特×藏×寒杂种绵羊横交试验与生产性能测定

为研究特克塞尔羊、欧拉藏羊、小尾寒羊杂交后代横交固定效果,选择(特×藏×寒)F_2杂交母羊15只与F_2杂交公羊配种作为试验Ⅰ组(横交组合■F_2×♀F_2)、F_3杂交母羊(♀F_2×■特)15只与F_2杂交公羊配种作为试验Ⅱ组(横交组合■F_2×♀F_3)、F_2杂交母羊15只与F_3杂交公羊配种作为试验Ⅲ组(横交组合■F_3×♀F_2)、小尾寒羊母羊15只与小尾寒羊公羊本交作为对照组(小尾寒羊×小尾寒羊)进行横交固定试验,并对横交母羊产羔率和横交后代羔羊体重、体尺、产肉性能进行了测定。结果表明:试验Ⅲ组羔羊成活率最高,极显著高于其他3组(P<0.01);6月龄羔羊的平均体重极显著高于小尾寒羊组(P<0.01),显著高于试验Ⅰ组(P<0.05)和Ⅱ组(P<0.05);6月龄羔羊的胸宽、胸深极显著高于小尾寒羊组(P<0.01),显著高于试验Ⅰ组(P<0.05)和Ⅱ组(P<0.05);6月龄羔羊屠宰后的屠宰率、净肉重、眼肌面积均显著高于试验Ⅰ组(P<0.05)、试验Ⅱ组(P<0.05)和小尾寒羊组(P<0.05)。说明3种横交组合以■F_3×♀F_2组合效果最佳,其次为■F_2×♀F_3组合和■F2×♀F2组合。

寒×蒙杂种母羊与藏羊杂种后代在高寒牧区的适应性及生产性能测定

作为高寒牧区的特有畜种,藏羊以抗逆性强、耐粗饲而著称,适宜放牧饲养,但其成熟晚,单胎单产,生长速度慢,饲养周期长,养殖效益低,而小尾寒羊等引入品种大都不适应高寒区生态气候条件和放牧生产方式。为提升高寒牧区草地畜牧业的综合生产能力和效益,需突破藏羊品种改良这一瓶颈,在保留其抗逆性强,耐粗饲等优良特性基础上,显著提高藏羊的个体重、生长速度、尤其多胎性,以适应草地畜牧业商品化生产的需要。本次调查测定了引入高寒牧区的寒×蒙杂种母羊及其藏×寒×蒙杂种后代在高寒牧区的适应性及生产性能,旨在为藏羊品种改良提供借鉴和参考。结果表明,采用放牧加补饲方式,寒×蒙杂种母羊在高寒区能正常生长、繁殖和放牧,保持多胎性;其藏×寒×蒙杂种羔羊平均个体初生重较当地藏羊低13.96%,但3月龄断奶重、6月龄体重、周岁体重分别较当地藏羊高4.46%、14.54%和19.55%,1月龄、2月龄和6月龄体高、体长和胸围等指标也高于同龄藏羔羊;藏×寒×蒙F1代杂种母羊的多胎率达66.67%,繁殖率达175%。用藏羊与引进品种的二元或三元杂种羊组建基础群,从中选育具多胎性,生长快且抗逆性强,适宜在高寒区放牧生产的肉羊品种,是高寒区肉羊品种改良的选项之一。

Effects of Temperature and Nitrogen Input on Nitrogen Mineralization in Alpine Soils on Tibetan Plateau

[Objective] The study aimed to investigate the effects of temperature and nitrogen input on nitrogen mineralization in alpine soils on the Tibetan Plateau.[Method]An incubation experiment in the laboratory was conducted using three alpine soils.These soils were collected from the top 10 cm depth in three grassland types：alpine meadow in Haibei,alpine steppe in Naqu and alpine wetland in Dangxiong.[Result] Temperature significantly affected nitrogen mineralization in alpine soils of three grassland types.The mineralization rate in alpine steppe soil rose with the rise of temperature,while the mineralization rate in the alpine meadow soil and alpine wetland soil decreased with the rise of temperature.Nitrogen input had no significant effect on nitrogen mineralization in the alpine meadow soil,but significantly increased nitrogen mineralization in the alpine steppe soil and the alpine wetland soil.Grassland types significantly affected nitrogen mineralization in alpine grasslands.[Conclusion] The effects of temperature and nitrogen input on nitrogen mineralization in alpine soils on the Tibetan Plateau were significant.And those different effects depended on different types of grassland.

