Encroachment drives facilitation at alpine shrublines

Ongoing encroachment is driving recent alpine shrubline dynamics globally,but the role of shrub-shrub interactions in shaping shrublines and their relationships with stem density changes remain poorly understood.Here,the size and age of shrubs from 26 Salix shrubline populations along a 900-km latitudinal gradient(30°-38°N)were measured and mapped across the eastern Tibetan Plateau.Point pattern analyses were used to quantify the spatial distribution patterns of juveniles and adults,and to assess spatial associations between them.Mean intensity of univariate and bivariate spatial patterns was related to biotic and abiotic variables.Bivariate mark correlation functions with a quantitative mark(shrub height,basal stem diameter,crown width)were also employed to investigate the spatial relationships between shrub traits of juveniles and adults.Structural equation models were used to explore the relationships among conspecific interactions,patterns,shrub traits and recruitment dynamics under climate change.Most shrublines showed clustered patterns,suggesting the existence of conspecific facilitation.Clustered patterns of juveniles and conspecific interactions(potentially facilitation)tended to intensify with increasing soil moisture stress.Summer warming before 2010 triggered positive effects on population interactions and spatial patterns via increased shrub recruitment.However,summer warming after2010 triggered negative effects on interactions through reduced shrub recruitment.Therefore,shrub recruitment shifts under rapid climate change could impact spatial patterns,alter conspecific interactions and modify the direction and degree of shrublines responses to climate.These changes would have profound implications for the stability of alpine woody ecosystems.

Persistence of fertilization effects on soil organic carbon in degraded alpine wetlands in the Yellow River source region

In the restoration of degraded wetlands,fertilization can improve the vegetation-soil-microorganisms complex,thereby affecting the organic carbon content.However,it is currently unclear whether these effects are sustainable.This study employed Biolog-Eco surveys to investigate the changes in vegetation characteristics,soil physicochemical properties,and soil microbial functional diversity in degraded alpine wetlands of the source region of the Yellow River at 3 and 15 months after the application of nitrogen,phosphorus,and organic mixed fertilizer.The following results were obtained:The addition of nitrogen fertilizer and organic compost significantly affects the soil organic carbon content in degraded wetlands.Three months after fertilization,nitrogen addition increases soil organic carbon in both lightly and severely degraded wetlands,whereas after 15 months,organic compost enhanced the soil organic carbon level in severely degraded wetlands.Structural equation modeling indicates that fertilization decreases the soil pH and directly or indirectly influences the soil organic carbon levels through variations in the soil water content and the aboveground biomass of vegetation.Three months after fertilization,nitrogen fertilizer showed a direct positive effect on soil organic carbon.However,organic mixed fertilizer indirectly reduced soil organic carbon by increasing biomass and decreasing soil moisture.After 15 months,none of the fertilizers significantly affected the soil organic carbon level.In summary,it can be inferred that the addition of nitrogen fertilizer lacks sustainability in positively influencing the organic carbon content.

Characterization of alpine meadow surface crack and its correlation with root-soil properties

Quantifying surface cracks in alpine meadows is a prerequisite and a key aspect in the study of grassland crack development.Crack characterization indices are crucial for the quantitative characterization of complex cracks,serving as vital factors in assessing the degree of cracking and the development morphology.So far,research on evaluating the degree of grassland degradation through crack characterization indices is rare,especially the quantitative analysis of the development of surface cracks in alpine meadows is relatively scarce.Therefore,based on the phenomenon of surface cracking during the degradation of alpine meadows in some regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,we selected the alpine meadow in the Huangcheng Mongolian Township,Menyuan Hui Autonomous County,Qinghai Province,China as the study area,used unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)sensing technology to acquire low-altitude images of alpine meadow surface cracks at different degrees of degradation(light,medium,and heavy degradation),and analyzed the representative metrics characterizing the degree of crack development by interpreting the crack length,length density,branch angle,and burrow(rat hole)distribution density and combining them with in situ crack width and depth measurements.Finally,the correlations between the crack characterization indices and the soil and root parameters of sample plots at different degrees of degradation in the study area were analyzed using the grey relation analysis.The results revealed that with the increase of degradation,the physical and chemical properties of soil and the mechanical properties of root-soil composite changed significantly,the vegetation coverage reduced,and the root system aggregated in the surface layer of alpine meadow.As the degree of degradation increased,the fracture morphology developed from"linear"to"dendritic",and eventually to a complex and irregular"polygonal"pattern.The crack length,width,depth,and length density were identified as the crack characterization indices via analysis of variance.The results of grey relation analysis also revealed that the crack length,width,depth,and length density were all highly correlated with root length density,and as the degradation of alpine meadows intensified,the underground biomass increased dramatically,forming a dense layer of grass felt,which has a significant impact on the formation and expansion of cracks.

