青藏高原高寒草甸植被特征与温度、水分因子关系

以广布于青藏高原的高寒草甸为研究对象,进行模拟增温实验,探讨高寒草甸植被特征与温度、水分因子关系,并试图论证高寒草甸植被是否符合生物多样性代谢理论.结果表明:①高寒草甸植被物种多样性的对数与绝对温度的倒数呈显著线性递减关系,空气-地表-浅层土壤(0-20 cm)温度(R2 ＞0.6,P＜0.01)较深层土壤(40-100 cm)温度(R2＜0.5,P＜0.05)对物种多样性影响大;其植被新陈代谢平均活化能为0.998-1.85 eV,高于生物多样性代谢理论预测值0.6-0.7 eV,这是高寒草甸植被对长期低温环境适应进化的结果.②除趋势对应分析和冗余分析显示,温度对植被地上部分影响较大,而土壤水分对全株影响均较大,适当的增温与降水均可极显著促进高寒草甸植被生长.③逐步回归和通径分析显示,40 cm、60 cm深度土壤水分对植被地上部分产生直接影响,20 cm高度空气相对湿度和40 cm深度土壤温度对其产生间接影响;40 cm深度土壤温度和60 cm深度土壤水分对植被地下部分产生直接影响,红外地表温度对其产生间接影响.深层土壤温度和水分对高寒草甸植被具有影响作用,这可能与增温后冻土的融化有关,但其机理尚待进一步研究.     

Mediating Water Temperature Increases Due to Livestock and Global Change in High Elevation Meadow Streams of the Golden Trout Wilderness

Rising temperatures due to climate change are pushing the thermal limits of many species, but how climate warming interacts with other anthropogenic disturbances such as land use remains poorly understood. To understand the interactive effects of climate warming and livestock grazing on water temperature in three high elevation meadow streams in the Golden Trout Wilderness, California, we measured riparian vegetation and monitored water temperature in three meadow streams between 2008 and 2013, including two “resting” meadows and one meadow that is partially grazed. All three meadows have been subject to grazing by cattle and sheep since the 1800s and their streams are home to the imperiled California golden trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita). In 1991, a livestock exclosure was constructed in one of the meadows (Mulkey), leaving a portion of stream ungrazed to minimize the negative effects of cattle. In 2001, cattle were removed completely from two other meadows (Big Whitney and Ramshaw), which have been in a “resting” state since that time. Inside the livestock exclosure in Mulkey, we found that riverbank vegetation was both larger and denser than outside the exclosure where cattle were present, resulting in more shaded waters and cooler maximal temperatures inside the exclosure. In addition, between meadows comparisons showed that water temperatures were cooler in the ungrazed meadows compared to the grazed area in the partially grazed meadow. Finally, we found that predicted temperatures under different global warming scenarios were likely to be higher in presence of livestock grazing. Our results highlight that land use can interact with climate change to worsen the local thermal conditions for taxa on the edge and that protecting riparian vegetation is likely to increase the resiliency of these ecosystems to climate change.     

青藏高原多年冻土区不同水分条件的高寒草甸根系功能性状对增温的响应

在青藏高原多年冻土广泛分布的风火山地区,选择小嵩草（Kobresia pygmea）草甸和藏嵩草（Kobresia tibetica）沼泽化草甸为研究对象,采用开顶增温室（Open top chambers, OTCs）模拟气候变暖,探讨模拟增温对土壤水分差异的两种草甸地下生物量及根系功能性状的影响。结果显示,（1）增温显著增加小嵩草草甸0—20 cm根系生物量,主要是由于表层（0—10 cm）根系生物量显著增加,而对藏嵩草沼泽化草甸根系生物量无影响。（2）增温显著增加了小嵩草草甸根组织密度,同时提高了藏嵩草沼泽化草甸10—20 cm的比根长和比根面积（3）增温降低了小嵩草草甸的根系碳含量及10—20 cm根系氮含量,增加了藏嵩草沼泽化草甸的碳含量及10—20 cm根系氮含量,显著提高了小嵩草草甸和藏嵩草沼泽化草甸深层（10—20 cm）根系碳氮比。这些结果预示着增温使得土壤水分较低的小嵩草草甸朝着资源保守的慢速生长型发展,以适应暖干化的环境;土壤水分较高的藏嵩草沼泽化草甸朝着资源获取的快速生长型发展,加速利用土壤中的养分满足植物生长需要。可见,土壤水分可以调节高寒草甸对气候变暖的演变趋势,强调了水分的重要性。     

