．５℃、３．０℃和４．５℃,降水量增加２０％、减少２０％、减少４０％和降水量不变）,沈阳地区土壤湿度、玉米发育和玉米生长的变化,并与当前条件下进行了比较,以评价玉米生长对各气候因子变化的敏感性和全球气候变化下沈阳地区春玉米的生长趋势。研究表明：土壤湿度对降     

全球气候变化对沈阳地区春玉米生长的可能影响

Physiological ecology simulation modelling of maize growth (MPESM) was used to simulate the variation of soil moisture, maize development and maize growth under twelve prescribed climate scenarios, which include doubling CO2, raising mean temperature by 1.5 ℃, 3.0 ℃ and 4.5 ℃, and changing precipitation by 0, +20%, -20%, and -40%. The simulated results were compared with that of the present climate, to assess the sensitivity of maize to climatic change. The analysis indicated that soil moisture is sensitive to reduced precipitation, maize development is sensitive to the rise of temperature, and maize growth is affected greatly by temperature elevation and precipitation variation, which cancel out the positive effects of CO2 elevation. It was found that with the severe change of climate, the leaf biomass, the female fringe biomass, and the leaf area index would decline greatly, and the biomass of stem and root would increase greatly. The average yield of maize will decline between 5% and 30%.     

Converging Climate Sensitivities of European Forests Between Observed Radial Tree Growth and Vegetation Models

The impacts of climate variability and trends on European forests are unevenly distributed across different bioclimatic zones and species. Extreme climate events are also becoming more frequent and it is unknown how they will affect feedbacks of CO₂ between forest ecosystems and the atmosphere. An improved understanding of species differences at the regional scale of the response of forest productivity to climate variation and extremes is thus important for forecasting forest dynamics. In this study, we evaluate the climate sensitivity of aboveground net primary production (NPP) simulated by two dynamic global vegetation models (DGVM; ORCHIDEE and LPJ-wsl) against tree ring width (TRW) observations from about 1000 sites distributed across Europe. In both the model simulations and the TRW observations, forests in northern Europe and the Alps respond positively to warmer spring and summer temperature, and their overall temperature sensitivity is larger than that of the soil-moisture-limited forests in central Europe and Mediterranean regions. Compared with TRW observations, simulated NPP from ORCHIDEE and LPJ-wsl appear to be overly-sensitive to climatic factors. Our results indicate that the models lack biological processes that control time lags, such as carbohydrate storage and remobilization, that delay the effects of radial growth dynamics to climate. Our study highlights the need for re-evaluating the physiological controls on the climate sensitivity of NPP simulated by DGVMs. In particular, DGVMs could be further enhanced by a more detailed representation of carbon reserves and allocation that control year-to-year variation in plant growth.     

Previous Land Use Alters the Effect of Climate Change and Facilitation on Expanding Woodlands of Spanish Juniper

In Mediterranean–continental regions, changes in land use are leading to the expansion of valuable habitats like endemic Juniperus thurifera woodlands, but the impact of reduced rainfall, due to climate change, on this expansion remains uncertain. We assessed the early performance of J. thurifera in different global change scenarios with and without facilitation. Saplings were transplanted in three ecosystems types with different previous land use (woodlands, former agricultural fields, and former livestock pastures), microhabitats (open vs. understory of adult trees) and were subjected to two watering regimens. We characterized the abiotic environment and measured survival, growth and two ecophysiological parameters. Former livestock pastures were the least favorable ecosystem, where the nursing effect was greatest. Former agricultural fields had the highest survival, but were more sensitive than woodlands to water scarcity. Reduced rainfall decreased photochemical efficiency, particularly in the least favorable scenarios, but did not affect survival. Water use efficiency enhanced growth under the canopy, but not in the open, whereas photochemical efficiency enhanced growth and survival more in the open. Facilitation was critical for effective recruitment in the harshest scenarios: former livestock pastures and reduced rainfall. Comparison with previous studies suggests that establishment depends on infrequent wet episodes. In Mediterranean ecosystems, changes in land use and climate change are leading to woodland expansion due to the modulating effect of facilitation of the oncoming adverse drier conditions. Nevertheless, the positive effect of facilitation and the negative impact of aridity on tree recruitment are strongly influenced by previous land-use history.     