Elevational patterns of warming effects on plant community and topsoil properties: focus on subalpine meadows ecosystem

Climate warming profoundly affects plant biodiversity, community productivity, and soil properties in alpine and subalpine grassland ecosystems. However, these effects are poorly understood across elevational gradients in subalpine meadow ecosystems. To reveal the elevational patterns of warming effects on plant biodiversity, community structure, productivity, and soil properties, we conducted a warming experiment using open-top chambers from August 2019 to August 2022 at high(2764 m a. s. l.), medium(2631 m a. s. l.), and low(2544 m a. s. l.) elevational gradients on a subalpine meadow slope of Mount Wutai, Northern China. Our results showed that three years of warming significantly increased topsoil temperature but significantly decreased topsoil moisture at all elevations(P<0.05), and the percentage of increasing temperature and decreasing moisture both gradually raised with elevation lifting. Warming-induced decreasing proportions of soil organic carbon(SOC, by 19.24%), and total nitrogen(TN, by 24.56%) were the greatest at high elevational gradients. Experimental warming did not affect topsoil C: N, p H, NO_(3)^(-)-N, or NH_(4)^(+)-N at the three elevational gradients. Warming significantly increased species richness(P<0.01) and Shannon-Weiner index(P<0.05) at low elevational gradients but significantly decreased belowground biomass(P<0.05) at a depth of 0–10 cm at three elevational gradients. Warming caused significant increases in the aboveground biomass in the three elevational plots. Warming significantly increased the aboveground biomass of graminoids in medium(by 92.47%) and low(by 98.25%) elevational gradients, that of sedges in high(by 72.44%) and medium(by 57.16%) elevational plots, and that of forbs in high(by 75.88%), medium(by 34.38%), and low(by 74.95%) elevational plots. Species richness had significant linear correlations with SOC, TN, and C: N(P<0.05), but significant nonlinear responses to soil temperature and soil moisture in the warmed treatment(P<0.05). The warmed aboveground biomass had a significant nonlinear response to soil temperature and significant linear responses to soil moisture(P<0.05). This study provided evidence that altitude is a factor in sensitivity to climate warming, and these different parameters(e.g., plant species richness, Shannon-Weiner index, soil temperature, soil moisture, SOC, and TN) can be used to measure this sensitivity.

Effect of soil archaea on N_(2)O emission in alpine permafrost

Soil microbial communities are pivotal in permafrost biogeochemical cycles,yet the variations of abundant and rare microbial taxa and their impacts on greenhouse gas emissions in different seasons,remain elusive,especially in the case of soil archaea.Here,we conducted a study on soil abundant and rare archaeal taxa during the growing and non-growing seasons in the active layer of alpine permafrost in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.The results suggested that,for the archaeal communities in the sub-layer,abundant taxa exhibited higher diversity,while rare taxa maintained a more stable composition from the growing to non-growing season.Water soluble organic carbon and soil porosity were the most significant environmental variables affecting the compositions of abundant and rare taxa,respectively.Stochastic and deterministic processes dominated the assemblies of rare and abundant taxa,respectively.The archaeal ecological network influenced N_(2)O flux through different modules.Rare taxa performed an essential role in stabilizing the network and exerting important effects on N_(2)O flux.Our study provides a pioneering and comprehensive investigation aimed at unravelling the mechanisms by which archaea or other microorganisms influence greenhouse gas emissions in the alpine permafrost.

