The slope aspect is one of the most critical topographic factors in mountainous areas.Little is known,however,about the eff ect of the aspect on the ectomycorrhizal(ECM)fungal community.Additionally,we know very littl...The slope aspect is one of the most critical topographic factors in mountainous areas.Little is known,however,about the eff ect of the aspect on the ectomycorrhizal(ECM)fungal community.Additionally,we know very little about the composition of ECM fungal communities associated with Quercus variabilis,which is widely distributed in East Asia.In this study,we compared the richness,community composition,and exploration types of ECM fungi associated with Q.variabilis between predominantly south-and north-facing slopes in the Taihang Mountain,North China for the fi rst time.DNA was extracted from the root tips of Q.variabilis,and Illumina MiSeq sequencing was used to identify ECM fungi.In total,168 operational taxonomic units belonging to 28 genera were detected,and the ECM community was found to be dominated by Russula,Inocybe,Tomentella,Scleroderma,and Cortinarius.Compared with the north-facing slopes,the ECM communities on the south-facing slopes had higher diversity.The community composition and exploration types were directly aff ected by the slope aspect.Also,the aspect-induced edaphic variables,such as total phosphorus,total nitrogen,total potassium,pH,and soil water content,were important sources of variation in ECM fungal richness and distributions of exploration types.Diff erent genera tended to be distributed in various slope aspects.Cenococcum,Genea,and Clavulina were signifi cantly enriched in north-facing slopes,while Geopora,Helvelosebacina,Scleroderma,Gyroporus,Astraeus,Boletus,Tricholoma,Hebeloma,Cortinarius and unclassifi ed Thelephoraceae were more abundant in south-facing slopes.Hydrophobic ECM fungi were obviously enriched in the south-facing slope,but there was no statistical diff erence between hydrophilic among the south-and north-facing slopes.Our study deepened our knowledge of the aspect-driven variation in ECM fungal communities associated with Q.variabilis.展开更多
On farm bio-resource recycling has been given greater emphasis with the introduction of conservation agriculture specifically withclimate change scenarios in the mid-hills of the north-west Himalaya region（NWHR）. Un...On farm bio-resource recycling has been given greater emphasis with the introduction of conservation agriculture specifically withclimate change scenarios in the mid-hills of the north-west Himalaya region（NWHR）. Under this changing scenario, elevation, slope aspect and integrated nutrient management（INM） may affect significantly soil quality and crop productivity. A study was conducted during 2009-2010 to 2010-2011 at the Ashti watershed of NWHR in a rainfed condition to examine the influence of elevation, slope aspect and integrated nutrient management（INM） on soil resource and crop productivity. Two years of farm demonstration trials indicated that crop productivity and soil quality is significantly affected by elevation, slope aspect and INM. Results showed that wheat equivalent yield（WEY） of improved technology increased crop productivity by -20%-37% compared to the conventional system. Intercropping of maize with cowpea and soybean enhanced yield by another 8%-17%. North aspect and higher elevation increased crop productivity by 15%-25% compared to south aspect and low elevation（except paddy）. Intercropping of maize with cowpea and soybean enhanced yield by another 8%-15%. Irrespective of slope, elevation and cropping system, the WEY increased by -30% in this region due to INMtechnology. The influence of elevation, slope aspect and INM significantly affected soil resources（SQI） and soil carbon change（SCC）. SCC is significantly correlated with SQI for conventional（R2 = 0.65＊）, INM technology（R2 = 0.81＊） and for both technologies（R2 = 0.73＊）. It is recommended that at higher elevation.（except for paddy soils） with a north facing slope, INM is recommended for higher crop productivity; conservation of soil resources is recommended for the mid hills of NWHR; and single values of SCC are appropriate as a SQI for this region.展开更多