Climate sensitivity of purple cone spruce (Picea purpurea) across an altitudinal gradient on the eastern Tibetan Plateau

Picea purpurea (Purple cone spruce) is a dominant and widely distributed tree species in the subalpine area of the Wanglang Nature Reserve. We investigated variations in radial growth and its response to climate in P. purpurea along an altitudinal gradient. In this study, P. purpurea chronologies were developed from three altitudinal sites ranging from 2850 to 3250 m above sea level. Correlation analysis and principal component analysis were used for all the chronologies to detect the growth patterns at different altitudes. Correlation analysis was used to assess the relationships between chronologies and climatic factors. Tree-ring widths among the three elevations were all positively correlated with June maximum temperature in the current year. Radial growth at the higher altitude was more sensitive to temperature than those of the two lower altitudes. Ring-widths at the low and middle sites were mainly negatively affected by temperatures in the previous growing season (June and August). Spruce growth at the upper site was strongly positively affected by temperatures in the previous winter, the current spring and current growing season. Climatological analysis revealed that elevation-dependent and elevation-independent signals were present in this semi-humid subalpine area. Precipitation was not the main factor affecting the tree growth in the growing season throughout the study area. The noteworthy findings were that the lag effects of temperatures to spruce growth was more significant at the low and middle altitude sites, and spruce growth at the high altitude site clearly benefited from the warmer climate before and during the growing season. This study will provide a basis for better predicting forest dynamics and carrying out vegetation restoration in the future.     

海拔梯度上青海云杉径向生长与气候关系稳定性研究

以祁连山北坡海拔2 700m(分布下限)、3 000m(中部)和3 300m(分布上限)的青海云杉为研究对象,采用长短两种不同步长的样条函数去趋势对1952～1980年和1981～2009年两个时段青海云杉径向生长与气候的关系进行对比分析,以揭示青海云杉年轮中包含的不同频率生长趋势与气候之间的关系及其在海拔梯度上的差异,探讨海拔梯度上气候变化对树木径向生长的影响。结果显示:(1)随着海拔升高,限制青海云杉径向生长的气候因子从降水转变为温度,不同时期的限制因子也发生变化。(2)在海拔2 700m处,上一年12月份平均温度与青海云杉生长的关系发生了分异,小步长的样条函数得到的年表中保留了较多降水信号;海拔3 000m处青海云杉径向生长与上年9月份降水量、平均温度表现出显著正相关关系;海拔3 300m处青海云杉生长与当年夏季降水量呈显著正相关关系,而在后一时段相关关系不显著,与当年春季、夏季的平均温度相关关系不稳定,大步长的样条函数得到的年表中表现出温度与生长关系的分异,且不同海拔青海云杉径向生长的降水量制约趋势变得明显。研究表明,祁连山北坡青海云杉与气候的关系在海拔梯度上存在差异,其对气候变化的响应也存在差异,水分的限制作用随着温度的逐年升高逐渐突出;采用不同步长的样条函数去趋势可以在年表中保留不同的气候信息,从而对分异现象分析结果产生影响,选择合理步长的样条函数进行去趋势才能得到合理准确的分析结果。     

气候变化下青藏高原两种云杉植物的潜在适生区预测

为了预测未来气候变化下云杉属植物的适宜生境,选择青藏高原暗针叶林的两种重要建群植物丽江云杉（Picea likiangensis）和紫果云杉（Picea purpurea）作为研究对象,采用MaxEnt模型预测21世纪50年代（2050s）和70年代（2070s）两物种在未来气候情景下的潜在分布,并结合ArcGIS计算物种分布面积和空间格局变化。结果表明：（1）丽江云杉的潜在适宜分布区主要集中在四川西南部和西藏东部。紫果云杉潜在适宜分布区主要集中在四川西北部、甘肃南部、青海东南部,以及西藏东部地区。（2）在未来两个时期丽江云杉的分布面积总体呈增加趋势,紫果云杉呈先增加后减少的趋势,但与其现代分布面积相比,两种云杉的总适生区面积都有不同程度的增加。（3）丽江云杉适宜生境未来可能会向北迁移,而紫果云杉可能会向西迁移。（4）影响丽江云杉和紫果云杉潜在地理分布的主要气候因子为最暖季降水量和最暖季均温。研究结果可为丽江云杉和紫果云杉在未来气候变化情景下的可持续管理提供一定的理论依据和参考价值。     

Climate Change Increases Drought Stress of Juniper Trees in the Mountains of Central Asia

Assessments of climate change impacts on forests and their vitality are essential for semi-arid environments such as Central Asia, where the mountain regions belong to the globally important biodiversity hotspots. Alterations in species distribution or drought-induced tree mortality might not only result in a loss of biodiversity but also in a loss of other ecosystem services. Here, we evaluate spatial trends and patterns of the growth-climate relationship in a tree-ring network comprising 33 juniper sites from the northern Pamir-Alay and Tien Shan mountain ranges in eastern Uzbekistan and across Kyrgyzstan for the common period 1935–2011. Junipers growing at lower elevations are sensitive to summer drought, which has increased in intensity during the studied period. At higher elevations, juniper growth, previously favored by warm summer temperatures, has in the recent few decades become negatively affected by increasing summer aridity. Moreover, response shifts are observed during all seasons. Rising temperatures and alterations in precipitation patterns during the past eight decades can account for the observed increase in drought stress of junipers at all altitudes. The implications of our findings are vital for the application of adequate long-term measures of ecosystem conservation, but also for paleo-climatic approaches and coupled climate-vegetation model simulations for Central Asia.