从《辅行诀》五行互含理论探寻乌梅丸主治病机

乌梅丸出自《伤寒论》厥阴篇,从条辨中可看出,乌梅丸主治蛔厥、久利,后世也多以此论治。此文从《辅行诀》的五行互含理论出发,研究乌梅丸组成药物的五行属性,继而探讨《伤寒论》中乌梅丸条辨中的藏寒、蛔厥、藏厥之本意,并从实践(典型医案)中证实之。结论:①从《辅行诀》探寻乌梅丸方剂,其病机一目了然,较《伤寒论》乌梅丸条辨更易理解方剂所主治的病机;②中下焦藏寒导致藏厥,藏气不升,尤其肝气不升,是乌梅丸方的主要病机;③乌梅丸主治不仅是蛔厥、久利,而是符合条辨中所指的藏寒、藏厥病机的均可应用。

No C_4 Plants Found at the Haibei Alpine Meadow Ecosystem Research Station in Qinghai, China: Evidence from Stable Carbon Isotope Studies

Using the measurement of stable carbon isotopes in leaves as a tool to investigate photosynthetic pathway of 102 plant species grown at an alpine meadow ecosystem, at the foot of the Qilian Mountain, Qinghai, China. The results indicate that the delta C-13 values of plants have a narrow range from -28.24parts per thousand to -24.84parts per thousand, which means that none of the species examined belongs to C-4 and crassulaceous acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthetic pathway and all of these species perform photosynthesis through the C-3 pathway. This is likely due to a long-term adaptation to environments at the alpine meadow ecosystem.

Unpalatable Weed Stellera chamaejasme L. Provides Biotic Refuge for Neighboring Species and Conserves Plant Diversity in Overgrazing Alpine Meadows on the Tibetan Plateau in China

Steller chamaejasme L. （S. chamaejasme for short） is one of the most noxious unpalatable weeds in China, which has been frequently reported its negative interaction （i.e. competition and allelopathy） with other herbaceous species in grasslands. This study compared species diversity, biomass and sexual reproduction of herbaceous plants in meadows with S. chamaejasme and in open meadows without S. ehamaejasme in overgrazing meadows on the Tibetan Plateau in China to determine whether positive facilitation exist between S. chamaejasme and other herbaceous species under livestock＇s overgrazing. The results showed that there are more herbaceous species in meadows with S. chamaejasme than those in open meadows （35s and30s, respectively）. Diversity index and above-ground biomass were also significantly higher in meadows with S. charnaejasme. There were 39% （11/28） of all species with sexual reproduction found in meadows with S. charnaejasme, which was 7 times more than those in open meadows. Our study showed that S. charnaejasme could provide biotic refuge for neighboring plants and preserve plant diversity from livestock＇s overgrazing in alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau. It also suggested that inter-specific facilitation between S. charnaejasme and other herbaceous species may play a key role in overgrazing alpine meadows.

Biomass Allocation Patterns of Alpine Grassland Species and Functional Groups along a Precipitation Gradient on the Northern Tibetan Plateau

Variations in the fractions of biomass allocated to functional components are widely considered as plant responses to resource availability for grassland plants. Observations indicated shoots isometrically relates to roots at the community level but allometrically at the species level in Tibetan alpine grasslands. These differences may result from the specific complementarity of functional groups between functional components, such as leaf, root, stem and reproductive organ. To test the component complementary responses to regional moisture variation, we conducted a multi-site transect survey to measure plant individual size and component biomass fractions of common species belonging to the functional groups： forbs, grasses, legumes and sedges on the Northern Tibetan Plateau in peak growing season in 2010. Along the mean annual precipitation （MAP） gradient, we sampled 7o species, in which 2o are in alpine meadows, 20 in alpine steppes, 15 in alpine desert-steppes and 15 in alpine deserts, respectively. Our results showed that the size of alpine plants is small with individual biomass mostly lower than 1.0 g. Plants keep relative conservative component individual responses moisture functional fractions across alpine grasslands at the level. However, the complementary between functional components to variations specifically differ among groups. These results indicate that functional group diversity may be an effective tool for scaling biomass allocation patterns from individual up to community level. Therefore, it is necessary andvaluable to perform intensive and systematic studies on identification and differentiation the influences of compositional changes in functional groups on ecosystem primary services and processes.