Simulated distribution of vegetation types in response to climate change on the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract. Questions: What is the relationship between alpine vegetation patterns and climate? And how do alpine vegetation patterns respond to climate changes? Location: Tibetan Plateau, southwestern China. The total area is 2500000 km² with an average altitude over 4000 m. Methods: The geographic distribution of vegetation types on the Tibetan Plateau was simulated based on climatology using a small set of plant functional types (PFTs) embedded in the biogeochemistry‐biography model BIOME4. The paleoclimate for the early Holocene was used to explore the possibility of simulating past vegetation patterns. Changes in vegetation patterns were simulated assuming continuous exponential increase in atmospheric CO concentration, based on a transient ocean‐atmosphere simulation including sulfate aerosol effects during the 21st century. Results: Forest, shrub steppe, alpine steppe and alpine meadow extended while no desert vegetation developed under the warmer and humid climate of the early Holocene. In the future climate scenario, the simulated tree line is farther north in most sectors than at present. There are also major northward shifts of alpine meadows and a reduction in shrub‐dominated montane steppe. The boundary between montane desert and alpine desert will be farther to the south than today. The area of alpine desert would decrease, that of montane desert would increase. Conclusions: The outline of changes in vegetation distribution was captured with the simulation. Increased CO2 concentration would potentially lead to big changes in alpine ecosystems.     

不同气候变化情景下2070-2099年中国潜在植被及其敏感性

潜在植被作为当前气候条件、无人类干扰下,所能发育演替形成的最稳定、最成熟的一种顶极植被类型,能够反映立地植被发展的趋势。潜在植被的研究有助于人类了解植被与气候系统的作用机制,可为区域植被恢复工程和生态建设提供参考依据。基于综合顺序分类系统,利用A1B、A2及B1情景下2070-2099年气象数据对中国潜在植被进行了模拟,在不同气候变化情景下分析了未来中国潜在植被的空间分布和潜在植被对不同气候变化的敏感性。结果表明:(1)不同气候变化背景下中国潜在植被分布的规律具有相似性,但潜在植被类在总数和各情景下分布的面积存在差异性;(2)比较发现,中国的气候条件在20世纪和21世纪均不适宜炎热极干热带荒漠类(ⅦA)的发育;(3)中国潜在植被在3种气候变化情景下表现为敏感性的区域占到国土总面积的64.10%,在西北地区、北方地区、南方地区及青藏地区不同自然区敏感性地区所占各区的比例不同,分别为68.20%、70.82%、49.94%及66.59%。     

Responses in leaf functional traits and resource allocation of a dominant alpine sedge (Kobresia pygmaea) to climate warming in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau permafrost region

Assessing the influence of warming on leaf traits, carbon, and nutrient concentrations above and below ground to understand how the dominant sedge Kobresia pygmaea (C. B. Clarke) C. B. Clarke may respond and adapt to extant and future climate in the alpine meadow of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. A warming experiment was conducted in the permafrost region of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau from 2008 to 2009. Two 2-year warming treatments (T1, annual warming of 2.1°C; T2, annual warming of 4.4°C) were used, and responses of leaf traits and above- and belowground carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations of K. pygmaea were examined. The results show that both moderate (T1) and more extensive (T2) warming decreased leaf mass, leaf thickness, and vascular bundle size, and increased the mass-based photosynthetic rate (A_mass) and photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE). A moderate warming significantly decreased leaf carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P), and root C and N concentrations of K. pygmaea. These decreases were even more pronounced under the more extensive warming. The decreases in leaf N and P were significantly larger than the decrease in leaf C concentration. Root P concentration increased more under the extensive than the moderate warming. The observed increase in leaf C:N ratio in the warming treatment indicates that enhanced temperature may increase the long-term nitrogen use efficiency of K. pygmaea leaves. This again suggests that K. pygmaea might adapt well to future climate warming, and that nitrogen might be a more important factor for K. pygmaea dominated alpine meadows under future climate warming.     