Shear resistance characteristics and influencing factors of root-soil composite on an alpine metal mine dump slope with different recovery periods

Artificial vegetation restoration is the main measure for vegetation restoration and soil and water conservation in alpine mine dumps on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China.However,there are few reports on the dynamic changes and the influencing factors of the soil reinforcement effect of plant species after artificial vegetation restoration under different recovery periods.We selected dump areas of the Delni Copper Mine in Qinghai Province,China to study the relationship between the shear strength and the peak displacement of the root-soil composite on the slope during the recovery period,and the influence of the root traits and soil physical properties on the shear resistance characteristics of the root-soil composite via in situ direct shear tests.The results indicate that the shear strength and peak displacement of the rooted soil initially decreased and then increased with the increase of the recovery period.The shear strength of the rooted soil and the recovery period exhibited a quadratic function relationship.There is no significant function relationship between the peak displacement and the recovery period.Significant positive correlations(P<0.05)exists between the shear strength of the root-soil composite and the root biomass density,root volume density,and root area ratio,and they show significant linear correlations(P<0.05).There are no significant correlations(P>0.05)between the shear strength of the root-soil composite and the root length density,and the root volume ratio of the coarse roots to the fine roots.A significant negative linear correlation(P<0.05)exists between the peak displacement of the rooted soil and the coarse-grain content,but no significant correlations(P>0.05)with the root traits,other soil physical property indices(the moisture content and dry density of the soil),and slope gradient.The coarse-grain content is the main factor controlling the peak displacement of the rooted soil.

Effects of long-term grazing exclusion on vegetation structure,soil water holding capacity,carbon and nitrogen sequestration capacity in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau

Grazing exclusion is one of the primary management practices used to restore degraded grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau.However,to date,the effects of long-term grazing exclusion measures on the process of restoring degraded alpine meadows have not been evaluated.In this study,moderately degraded plots,in which the vegetation coverage was approximately 65%and the dominant plant species was Potentilla anserina L,with grazing exclusion for 2 to 23 years,were selected in alpine meadows of Haibei in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.Plant coverage,plant height,biomass,soil bulk density,saturated water content,soil organic carbon(SOC)and total nitrogen(TN)were evaluated.The results were as follows:(1)With aboveground biomass and total saturated water content at 0-40 cm depth,the average SOC and TN contents in moderately degraded alpine meadows increased as a power function,and the plant height increased as a log function.(2)The average soil bulk density at 0-40 cm depth first decreased and then increased with increasing grazing exclusion duration,and the minimum value of 0.90 g·cm^(-3) was reached at 15.23 years.The plant coverage,total belowground biomass at 0-40 cm depth,total aboveground and belowground biomass first increased and then decreased,their maximum values(80.49%,2452.92g·m^(-2),2891.06 g·m^(-2))were reached at 9.41,9.46 and 10.25 years,respectively.Long-term grazing exclusion is apparently harmful for the sustainable restoration of degraded alpine meadows.The optimal duration of grazing exclusion for the restoration of moderately degraded alpine meadows was 10 years.This research suggests that moderate disturbance should be allowed in moderately degraded alpine meadows after 10years of grazing exclusion.

Freeze-thaw process induced by increased precipitation affects root growth of alpine steppe on the Tibetan Plateau

The response of vegetation productivity to precipitation is becoming a worldwide concern.Most reports on responses of vegetation to precipitation trends are based on the growth season.In the soil freeze/thaw process,the soil water phase and heat transport change can affect root growth,especially during the thawing process in early spring.A field experiment with increased precipitation(control,increased 25%and increased 50%)was conducted to measure the effects of soil water in early spring on above-and below-ground productivity in an alpine steppe over two growing seasons from June 2017 to September 2018.The increased 50%treatment significantly increased the soil moisture at the 10 cm depth,there was no difference in soil moisture between the increased 25%treatment and the control in the growing season,which was not consistent in the freeze/thaw process.Increased soil moisture during the non-growing season retarded root growth.Increased precipitation in the freezing-thawing period can partially offset the difference between the control and increased precipitation plots in both above-and below-ground biomass.