[Objective] The aim was to study the effect of site factor on plant community characteristic in closed watershed in loess hilly and gully region.[Method] Based on the investigation of vegetation in the closed watershe...[Objective] The aim was to study the effect of site factor on plant community characteristic in closed watershed in loess hilly and gully region.[Method] Based on the investigation of vegetation in the closed watershed of Wuqi County in Shaanxi Province,the difference of plant community characteristic and species diversity under various site types was researched in our paper.[Result] In the investigation area,xerophytic herb was the main community,with sole species composition and simple community structure.Zonal vegetations were Artemisia sacrorum and Artemisia giraldii community;for plant diversity,the order of diversity index was ridge topgully bottomridge slopegully slope in various landform positions and semi-shady slopeshady slopesemi-sunny slopesunny slope in various slope aspects;with the increase of gradient,the diversity index of sunny slope changed with ＂S＂ type,and it reached maximum value at 37°.[Conclusion] Our study could provide theoretical foundation for vegetative restoration in loess hilly and gully region.展开更多
The source region of the Yellow River is located in the middle east of the Tibetan Plateau in northwest China. The total area is about 51,700 km^2, mainly covered by grassland （79%）, unused land （16%） and water ...The source region of the Yellow River is located in the middle east of the Tibetan Plateau in northwest China. The total area is about 51,700 km^2, mainly covered by grassland （79%）, unused land （16%） and water （4%）. The increasing land utilization in this area has increased the risk of environmental degradation. The land use/cover data （1985 and 2000） provided by the Data Center of Resources and Environment in the Chinese Academy of Sciences were used to analyze the land cover change in the source region of the Yellow River. DEM （1：250,000） data, roads and settlement data were used to analyze the spatial characteristics of grasslands degradation. The ArcGIS 9 software was used to convert data types and do the overlay, reclassification and zonal statistic analysis. Results show that grassland degradation is the most important land cover change in the study area, which occupied 8.24% of the region＇s total area. Human activities are the main causes of the grassland degradation in the source region of the Yellow River： 1） the degradation rate is higher on the sunny slope than on the shady slope; 2） the grassland degradation rate decreases with an increase in the elevation, and it has a correlation coefficient of -0.93; 3） the nearer to the settlements the grassland is, the higher the degradation rate. Especially within a distance range of 12 km to the settlements, the grassland degradation rate is highly related with the distance, with a coefficient of -0.99; and 4） in the range of 4 km, the degradation rate decreases with the increase of distance to the roads, with a correlation coefficient of -0.98. Besides some physical factors, human activities have been the most important driving forces of the grassland degradation in the source region of the Yellow River since 1985. To resolve the degradation problems, population control is essential, and therefore, it can reduce the social demand of livestock products from the grassland. To achieve sustainable development, it needs to improve the management of grassland ecosystem.展开更多
The earliest stages of plant succession on severely disturbed sites usually follow highly unpredictable trajectories. However, in the Popocatépetl volcano area(50 km SE of Mexico City),the development of physiogn...The earliest stages of plant succession on severely disturbed sites usually follow highly unpredictable trajectories. However, in the Popocatépetl volcano area(50 km SE of Mexico City),the development of physiognomically distinct primary plant communities suggests the occurrence of various successional trajectories only 10 years after the onset of colonization of a temperate forest on lahars. To characterize plant communities and determine the environmental factors that drive the differences observed between plant communities and their successional trajectories, we monitored 64 circular sample plots(3.14 m2) from 2002 to 2011. We examined the plant communities' composition and structure in terms of their species richness and abundance, plant cover, and maximum stem height,and recorded 13 environmental factors related to the volcanic deposit characteristics, microclimate, soil,flow dynamics and gravitational processes. A cluster analysis of the species abundance data showed that,by 2011, six plant community types(CT's) had established, including grasslands, and open, dense and very dense shrub lands. As these communities developed over the same period of time and within the same overall ecosystem, then these plant community types were interpreted as different stages of the same successional trajectory. Two sequential main stages that drive regeneration were identified from this successional trajectory: a) the first four years are characterized by a steady increase in species richness and physiognomic development(plant size and coverage), mostly dominated by Baccharis conferta, Eupatorium glabratum and Senecio barbajohannis; b) from the sixth year onwards, a continued increase in the abundance of those same species led to the development of the dense shrubland communities.Differences in the availability of soil resources and disturbances linked to recent lahar flows were the main factors accounting for such differences.展开更多