Identifying climate refugia and its potential impact on Tibetan brown bear (Ursus arctos pruinosus) in Sanjiangyuan National Park,China

Climate change has direct impacts on wildlife and future biodiversity protection efforts. Vulnerability assessment and habitat connectivity analyses are necessary for drafting effective conservation strategies for threatened species such as the Tibetan brown bear (Ursus arctos pruinosus). We used the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model to assess the current (1950–2000) and future (2041–2060) habitat suitability by combining bioclimatic and environmental variables, and identified potential climate refugia for Tibetan brown bears in Sanjiangyuan National Park, China. Next, we selected Circuit model to simulate potential migration paths based on current and future climatically suitable habitat. Results indicate a total area of potential suitable habitat under the current climate scenario of approximately 31,649.46 km², of which 28,778.29 km² would be unsuitable by the 2050s. Potentially suitable habitat under the future climate scenario was projected to cover an area of 23,738.6 km². Climate refugia occupied 2,871.17 km², primarily in the midwestern and northeastern regions of Yangtze River Zone, as well as the northern region of Yellow River Zone. The altitude of climate refugia ranged from 4,307 to 5,524 m, with 52.93% lying at altitudes between 4,300 and 4,600 m. Refugia were mainly distributed on bare rock, alpine steppe, and alpine meadow. Corridors linking areas of potentially suitable brown bear habitat and a substantial portion of paths with low‐resistance value were distributed in climate refugia. We recommend various actions to ameliorate the impact of climate change on brown bears, such as protecting climatically suitable habitat, establishing habitat corridors, restructuring conservation areas, and strengthening monitoring efforts.     

The permafrost carbon inventory on the Tibetan Plateau: a new evaluation using deep sediment cores

The permafrost organic carbon (OC) stock is of global significance because of its large pool size and the potential positive feedback to climate warming. However, due to the lack of systematic field observations and appropriate upscaling methodologies, substantial uncertainties exist in the permafrost OC budget, which limits our understanding of the fate of frozen carbon in a warming world. In particular, the lack of comprehensive estimates of OC stocks across alpine permafrost means that current knowledge on this issue remains incomplete. Here, we evaluated the pool size and spatial variations of permafrost OC stock to 3 m depth on the Tibetan Plateau by combining systematic measurements from a substantial number of pedons (i.e. 342 three‐metre‐deep cores and 177 50‐cm‐deep pits) with a machine learning technique (i.e. support vector machine, SVM). We also quantified uncertainties in permafrost carbon budget by conducting Monte Carlo simulations. Our results revealed that the combination of systematic measurements with the SVM model allowed spatially explicit estimates to be made. The OC density (OC amount per unit area, OCD) exhibited a decreasing trend from the south‐eastern to the north‐western plateau, with the exception that OCD in the swamp meadow was substantially higher than that in surrounding regions. Our results also demonstrated that Tibetan permafrost stored a large amount of OC in the top 3 m, with the median OC pool size being 15.31 Pg C (interquartile range: 13.03–17.77 Pg C). 44% of OC occurred in deep layers (i.e. 100–300 cm), close to the proportion observed across the northern circumpolar permafrost region. The large carbon pool size together with significant permafrost thawing suggests a risk of carbon emissions and positive climate feedback across the Tibetan alpine permafrost region.     

三江源区高寒草甸退化对土壤水源涵养功能的影响

三江源区是我国重要的水源涵养区,研究草地退化对土壤水源涵养功能的影响,可为三江源区水源涵养功能的科学评估与合理监测提供科学依据。以实地采样与室内测试分析相结合的方法研究了三江源区内不同土壤类型高寒草甸生物量特征、土壤水文物理性质及土壤水源涵养量。结果表明:高寒草甸在重度退化阶段地上生物量、地下生物量、毛管孔隙度、总孔隙度、自然含水量、最大持水量、土壤水源涵养量显著低于未退化和中度退化阶段(P<0.05)。随着高寒草甸退化程度加剧,土壤容重逐渐增大,且非毛管孔隙度规律不显著。未退化、中度退化、重度退化草甸的土壤水源涵养量范围分别为1884.32—1897.44t/hm2、1360.04—1707.79t/hm2、1082.38—1550.10t/hm2。中度退化草甸土壤水源涵养量比未退化草甸低9.37%—10.35%,重度退化草甸低18.31%—27.82%。草甸退化进程中土壤总孔隙度与毛管孔隙度的降低是影响土壤水源涵养量下降的直接原因,而草甸退化进程中地上生物量与地下生物量的减少则是间接原因。度量三江源区高寒草甸土壤水源涵养功能时应着重考虑毛管孔隙度的蓄水作用。研究表明高寒草甸地上生物量与土壤水源涵养量之间存在显著的正相关关系(P<0.05),该结果能够推动水源涵养功能评估向空间化、精细化发展,为探索利用遥感技术监测三江源区水源涵养功能提供参考依据。     