Profile of Methane Concentrations in Soil and Atmosphere in Alpine Steppe Ecosystem on Tibetan Plateau

The methane concentration profile from -1.5m depth in soil to 32m height in air was measured in alpine steppe lo-cated in the permafrost area. Methane concentrations showed widely variations both in air and in soil during the study period. The mean concentrations in atmosphere were all higher than those in soil, and the highest methane concentration was found in air at the height of 16m with the lowest concentration occur-ring at the depth of 1.5m in soil. The variations of atmospheric methane concentrations did not show any clear pattern both temporally and spatially, although they exhibited a more steady-stable state than those in soil. During the seasonal variations, the methane concentrations at different depths in soil were sig-nificantly correlated (R2>0.6) with each other comparing to the weak correlations (R2<0.2) between the atmospheric concentra-tions at different heights. Mean methane concentrations in soil significantly decreased with depth. This was the compositive influence of the decreasing production rates and the increasing methane oxidation rates, which was caused by the descent soil moisture with depth. Although the methane concentrations at all depths varied widely during the growing season, they showed very distinct temporal variations in the non-growing season. It was indicated from the literatures that methane oxidation rates were positively correlated with soil temperature. The higher methane concentrations in soil during the winter were deter-mined by the lower methane oxidation rates with decreasing soil temperatures, whereas methane production rates had no reaction to the lower temperature. Relations between methane contribution and other environmental factors were not discussed in this paper for lacking of data, which impulse us to carry out further and more detailed studies in this unique area.

A Study of Soil-dynamics Based on a Simulated Drought in an Alpine Meadow on the Tibetan Plateau

Extreme weather events have played an important role in driving the ecosystem dynamics in high altitude areas, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. To understand if and how the soil processes of an ecosystem react to extreme drought, we manipulated a once-in-a-century meteorological extreme drought in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau, which is also known as the ＂forerunner of global weather changes＂. The extremity was determined by statistical extreme weather events with respect to a historical reference period from April to September during 1962 - 2004, where the local historical precipitation data was calculated and intensified to loo-year recurrent drought event with Gumbel I distribution. The indicators we measured included soil microbial biomass C/N/P and soil enzymatic activities of phosphatase （AP） disbounding organic phosphate, cellobiohydrolase （CBH）, β- glucocidase （BG）, N-releasing enzyme N-acetyl- glucosaminidase （NAG） as well as soil respirations, during and after the treatments. It was found that the manipulated event induced a rapid shift in microbial biomass and activities, indicating a lower resistance of the underground process. However, the microbial and biochemical parameters saw rapid recovery after the event, which meant the soil processes enjoyed high resilience. The high responsiveness and lag-time effects of the soil indicators rendered new horizons for us to evaluate the interaction between the extremes and the ecosystem stability. Our study indicated that the once-in-a-century extreme drought induced very short term response in the soil biotic process, and the soil processes worked to buffer against such events under the observation period.

Clipping Alters the Response of Biomass Production to Experimental Warming: A Case Study in an Alpine Meadow on the Tibetan Plateau, China

Predicting how human activity will influence the response of alpine grasslands to future warming has many uncertainties.In this study, a field experiment with controlled warming and clipping was conducted in an alpine meadow at three elevations（4313 m, 4513 m and 4693 m） in Northern Tibet to test the hypothesis that clipping would alter warming effect on biomass production.Open top chambers（OTCs） were used to increase temperature since July,2008 and the OTCs increased air temperature by approximately 0.9o C ~ 1.8o C during the growing in2012.Clipping was conducted three times one year during growing season and the aboveground parts of all live plants were clipped to approximately 0.01 m in height using scissors since 2009.Gross primary production（GPP） was calculated from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer GPP algorithm and aboveground plant production was estimated using the surface-measured normalized difference vegetation index in 2012.Warming decreased the GPP, aboveground biomass（AGB） and aboveground net primary production（ANPP） at all three elevations when clipping was not applied.In contrast, warming increased AGB at all three elevations, GPP at the two lower elevations and ANPP at the two higher elevations when clipping was applied.These findings show that clipping reduced the negative effect of warming on GPP, AGB and ANPP, suggesting that clipping may reduce the effect of climate warming on GPP, AGB and ANPP in alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau, and therefore, may be a viable strategy for mitigating the effects of climate change on grazing and animal husbandry on the Tibetan Plateau.