The Characteristics and Controlling Factors of Water and Heat Exchanges over the Alpine Wetland in the East of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Alpine wetland is one of the typical underlying surfaces on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.It plays a crucial role in runoff regulation.Investigations on the mechanisms of water and heat exchanges are necessary to understand the land surface processes over the alpine wetland.This study explores the characteristics of hydro-meteorological factors with in situ observations and uses the Community Land Model 5 to identify the main factors controlling water and heat exchanges.Latent heat flux and thermal roughness length were found to be greater in the warm season(June–August)than in the cold season(December–February),with a frozen depth of 20–40 cm over the alpine wetland.The transfers of heat fluxes were mainly controlled by longwave radiation and air temperature and affected by root distribution.Air pressure and stomatal conductance were also important to latent heat flux,and soil solid water content was important to sensible heat flux.Soil temperature was dominated by longwave radiation and air temperature,with crucial surface parameters of initial soil liquid water content and total water content.The atmospheric control factors transitioned to precipitation and air temperature for soil moisture,especially at the shallow layer(5 cm).Meanwhile,the more influential surface parameters were root distribution and stomatal conductance in the warm season and initial soil liquid water content and total water content in the cold season.This work contributes to the research on the land surface processes over the alpine wetland and is helpful to wetland protection.

On-Site Assessment of a Cryogenic Disinfectant for the Alpine Environment and Outer Packaging of Frozen Items

Objective To study the effectiveness and feasibility of cryogenic disinfectants in different cold scenarios and analyze the key points of on-site cryogenic disinfection.Methods Qingdao and Suifenhe were selected as application sites for the manual or mechanical spraying of cryogenic disinfectants.The same amount of disinfectant(3,000 mg/L)was applied on cold chain food packaging,cold chain containers,transport vehicles,alpine environments,and article surfaces.The killing log value of the cryogenic disinfectant against the indicator microorganisms(Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli)was used to evaluate the on-site disinfection effect.Results When using 3,000 mg/L with an action time of 10 min on the ground in alpine regions,the surface of frozen items,cold-chain containers,and cold chain food packaging in supermarkets,all external surfaces were successfully disinfected,with a pass rate of 100%.The disinfection pass rates for cold chain food packaging and cold chain transport vehicles of centralized supervised warehouses and food processing enterprises were 12.5%(15/120),81.67%(49/60),and 93.33%(14/15),respectively;yet,the surfaces were not fully sprayed.Conclusion Cryogenic disinfectants are effective in disinfecting alpine environments and the outer packaging of frozen items.The application of cryogenic disinfectants should be regulated to ensure that they cover all surfaces of the disinfected object,thus ensuring effective cryogenic disinfection.

Ecological Restoration Technology and Carbon Reduction Paths of Abandoned Mines in Zoige Alpine Grassland Area

At first,the ecological restoration technology of abandoned mines is summarized,and the paths and models of mine ecological restoration in Zoige grassland area under the background of carbon neutrality are analyzed.Moreover,the problems and deficiencies in the current research on mine ecological restoration in Zoige grassland area are initially identified,and the future research trend is prospected to provide a reference for the path of carbon reduction by mine ecological restoration in Zoige grassland area and other alpine grassland areas in the future.