青藏高原植被生态系统垂直分布变化的情景模拟

如何模拟和揭示青藏高原植被生态系统垂直分布在全球气候变化驱动下的时空变化情景,对定量解析青藏高原陆地生态系统对气候变化响应效应具有重要意义。该论文基于Holdridge life zone （HLZ）模型,结合数字高程模型（DEM）数据,改变模型输入参数模式,发展了改进型HLZ生态系统模型。结合1981-2010（T0）时段的气候观测数据和IPCC CMIP5 RCP2.6、RCP4.5、RCP8.5三种情景2011-2040（T1）、2041-2070（T2）、2071-2100（T3）三个时段气候情景数据,实现了青藏高原植被生态系统垂直分布的时空变化情景模拟。引入生态系统平均中心时空偏移趋势模型和生态多样性指数模型,定量揭示了青藏高原植被生态系统在不同垂直带上的时空变化情景。结果显示：青藏高原共有16种植被生态系统类型;冰雪/冰原、高山潮湿苔原和亚高山湿润森林为青藏高原主要的植被生态系统类型,其面积之和占到了青藏高原总面积的56.26%;高山干苔原、亚高山潮湿森林、山地灌丛、山地湿润森林和荒漠等对气候变化的敏感性总体上高于其它类型;在T0-T3期间,青藏高原的高山湿润苔原、高山干苔原、荒漠呈持续减少趋势,平均每10年将分别减少1.96×10⁴km²、0.15×10⁴km²和1.58×10⁴km²;亚高山潮湿森林、山地湿润森林和山地灌丛呈持续增加趋势,平均每10年将分别增加3.42×10⁴km²、2.98×10⁴km²和1.19×10⁴km²;RCP8.5情景下青藏高原的植被生态系统平均中心的偏移幅度最大,RCP4.5情景下的偏移幅度次之,而RCP2.6情景下的偏移幅度最小。另外,在三种气候变化情景驱动下,青藏高原植被生态系统的生态多样性呈减少趋势。总之,未来不同情景的气候变化将直接影响青藏高原植被生态系统的时空分布格局及其生态多样性,气候变化强度越高,影响就越大,而且气候变化对青藏高原植被生态系统的影响呈现出从低海拔到高海拔递增的影响效应。     

Grazing buffers the effect of climate change on the species diversity of seedlings in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau

Climate change predominated by warming over the past decades has affected plant biodiversity, distribution, and ecosystem functioning in alpine grasslands. Yet, little is known about the interactive effect of climate change and grazing on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Here, we conducted a vegetation translocation experiment (ten soil‐vegetation blocks were translocated from high‐altitudinal site 3,245 m to low‐altitudinal site 3,045 m) combined with grazing treatment in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that (a) translocation induced effect of climate change from harsh, high‐altitudinal site to benign, low‐altitudinal site significantly promoted species richness, and density of asexual and sexual seedling, with an increase in the proportion of asexual recruitment to sexual recruitment; (b) grazing decreased the proportion of asexual seedling to sexual recruitment within community, led to a shift in the dominant plant functional groups from graminoids and legumes to forbs; and (c) grazing partly offset the increased species richness of seedling, but not seedling density, induced by climate change. These findings suggest that moderate grazing may buffer the effect of climate change on the plant community composition, and thus, functional role in alpine meadows. Further understanding the influence of climate change on grassland ecosystems needs to consider the non‐additive effect of grazing and climate change to sustainability of grassland services.     