Research on the Soil Carbon Storage of Alpine Grassland under Different Land Uses in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

In this article, we mainly analysis the soil carbon storage of the alpine grassland under different land uses in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The samples of this investigation include six experimental fields which are fenced mowing grassland, artificial grassland, winter and spring grazing meadowland, summer and autumn mild grazing land, summer and autumn moderate grazing pasture and summer and autumn severe grazing land and seven soil layers included 0 cm-5 cm, 5 cm-10 cm, 10 cm-20 cm, 20 cm-30 cm, 30 cm-50 cm, 50 cm-70 cm and 70 cm-100 cm. The results show that the soil carbon storage in different soil layers will gradually reduce and the difference was remarkable （P 〈 0.05）. What is more, the soil carbon storage of alpine grassland under different land uses has following sequence： winter and spring grazing grassland 〉 summer and autumn mild grazing land 〉 artificial grassland 〉 summer and autumn moderate grazing meadowland 〉 summer and autumn severe grazing pasture 〉 fenced mowing meadow, and the significant difference between them is remarkable （P 〈 0.05）.

Response of Ecosystem Respiration to Experimental Warming and Clipping at Daily Time Scale in an Alpine Meadow of Tibet

The alpine meadow, as one of the typical vegetation types on the Tibetan Plateau, is one of the most sensitive terrestrial ecosystems to climate warming. However, how climate warming affects the carbon cycling of the alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau is not very dear. A field experiment under controlled experimental warming and clipping conditions was conducted in an alpine meadow on the Northern Tibetan Plateau since July 2008. Open top chambers （0TCs） were used to simulate climate warming. The main objective of this study was to examine the responses of ecosystem respiration （Reco） and its temperature sensitivity to experimental warming and clipping at daily time scale. Therefore, we measured Reco once or twice a month from July to September in 2010, from June to September in 2011 and from August to September in 2012. Air temperature dominated daily variation of Reco whether or not experimental warming and clipping were present. Air temperature was exponentially correlated with Reco and it could significantly explain 58-96% variation of Redo at daily time scale. Experimental warming and clipping decreased daily mean Reco by 5.8-37.7% and -11.9-23.0%, respectively, although not all these changes were significant. Experimental warming tended to decrease the temperature sensitivity of Reco, whereas clipping tended to increase the temperature sensitivity of Reco at daily time scale. Our findings suggest that Reco wasmainly controlled by air temperature and may acclimate to climate warming due to its lower temperature sensitivity under experimental warming at daily time scale.

Mapping the vegetation distribution of the permafrost zone on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

In this paper, an updated vegetation map of the permafrost zone in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau （QTP） was delineated. The vegetation map model was extracted from vegetation sampling with remote sensing （RS） datasets by decision tree method. The spatial resolution of the map is 1 km×1 kin, and in it the alpine swamp meadow is firstly distinguished in the high-altitude areas. The results showed that the total vegetated area in the permafrost zone of the QTP is 1,201,751 km2. In the vegetated region, 50,260 km2 is the areas of alpine swamp meadow, 583,909 km2 for alpine meadow, 332,754 km2 for alpine steppe, and 234,828 km2 for alpine desert. This updated vegetation map in permafrost zone of QTP could provide more details about the distribution of alpine vegetation types for studying the vegetation mechanisms in the land surface processes of highaltitude areas.

