Net primary productivity(NPP), a metric used to define and identify changes in plant communities, is greatly affected by climate change, human activities and other factors. Here, we used the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford App...Net primary productivity(NPP), a metric used to define and identify changes in plant communities, is greatly affected by climate change, human activities and other factors. Here, we used the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach(CASA) model to estimate the NPP of plant communities in Hengduan Mountains area of China, and to explore the relationship between NPP and altitude in this region. We examined the mechanisms underlying vegetation growth responses to climate change and quantitatively assessed the effects of ecological protection measures by partitioning the contributions of climate change and human activities to NPP changes. The results demonstrated that: 1) the average total and annual NPP values over the years were 209.15 Tg C and 468.06 g C/(m2·yr), respectively. Their trend increasingly fluctuated, with spatial distribution strongly linked to altitude(i.e., lower and higher NPP in high altitude and low altitude areas, respectively) and 2400 m represented the marginal altitude for vegetation differentiation; 2) areas where climate was the main factor affecting NPP accounted for 18.2% of the total research area, whereas human activities were the primary factor influencing NPP in 81.8% of the total research area, which indicated that human activity was the main force driving changes in NPP. Areas where climatic factors(i.e., temperature and precipitation) were the main driving factors occupied 13.6%(temperature) and 6.0%(precipitation) of the total research area, respectively. Therefore, the effect of temperature on NPP changes was stronger than that of precipitation; and 3) the majority of NPP residuals from 2001 to 2014 were positive, with human activities playing an active role in determining regional vegetation growth, possibly due to the return of farmland back to forest and natural forest protection. However, this positive trend is decreasing. This clearly shows the periodical nature of ecological projects and a lack of long-term effectiveness.展开更多
Accurate information on the spatial distribution and temporal change of wetlands is vital to devise effective measures for their protection. This study uses satellite images in 1994 and 2001 to assess the effects of t...Accurate information on the spatial distribution and temporal change of wetlands is vital to devise effective measures for their protection. This study uses satellite images in 1994 and 2001 to assess the effects of topography and proximity to channels on wetland change in Maduo County on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, western China. In 1994 wetlands in the study area extended over 6,780.0 km2. They were distributed widely throughout the county, with a higher concentration in the south, and were especially prominent close to streams. The pattern of wetlands demonstrated a bell-shaped distribution curve with elevation, ranging over hill slopes with gradients from 0-19°, the commonest gradient being around 3°. Although the aspects of these hill slopes range over all directions, there is a lower concentration of wetlands facing east and southeast. The extent of wetlands in 2001 decreased to 6,181.1 km2. Marked spatial differentiation in the pattern of wetlands is evident, as their area increased by 1,193.3 km2 at lower elevations but decreased by 1,792.2 km2 at higher ground, resulting in a net decrease of 598.8 km2. In areas with a gradient <2° or >9° the area of wetlands remained approximately consistent from 1994-2001. Newly retained wetlands are situated in relatively flat lowland areas, with no evident preference in terms of aspect. Wetlands on north-, east- and northeast-facing hillslopes with a bearing of 1-86° were more prone to loss of area than other orientations. The altered pattern of wetland distribution from higher to lower elevation on north-facing slopes coincided with the doubling of annual temperature during the same period, suggesting that climate warming could be an important cause.展开更多
基金Under the auspices of National Key Basic Research Program of China(No.2015CB452706)National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41401198,41571527)+1 种基金Youth Talent Team Program of the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment,Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.SDSQB-2015-01)Youth Innovation Promotion Association,Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.2016332)
文摘Net primary productivity(NPP), a metric used to define and identify changes in plant communities, is greatly affected by climate change, human activities and other factors. Here, we used the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach(CASA) model to estimate the NPP of plant communities in Hengduan Mountains area of China, and to explore the relationship between NPP and altitude in this region. We examined the mechanisms underlying vegetation growth responses to climate change and quantitatively assessed the effects of ecological protection measures by partitioning the contributions of climate change and human activities to NPP changes. The results demonstrated that: 1) the average total and annual NPP values over the years were 209.15 Tg C and 468.06 g C/(m2·yr), respectively. Their trend increasingly fluctuated, with spatial distribution strongly linked to altitude(i.e., lower and higher NPP in high altitude and low altitude areas, respectively) and 2400 m represented the marginal altitude for vegetation differentiation; 2) areas where climate was the main factor affecting NPP accounted for 18.2% of the total research area, whereas human activities were the primary factor influencing NPP in 81.8% of the total research area, which indicated that human activity was the main force driving changes in NPP. Areas where climatic factors(i.e., temperature and precipitation) were the main driving factors occupied 13.6%(temperature) and 6.0%(precipitation) of the total research area, respectively. Therefore, the effect of temperature on NPP changes was stronger than that of precipitation; and 3) the majority of NPP residuals from 2001 to 2014 were positive, with human activities playing an active role in determining regional vegetation growth, possibly due to the return of farmland back to forest and natural forest protection. However, this positive trend is decreasing. This clearly shows the periodical nature of ecological projects and a lack of long-term effectiveness.
基金supported by the International Science & Technology Cooperation Program of China (Grant No. 2011DFG93160,2011DFA20820)the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (Grant No.41161084)the Scientific Research Collaboration and Training of Top Scientists project (Document No. 2009-1599),Department of International Exchange & Cooperation of the Chinese Ministry of Education
文摘Accurate information on the spatial distribution and temporal change of wetlands is vital to devise effective measures for their protection. This study uses satellite images in 1994 and 2001 to assess the effects of topography and proximity to channels on wetland change in Maduo County on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, western China. In 1994 wetlands in the study area extended over 6,780.0 km2. They were distributed widely throughout the county, with a higher concentration in the south, and were especially prominent close to streams. The pattern of wetlands demonstrated a bell-shaped distribution curve with elevation, ranging over hill slopes with gradients from 0-19°, the commonest gradient being around 3°. Although the aspects of these hill slopes range over all directions, there is a lower concentration of wetlands facing east and southeast. The extent of wetlands in 2001 decreased to 6,181.1 km2. Marked spatial differentiation in the pattern of wetlands is evident, as their area increased by 1,193.3 km2 at lower elevations but decreased by 1,792.2 km2 at higher ground, resulting in a net decrease of 598.8 km2. In areas with a gradient <2° or >9° the area of wetlands remained approximately consistent from 1994-2001. Newly retained wetlands are situated in relatively flat lowland areas, with no evident preference in terms of aspect. Wetlands on north-, east- and northeast-facing hillslopes with a bearing of 1-86° were more prone to loss of area than other orientations. The altered pattern of wetland distribution from higher to lower elevation on north-facing slopes coincided with the doubling of annual temperature during the same period, suggesting that climate warming could be an important cause.