藏北高原典型植被样区物候变化及其对气候变化的响应

植被物候作为陆地生态系统对气候变化的响应和反馈的重要指示,已成为区域或全球生态环境领域研究的热点。基于非对称高斯拟合方法重建了2001—2010年MODIS EVI时间序列影像,利用动态阈值法提取藏北高原植被覆盖2001—2010年每年关键物候参数。选取研究区内东部高寒灌丛草甸、中部高寒草甸及西部高寒草原和高寒荒漠4种典型植被类型,并结合附近的4个气象台站气候资料,分析典型植被物候在近10a对关键气候因子的响应特征。研究结果表明:(1)4种不同典型植被的物候特征(EVImax降低、返青期延后和生长季长度缩短)均表现出高寒灌丛草甸→高寒草甸→高寒草原→高寒荒漠草原的过渡;(2)藏北高原近10a的年平均气温及春、夏、冬三个季度的平均气温均呈显著升高的趋势,升温幅度在0.8—3.9℃/10a,降水减少趋势不显著,在这种水热条件下典型植被均表现出返青提前(7.2—15.5d/10a)、生长季延长(8.4—19.2d/10a)的趋势,而枯黄出现时间为年际间自然波动;(3)高寒灌丛草甸EVImax主要受春季降水量和气温影响,且降水的影响程度大于气温;对高寒草甸植被而言,春、夏季的气温和降水均有较大的影响;而高寒草原和高寒荒漠草原主要受夏季平均气温和降水量影响;(4)高寒灌丛草甸的返青时间主要受前一年秋季降水量的影响,相关系数达-0.579;而高寒草甸、高寒草原和高寒荒漠草原主要受春季平均气温影响,高寒荒漠草原的特征最为明显(r=-0.559)。     

Multiple afforestation programs accelerate the greenness in the ‘Three North’ region of China from 1982 to 2013

China has launched multiple afforestation programs since 1978, including the ‘Three North’ Shelterbelt Development Program (TNSDP), the Beijing–Tianjin Sand Source Control Program (BSSCP), the Nature Forest Conservation Program (NFCP), and the Grain to Green Program (GTGP). These programs focus on local environment restoration by planting trees in semi-arid and arid regions and by protecting natural forests. However, the effectiveness of these programs has been questioned by several previous studies. Here, we report an increasing trend of greenness in this region using the satellite-retrieved normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from GIMMS, GIMMS-3g and MODIS datasets in the past 32 years. The NDVI increase for the ‘Three North’ region was 0.28%–0.38% yr⁻¹ in 1982–2000 and 0.86%–1.12% yr⁻¹ in 2000–2013, which is much higher than the country's means of 0.060%–0.063% yr⁻¹ and 0.27%–0.30% yr⁻¹, respectively. Most of the increase occurred in low and sparsely vegetated areas; and enlarged the moderate vegetated area (growing season mean NDVI above 0.5) from 16.5% to 25.7% for the two time periods, respectively. We also analyzed changes in the length of the growing season and the climate conditions including temperature, precipitation and two drought indices. However, these environmental factors cannot completely explain the changes in vegetation activity. Our study suggests these multiple afforestation programs contributed to the accelerated greening trend in the ‘Three North’ region and highlight the importance of human intervention in regional vegetation growth under climate change condition.     

Landscape controls of CH4 fluxes in a catchment of the forest tundra ecotone in northern Siberia

Terrestrial ecosystems in northern high latitudes exchange large amounts of methane (CH₄) with the atmosphere. Climate warming could have a great impact on CH₄ exchange, in particular in regions where degradation of permafrost is induced. In order to improve the understanding of the present and future methane dynamics in permafrost regions, we studied CH₄ fluxes of typical landscape structures in a small catchment in the forest tundra ecotone in northern Siberia. Gas fluxes were measured using a closed‐chamber technique from August to November 2003 and from August 2006 to July 2007 on tree‐covered mineral soils with and without permafrost, on a frozen bog plateau, and on a thermokarst pond. For areal integration of the CH₄ fluxes, we combined field observations and classification of functional landscape structures based on a high‐resolution Quickbird satellite image. All mineral soils were net sinks of atmospheric CH₄. The magnitude of annual CH₄ uptake was higher for soils without permafrost (1.19 kg CH₄ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) than for soils with permafrost (0.37 kg CH₄ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). In well‐drained soils, significant CH₄ uptake occurred even after the onset of ground frost. Bog plateaux, which stored large amounts of frozen organic carbon, were also a net sink of atmospheric CH₄ (0.38 kg CH₄ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). Thermokarst ponds, which developed from permafrost collapse in bog plateaux, were hot spots of CH₄ emission (approximately 200 kg CH₄ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). Despite the low area coverage of thermokarst ponds (only 2.1% of the total catchment area), emissions from these sites resulted in a mean catchment CH₄ emission of 3.8 kg CH₄ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. Export of dissolved CH₄ with stream water was insignificant. The results suggest that mineral soils and bog plateaux in this region will respond differently to increasing temperatures and associated permafrost degradation. Net uptake of atmospheric CH₄ in mineral soils is expected to gradually increase with increasing active layer depth and soil drainage. Changes in bog plateaux will probably be much more rapid and drastic. Permafrost collapse in frozen bog plateaux would result in high CH₄ emissions that act as positive feedback to climate warming.     