Soil Organic Carbon and Nutrients along an Alpine Grassland Transect across Northern Tibet

Soil carbon and nutrient contents and their importance in advancing our understanding of biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial ecosystem, has motivated ecologists to find their spatial patterns in various geographical area. Few studies have focused on changes in the physical and chemical properties of soils at high altitudes. Our aim was to identify the spatial distribution of soil physical and chemical properties in cold and arid climatic region. We also tried to explore relationship between soil organic carbon （SOC） and total nitrogen （TN）, total phosphorus （TP）, available nitrogen （AN）, available phosphorus （AP）, soil particle size distribution （PSD）. Samples were collected at 44 sites along a 300 km transect across the alpine grassland of northern Tibet. The study results showed that grassland type was the main factor influencing SOC, TN and TP distribution along the Gangdise Mountain-Shenzha-Shuanghu Transect. SOC, TN and TP contents were significantly higher in alpine meadow than alpine steppe ecosystems. SOC, TN, TP and AN contents in two soil layers （0-15 cm and 15-3o cm） showed no significant differences, while AP content in top soft （0-15 cm） was significantly higher than that in sub-top soil （15-30cm）. SOC content was correlated positively with TN and TP content （r = 0.901and 0.510, respectively）. No correlations were detected for clay content and fractal dimension of particle size distribution （D）. Our study results indicated the effects of vegetation on soil C, N and P seem to be more important than that of rocks itself along latitude gradient on the northern Tibetan Plateau. However, we did not found similar impacts of vegetation on soil properties in depth. Inaddition, this study also provided an interesting contribution to the global data pool on soil carbon stocks.

Effects of Permafrost Degradation on Soil Hydrological Processes in Alpine Steppe on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Permafrost degradation is prevalent on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.This may lead to changes in water and heat transition in soils and thus affect the structure and function of ecosystems.In this paper,using the measured data of alpine steppe in Wudaoliang assessed the model performance in simulating soil freezing and thawing processes.Comparison of the simulated results by simultaneous heat and water(SHAW) model to the measured data showed that SHAW model performed satisfactorily.Based on analyzing the simulated and predicted results,two points were obtained:(1) freezing and thawing of the active layer proceeded both from the soil surface downward.Compared with the freezing process,the thawing process was slower.The freezing period persisted in the surface layer(4 cm depth) for about 5 months;(2) in the next 50 years,frozen period would be shorten about 20 days in the top 100 cm depth while the thawing would start earlier 40 days than present.Soil water storage in the 0-60 cm would decrease by 22% averagely,especially from June to August when the vegetation is at the dominating water consumed stage.Therefore,this kind of permafrost degradation as active layer freezing and thawing processes changes will reduce soil water content and thus influence those ecosystems above it.

Response of Biomass Spatial Pattern of Alpine Vegetation to Climate Change in Permafrost Region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China

Alpine ecosystems in permafrost region are extremely sensitive to climate changes.To determine spatial pattern variations in alpine meadow and alpine steppe biomass dynamics in the permafrost region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China,calibrated with historical datasets of above-ground biomass production within the permafrost region's two main ecosystems,an ecosystem-biomass model was developed by employing empirical spatialdistribution models of the study region's precipitation,air temperature and soil temperature.This model was then successfully used to simulate the spatio-temporal variations in annual alpine ecosystem biomass production under climate change.For a 0.44°C decade-1 rise in air temperature,the model predicted that the biomasses of alpine meadow and alpine steppe remained roughly the same if annual precipitation increased by 8 mm per decade-1,but the biomasses were decreased by 2.7% and 2.4%,respectively if precipitation was constant.For a 2.2°C decade-1 rise in air temperature coupled with a 12 mm decade-1 rise in precipitation,the model predicted that the biomass of alpine meadow was unchanged or slightly increased,while that of alpine steppe was increased by 5.2%.However,in the absence of any rise in precipitation,the model predicted 6.8% and 4.6% declines in alpine meadow and alpine steppe biomasses,respectively.The response of alpine steppe biomass to the rising air temperatures and precipitation was significantly lesser and greater,respectively than that of alpine meadow biomass.A better understanding of the difference in alpine ecosystem biomass production under climate change is greatly significant with respect to the influence of climate change on the carbon and water cycles in the permafrost regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Species-area relationship within and across functional groups at alpine grasslands on the northern Tibetan Plateau,China