Alpine wetlands in the Lhasa River Basin, China

The Lhasa River Basin is one of the typical distribution regions of alpine wetlands on the Tibetan Plateau. It is very important to get a better understanding of the background and characteristics of alpine wetland for monitoring, protection and utilization. Wetland construction and distribution in the basin were analyzed based on multi-source data including field investigation data, CBERS remote sensing data and other thematic data provided by 3S technology. The results are （1） the total area of wetlands is 209,322.26 hm^2, accounting for 6.37% of the total land area of the basin. The wetlands are mainly dominated by natural wetland, with artificial wetland occupying only 1.09% of the wetland area; marsh wetland is the principal part of natural wetland, dominated by Kobresia littledalei swampy meadow which is distributed in the river source area and upstream of Chali, Damshung and Medro Gongkar counties. The ratio and type of wetlands in different counties differ significantly, which are widely distributed in Chali and Damshung counties （accounting for 62% of the total wetland area）. （2） The concentrated vertical distribution of wetlands is at an elevation of 3600-5100 m The wetlands are widely distributed throughout the Yarlung Zangbo River Valley from river source to river mouth into the Yarlung Zangbo River. Marsh wetland is dominant in the source area and upstream of the river, with the mosaic distribution of lakes, Kobresia litUedalei and Carex moorcroftii swampy meadow, shrubby swamp and river; as for the middle-down streams, the primary types are river wetland and flooded wetland. The distribution is in a mosaic pattern of river, Kobresia humilis and Carex moorcroftii swampy meadow, Phragmites australis and subordinate grass marsh, flooded wetland and artificial wetland.

Fluxes of methane,carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide in an alpine wetland and an alpine grassland of the Tianshan Mountains,China

Methane （OH4）, carbon dioxide （CO2） and nitrous oxide （N2O） are known to be major greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. To identify the flux dynamics of these greenhouse gases is, therefore, of great significance. In this paper, we conducted a comparative study on an alpine grassland and alpine wetland at the Bayinbuluk Grassland Eco-system Research Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences. By using opaque, static, manual stainless steel chambers and gas chromatography, we measured the fluxes of CH4, N2O and CO2 from the grassland and wetland through an in situ monitoring study from May 2010 to October 2012. The mean flux rates of CH4, N2O and CO2 for the experimental alpine wetland in the growing season （from May to October） were estimated at 322.4 μg/（m2.h）, 16.7 μg/（m2.h） and 76.7 mg/（m2.h）, respectively; and the values for the alpine grassland were -88.2 μg/（m2.h）, 12.7 μg/（m2.h）, 57.3 mg/（m2.h）, respectively. The gas fluxes showed large seasonal and annual variations, suggesting weak fluxes in the non-growing season. The relationships between these gas fluxes and environmental factors were analyzed for the two alpine ecosystems. The results showed that air temperature, precipitation, soil temperature and soil moisture can greatly influence the fluxes of CH4, N2O and CO2, but the alpine grassland and alpine wetland showed different feedback mechanisms under the same climate and environmental conditions.

Effects of different plantation types on soil properties after vegetation restoration in an alpine sandy land on the Tibetan Plateau, China

Large areas of Artemisia ordosica Krasch., Caragana korshinskii Kom., and Caragana intermedia Kuang and H. C. Fu plantations were established on moving sand dunes in the Gonghe Basin （northeastern Tibetan Plateau） for vegetation restoration. Elevating our understanding of the changes in soil characteristics after the establishment of different plantation types can be useful in the context of combating deserdfication. To assess the effects of these plantation types on the restoration of sandy land, we measured soil physical-chemical properties at four depths （0-5, 5-10, 10-20, and 20-50 cm） in each of the three plantation types and also in non-vegetated moving sand dunes （as control sites）. Generally, the establishment of A. ordosica, C korshinskii and C intermedia plantations on sand dunes has greatly ameliorated soil quality in the Gonghe Basin. Specifically, relative to the moving sand dunes, shrub plantation has increased the silt and clay contents, total porosity and water holding capacity, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and total potassium contents. The calculated soil quality index suggested that in the Gonghe Basin, C. intermedia is the best choice for soil amelioration. In all the three plantation types, soil amelioration mainly occurred in the shallow depths.