Environmental indicators for estimating the potential soil respiration rate in alpine zone

Soil respiration is the main form of carbon flux from soil to atmosphere in the global carbon cycle. The effect of temperature on soil respiration rate is important in evaluating the potential feedback of soil organic carbon to global warming. We incubated soils from the alpine meadow zone and upper rocky zone along an altitudinal gradient (4400–5500 m a.s.l.) on the Tibetan Plateau under various temperature and soil moisture conditions. We evaluated the potential effects of temperature and soil moisture on soil respiration and its variation across altitudes. Soil respiration rates increased as the temperature increased. At 60% of soil water content, they averaged 0.21–5.33 μmol g soil⁻¹ day⁻¹ in the alpine meadow zone and 0.11–0.50 μmol g soil⁻¹ day⁻¹ in the rocky zone over the experimental temperature range. Soil respiration rates in the rocky zone did not increase between 25 and 35 °C, probably because of heat stress. Rates of decomposition of organic matter were high in the rocky zone, where the CN ratio was smaller than in the middle altitudes. Soil respiration rates also increased with increasing soil water content from 10% to 80% at 15 °C, averaging 0.04–2.00 μmol g soil⁻¹ day⁻¹ in the alpine meadow zone and 0.03–0.35 μmol g soil⁻¹ day⁻¹ in the rocky zone. Maximum respiration rates were obtained in the middle part of the alpine slope in any case of experimental temperature and soil moisture. The change patterns in soil respiration rate along altitude showed similar change pattern in soil carbon content. Although the altitude is a variable including various environmental factors, it might be used as a surrogate parameter of soil carbon content in alpine zone. Results suggest that temperature, soil moisture and altitude are used as appropriate environmental indicators for estimating the spatial distribution of potential soil respiration in alpine zone.     

Grazing intensifies degradation of a Tibetan Plateau alpine meadow through plant–pest interaction

Understanding the plant–pest interaction under warming with grazing conditions is critical to predict the response of alpine meadow to future climate change. We investigated the effects of experimental warming and grazing on the interaction between plants and the grassland caterpillar Gynaephora menyuanensis in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau in 2010 and 2011. Our results showed that grazing significantly increased nitrogen concentration in graminoids and sward openness with a lower sward height, sward coverage, and plant litter mass in the community. Grazing significantly increased G. menyuanensis body size and potential fecundity in 2010. The increases in female body size were about twofold greater than in males. In addition, grazing significantly increased G. menyuanensis density and its negative effects on aboveground biomass and graminoid coverage in 2011. We found that G. menyuanensis body size was significantly positively correlated with nitrogen concentration in graminoids but negatively correlated with plant litter mass. Even though warming did not significantly increased G. menyuanensis performance and the negative effects of G. menyuanensis on alpine meadow, the increases in G. menyuanensis growth rate and its negative effect on aboveground biomass under the warming with grazing treatment were significantly higher than those under the no warming with grazing treatment. The positive effects of grazing on G. menyuanensis performance and its damage were exacerbated by the warming treatment. Our results suggest that the fitness of G. menyuanensis would increase under future warming with grazing conditions, thereby posing a greater risk to alpine meadow and livestock production.     

青藏高原多年冻土区不同草地生态系统恢复能力评价

草地生态系统恢复能力是评价人类工程活动对青藏高原多年冻土生态系统影响的重要组分.分析了不同草地生态系统干扰带和非干扰带群落特征、植物多样性、草地初级生产力和经济类群,综合评价了青藏高原多年冻土区地上植被在受工程活动干扰后的综合恢复能力.结果表明:经过近20多年的自然恢复,青藏苔草草原、紫花针茅草原、扇穗茅草原、高山嵩草草甸、矮蒿草草甸和藏蒿草沼泽化草甸6种草地的盖度和物种组成均有一定程度的恢复,且草原群落的恢复程度好于草甸群落,但干扰群落仍低于未干扰群落;紫花针茅草原分布区物种多样性恢复好于其他草地类型分布区;干扰带由最初的地上植物生物量全部为0恢复到148.8～489.6 g·m^-2,其中藏嵩草沼泽化草甸干扰带恢复最好,生物量达489.6 g·m^-2;除藏嵩草恢复群落的饲用植物类群组成相对稳定外,干扰后的其他5种草地类型饲用价值降低.高寒草原生态系统的植被综合恢复能力显著高于草甸生态系统.     