The species-area relationship （SAR） is one of the most fundamental concepts in community ecology and is helpful for biodiversity conservation. However, few studies have systematically addressed this topic for different alpine grassland types on the Tibetan Plateau, China. We explored whether the plant composition of different functional groups affects the manner in which species richness inereases with increasing area at scales ≤ 1.0 m^2. We also compared species richness （S） within and across forbs, legumes, sedges and grasses, with sampling subplot area （A） increasing from 0.0625 m^2 to 1.0 m^2 between alpine meadow and steppe communities. We applied a logarithmic function （S = b0 ＋ b1 ln A） to determine the slope and intercept of SAR curves within and across functional groups. The results showed that the logarithmic relationship holds true between species richness and sampling area at these small scales. Both the intercept and slope of the logarithmic forbs-area curves are significantly higher than those for the three other functional groups （P 〈 0.05）. Forb accounts for about 91.9 % of the variation in the intercept and 75.0% of the variation in the slope of the SAR curve when all functional groups＇ data were pooled together. Our results indicated that the different SAR patterns should be linked with species dispersal capabilities, environmental filtering, and life form composition within alpine grassland communities. Further studies on the relationship between species diversity and ecosystem functions should specify the differential responses of different functional groups to variations in climate and anthropogenic disturbances.

Mechanism of plant-soil feedback in a degraded alpine grassland on the Tibetan Plateau

Although biotic and abiotic factors have been confirmed to be critical factors that affect community dynamics,their interactive effects have yet to be fully considered in grassland degradation.Herein,we tested how soil nutrients and microbes regulated plant-soil feedback(PSF)in a degraded alpine grassland.Our results indicated that soil total carbon(STC;from 17.66 to 12.55 g/kg)and total nitrogen(STN;from 3.16 to 2.74 g/kg)exhibited significant(P<0.05)decrease from non-degraded(ND)to severely degraded(SD).Despite higher nutrients in ND soil generating significantly(P<0.05)positive PSF(0.52)on monocots growth when the soil was sterilized,a high proportion of pathogens(36%)in ND non-sterilized soil resulted in a strong negative PSF on monocots.In contrast,the higher phenotypic plasticity of dicots coupled with a higher abundance of mutualists and saprophytes(70%)strongly promoted their survival and growth in SD with infertile soil.Our findings identified a novel mechanism that there was a functional group shift from monocots with higher vulnerability to soil pathogens in the ND fertile soil to dicots with higher dependence on nutritional mutualists in the degraded infertile soil.The emerging irreversible eco-evolutionary in PSF after degradation might cause a predicament for the restoration of degraded grassland.

Species Richness and Diversity of Alpine Grasslands on the Northern Tibetan Plateau:Effects of Grazing Exclusion and Growing Season Precipitation

Species richness and diversity indices （Shannon-Wiener index, Simpson dominance index and Pielou evenness index） in alpine grassland ecosystems （alpine meadow, alpine steppe and desert steppe） under grazing-excluded and freely grazed sites were investigated along the Northern Tibetan Plateau Alpine Grassland Transect during summer 2009 and 2010. We found that species richness and diversity have not been significantly altered by short-term grazing exclusion since 2006 at vegetation and regional scales. Species richness and diversity were mainly driven by growing season precipitation （GSP）, which accounted for over 87 % of the total variation observed, Species richness and diversity at grazing- excluded and freely grazed sites appear to respond to growing season precipitation in parallel. Species richness exponentially increased with GSP while diversity indices showed positively linear relationships with GSP. This indicates that GSP on the Northern Tibetan Plateau is crucial in regulating species richness and diversity and should be taken into account in future studies on alpine grassland conservation.

Climatic and Edaphic Controls on Soil pH in Alpine Grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau,China:A Quantitative Analysis

Soil acidity is an important parameter that can regulate ecosystem structure and function.However,a quantitative understanding of the relationships between soil pH and environmental factors remains unavailable.In this study,relationships of soil pH with both climatic and edaphic factors in alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau,China were quantified using data obtained from a regional soil survey during 2001-2004.Our results showed that soil pH decreased along the gradient of both mean annual temperature and precipitation.Likewise,soil pH exhibited consistent negative correlations with soil moisture and silt content.However,soil organic and inorganic carbon contents played opposite roles in shaping patterns of soil pH:the accumulation of soil organic matter led to higher soil acidity,while the existence of soil inorganic matter was favorable for maintaining higher soil alkalinity.The variation partitioning analysis indicated that the combination of climatic and edaphic variables explained 74.3%of the variation in soil acidity.These results suggest that soil pH could be predicted from routinely-measured variables,allowing a robust pedotransfer function to be developed.The pedotransfer function may facilitate land surface models to generate more reliable predictions on ecosystem structure and function around the world.