Distributional responses to climate change for alpine species of Cyananthus and Primula endemic to the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains

Global warming increases the vulnerability of plants, especially alpine herbaceous species, to local extinction. In this study, we collected species distribution information from herbarium specimens for ten selected Cyananthus and Primula alpine species endemic to the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains(HHM).Combined with climate data from WorldClim, we used Maximum Entropy Modeling(MaxEnt) to project distributional changes from the current time period to 2070. Our predictions indicate that, under a wide range of climate change scenarios, the distributions of all species will shift upward in elevation and northward in latitude; furthermore, under these scenarios, species will expand the size of their range. For the majority of the species in this study, habitats are available to mitigate upward and northward shifts that are projected to be induced by changing climate. If current climate projections, however, increase in magnitude or continue to increase past our projection dates, suitable habitat for future occupation by alpine species will be limited as we predict range contraction or less range expansion for some of the species under more intensified climate scenarios. Our study not only underscores the value of herbarium source information for future climate model projections but also suggests that future studies on the effects of climate change on alpine species should include additional biotic and abiotic factors to provide greater resolution of the local dynamics associated with species persistence under a warming climate.

C:N:P stoichiometry of perennial herbs’ organs in the alpine steppe of the northern Tibetan Plateau

The patterns of C:N:P stoichiometry across ecosystems are important in understanding biogeochemical processes. The stoichiometry of nutrients at the leaf and root level have been reported previously, but relationships of other plant organs, such as stems and the reproductive organs, remain unclear. We collected 228 samples of leaves, roots, stems and reproductive organs from 11 common plant species at 25 sites on the Tibetan Plateau to explore the relationships of C:N:P stoichiometry both within and across plant organs. The average C concentrations in the roots, leaves, stems and reproductive organs were 427.32, 410.51, 421.11 and 416.72 mg g-1, respectively. The shoot tissues(leaves, stems and reproductive organs) had significantly higher N and P concentrations than the roots. The N and P concentrations had a significant positive correlation within the same organ. The nutrient concentrations(N and P) and nutrient ratios(C:N, C:P and N:P) were significantly correlated across all pairwise organ combinations. Our data suggest that alpine perennial herbs share similar evolutionary histories and have constrained patterns of covariation for C concentrations, with differential patterns for N and P stoichiometry across organs. Our data also indicate that covarying sets of nutrient traits are consistent across environments and biogeographical regions and demonstrate convergent evolution in plant nutritional characteristics in extreme alpine environments.

Volume fractal dimension of soil particles and relationships with soil physical-chemical properties and plant species diversity in an alpine grassland under different disturbance degrees

Fractal geometry is an important method in soil science,and many studies have used fractal theory to examine soil properties and the relationships with other eco-environmental factors.However,there have been few studies examining soil particle volume fractal dimension in alpine grasslands.To study the volume fractal dimension of soil particles （D） and its relationships with soil salt,soil nutrient and plant species diversity,we conducted an experiment on an alpine grassland under different disturbance degrees：non-disturbance （N0）,light disturbance （L）,moderate disturbance （M） and heavy disturbance （H）.The results showed that （1） Ds varied from 2.573 to 2.635 among the different disturbance degrees and increased with increasing degrees of disturbance.（2） Shannon-Wiener diversity index,Pielou＇s evenness index and Margalef richness index reached their highest values at the M degree,indicating that moderate disturbance is beneficial to the increase of plant species diversity.（3） In the L and M degrees,there was a significant positive correlation between D and clay content and a significant negative correlation between D and soil organic matter （SOM）.In the H degree,D was significantly and positively correlated with total salt （TS）.The results suggested that to a certain extent,D can be used to characterize the uniformity of soil texture in addition to soil fertility characteristics.（4） For the L degree,there was a significant negative correlation between D and the Shannon-Wiener diversity index; while for the M degree,there was a significant negative correlation between D and Pielou＇s evenness index.

Effects of warming and clipping on plant and soil properties of an alpine meadow in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China