Effects of Warming and Clipping on Ecosystem Carbon Fluxes across Two Hydrologically Contrasting Years in an Alpine Meadow of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Responses of ecosystem carbon (C) fluxes to human disturbance and climatic warming will affect terrestrial ecosystem C storage and feedback to climate change. We conducted a manipulative experiment to investigate the effects of warming and clipping on soil respiration (Rs), ecosystem respiration (ER), net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and gross ecosystem production (GEP) in an alpine meadow in a permafrost region during two hydrologically contrasting years (2012, with 29.9% higher precipitation than the long-term mean, and 2013, with 18.9% lower precipitation than the long-tem mean). Our results showed that GEP was higher than ER, leading to a net C sink (measured by NEE) over the two growing seasons. Warming significantly stimulated ecosystem C fluxes in 2012 but did not significantly affect these fluxes in 2013. On average, the warming-induced increase in GEP (1.49 µ mol m⁻²s⁻¹) was higher than in ER (0.80 µ mol m⁻²s⁻¹), resulting in an increase in NEE (0.70 µ mol m⁻²s⁻¹). Clipping and its interaction with warming had no significant effects on C fluxes, whereas clipping significantly reduced aboveground biomass (AGB) by 51.5 g m⁻² in 2013. These results suggest the response of C fluxes to warming and clipping depends on hydrological variations. In the wet year, the warming treatment caused a reduction in water, but increases in soil temperature and AGB contributed to the positive response of ecosystem C fluxes to warming. In the dry year, the reduction in soil moisture, caused by warming, and the reduction in AGB, caused by clipping, were compensated by higher soil temperatures in warmed plots. Our findings highlight the importance of changes in soil moisture in mediating the responses of ecosystem C fluxes to climate warming in an alpine meadow ecosystem.     

青藏高原区退化高寒草甸植被和土壤特征

高寒草甸约占青藏高原草地的46.7%,是我国草地生态系统重要的组成部分。近年来,在气候变化和人为活动的影响下,高寒草甸生态系统退化严重,植被和土壤均呈现出不同的退化趋势。在大空间尺度上表现为草地覆盖度下降,杂草类植被增加,土壤退化甚至沙化;在微观尺度上,退化高寒草甸的土壤粒径、土壤微生物和土壤酶也发生改变。本研究从高寒草甸物种多样性、植物群落结构、植被生物量、土壤物理性质、土壤微生物、土壤酶和土壤养分等方面,分析了高寒草甸生态系统退化过程中植被和土壤的变化特征,提出当前研究中存在的一些不确定性和有待深入研究的问题,为全面了解高寒草甸的退化机制和规律、有效干预高寒草甸生态系统和恢复生态功能提供科学依据。     

青藏高原多年冻土区不同高寒草地类型地表形变特征

作为气候变化"指示器"的青藏高原多年冻土,近几十年来受到越来越多学者关注。但是已有冻土区地表形变的研究,多单纯针对地表抬升和沉降量进行分析,鲜有针对不同高寒草地类型进行深入挖掘的。在位于青藏高原多年冻土区腹地的五道梁地区,利用ASAR数据和SBAS-InSAR方法反演了区域内2005年4月到2010年7月的地表形变状况。结果显示研究区地表形变速率基本位于±8 mm/a之间。其中,变形率为正、地表呈现抬升的区域占57.70%,地表形变为负、地表沉降的区域占42.30%。此外,高寒草地整体表现地表下沉的现象,而且高寒草原的地表沉降现象明显强于高寒草甸地区。计算获得3种生态遥感指数后,分析地表形变与生态遥感指数的相关性,发现针对不同草地类型,其地表形变的主导因子存在差异。高寒草甸的地表形变有可能更多的受限于温度变化,而高寒草原的地表形变则可能更多的由水分条件所影响。以上研究说明青藏高原多年冻土区植被类型条件越好,地表沉降量越小。因此今后的相关研究需要对植被类型条件差的区域增加更多的关注,因为这些地区易发生地表沉降,导致其生态系统稳定性较差。