Climate warming and livestock grazing are known to have great influences on alpine ecosystems like those of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau （QTP） in China. However, it is lacking of studies on the effects of warming and grazing on plant and soil properties in these alpine ecosystems. In this study, we reported the related research from manipulative experiment in 2010-2012 in the QTP. The aim of this study was to investigate the individual and combined effects of warming and clipping on plant and soil properties in the alpine meadow ecosystem. Infrared radiators were used to simulate climate warming starting in July 2010, while clipping was performed once in Octo- ber 2011 to simulate the local livestock grazing. The experiment was designed as a randomized block consisting of five replications and four treatments： control （CK）, warming （W）, clipping （C） and warming＋clipping combination （WC）. The plant and soil properties were investigated in the growing season of the alpine meadow in 2012. The results showed that W and WC treatments significantly decreased relative humidity at 20-cm height above ground as well as significantly increases air temperature at the same height, surface temperature, and soil temperature at the depth of 0-30 cm. However, the C treatment did not significantly decrease soil moisture and soil temperature at the depth of 0-60 cm. Relative to CK, vegetation height and species number increased significantly in W and WC treatment, respectively, while vegetation aboveground biomass decreased significantly in C treatment in the early growing season. However, vegetation cover, species diversity, belowground biomass and soil properties at the depth of 0-30 cm did not differ significantly in W, C and WC treatments. Soil moisture increased at the depth of 40-100 cm in W and WC treatments, while belowground biomass, soil activated carbon, organic carbon and total nitrogen increased in the 30-50 cm soil layer in W, C and WC treatments. Although the initial responses of plant and soil properties to experimental warming and clipping were slow and weak, the drought induced by the down- ward shift of soil moisture in the upper soil layers may induce plant belowground biomass to transfer to the deeper soil layers. This movement would modify the distributions of soil activated carbon, organic carbon and total nitrogen However, long-term data collection is needed to further explain this interesting phenomenon.

Effects of litter quality and climate change along an elevational gradient on litter decomposition of subalpine forests, Eastern Tibetan Plateau, China

Temperature and freeze-thaw events are two key factors controlling litter decomposition in cold biomes.Predicted global warming and changes in freeze-thaw cycles therefore may directly or indirectly impact litter decomposition in those ecosystems. Here, we conducted a2-year-long litter decomposition experiment along an elevational gradient from 3000 to 3600 m to determine the potential effects of litter quality, climate warming and freeze-thaw on the mass losses of three litter types [dragon spruce（Picea asperata Mast.）, red birch（Betula albosinensis Burk.）, and minjiang fir（Abies faxoniana Rehd. et Wild）]. Marked differences in mass loss were observed among the litter types and sampling dates. Decay constant（k） values of red birch were significantly higher than those of the needle litters. However, mass losses between elevations did not differ significantly for any litter type.During the winter, lost mass contributed 18.3-28.8 % of the net loss rates of the first year. Statistical analysis showed that the relationships between mass loss and litter chemistry or their ratios varied with decomposition periods. Our results indicated that short-term field incubations could overestimate the k value of litter decomposition.Considerable mass was lost from subalpine forest litters during the wintertime. Potential future warming may not affect the litter decomposition in the subalpine forest ecosystems of eastern Tibetan Plateau.

Stability of alpine timberline ecotone on Taibai Mountain,China

Landscape boundaries are always indicated by the vegetation boundaries. As an ecotone between closed forest and treeline, alpine timberline may respond to global climate changes sensitively. The stability of timberline and treeline depend not only on climate change, but also on the interaction of both sides of the ecosystems. Three natural boundaries existing in the timberline transitional zone are recognized: (1) timberline (upper limit of closed forest zone); (2) treeline (upper limit of tree islands zone); (3) tree species line (upper limit of individual tree growth). Paleobotanical and sedimentary evidences suggest that there were several times of climate fluctuation during the Holocene period in this area. The timberline of Taibai Mountain must have moved for four times on the millennium scale. Being a stochastic oscillation boundary, treeline appears in a semi stable condition on the century scale. The tree species line is even more unstable, which appears in an unstable status on the decades scale. The comparison of the stability within several landscape boundaries, shed light on the sensibility of these communities to various perturbation and environmental heterogeneity, i.e., herb community is the most sensitive one, which is followed by shrubs, and forest is the most stable one. Trees and shrubs can adapt to rocky and poor soils. On the contrary, alpine herbs are able to adapt to wetter and cooler soils. Finally, under a scenario of a temperature of 1.5 4.5℃ increase, the present timberline will be relatively stable but treeline and tree species line will move upward.