In Hebei Province of North China, forest was recovered with natural recruitment in plantations with large area of clear-cutting Chinese pine（Pinus tabuliformis）. This study was aimed to demonstrate the dynamic chara...In Hebei Province of North China, forest was recovered with natural recruitment in plantations with large area of clear-cutting Chinese pine（Pinus tabuliformis）. This study was aimed to demonstrate the dynamic characteristics of recruits during the natural recruitment. Both plot survey and the spatial point-pattern analysis were performed. Five developmental stages of natural recruitment were selected and studied, including 1 year before and 2, 5, 8, and 11 years after clear-cutting. Different slope aspects were also included. Natural recruitment was always dominated by Chinese pine with a proportion of higher than 90%. For plots of 1 year before clear-cutting on east-and north-facing slopes, recruit densities were 7886 and 5036 stems/hm2, the average heights were 0.78（±0.85） and 1.06（±1.15） m, and the average diameters at breast height（DBH） were 3.21（±1.38） and 2.91（±1.38） cm, respectively. After clear-cutting, recruit density was initially increased, then it was gradually declined with time; however, the variation of average DBH was contrary to that of recruit density. Both of them were no longer varied between 8 and 11 years after clear-cutting. The average height of recruits continued to increase after clear-cutting. For the plots of 11 years after clear-cutting on east-and north-facing slopes, average heights of recruits reached 2.00（±1.14） and 2.24（±1.20） m, respectively. The statuses of recruits on north-facing slopes were better than those on east-facing slopes after clear-cutting. Meanwhile, recruits on east-facing slopes were always aggregated at small scales, while spatial pattern of recruits varied with time on north-facing slopes. Moreover, forest was recovered more quickly by natural recruitment than by artificial afforestation after clear-cutting. The structural diversity was higher in naturally regenerated forests than in plantations of the same age. Our results demonstrated that clear-cutting of Chinese pine plantations recovered by natural recruitment has the potential to be an effective approach for establishing multifunctional forest.展开更多
Terracing is a widely adopted agricultural practice in mountainous regions around the world that aims to conserve soil and water resources.Soil nutrients play a crucial role in determining soil quality,particularly in...Terracing is a widely adopted agricultural practice in mountainous regions around the world that aims to conserve soil and water resources.Soil nutrients play a crucial role in determining soil quality,particularly in landscapes prone to drought.They are influenced by factors such as land-use type,slope aspect,and altitude.In this study,we sought to examine the impact of terracing on soil nutrients(soil organic content(SOC),total nitrogen(TN),nitrate-nitrogen(NO_(3)^(-)-N),ammonium nitrogen(NH_(4)^(+)-N),total phosphorus(TP),available phosphorus(AP),total potassium(TK),and available potassium(AK))and how they vary with environmental factors in the Chinese Loess Plateau.During the growing season,we collected 540 soil samples from the 0 to 100 cm soil layer across five major land-use types,different slope aspects,and varying altitudes.Additionally,a meta-analysis of literature data further corroborated the effective accumulation of soil nutrients through terracing in the Loess Plateau.Our findings are as follows:(1)Terraced fields,regardless of land-use type,showed a significant improvement in SOC and TN content.(2)Soil nutrient contents within terraced fields were predominantly higher on sunny slopes.(3)Terraces at lower altitudes are characterized by elevated SOC concentrations.(4)A meta-analysis of literature data pertaining to terracing and soil nutrients in this region confirmed the effective accumulation of soil nutri-ents through terracing.The elucidated outcomes of this study offer a profound theoretical underpinning for the accurate planning and management of terraces,the scientific utilization of land resources,and the enhancement of land productivity.展开更多
The aim of this study was to better understand the mechanisms of regional climate variation in mountain ranges with contrasting aspects as mediated by changes in global climate. It may help predict trends of vegetatio...The aim of this study was to better understand the mechanisms of regional climate variation in mountain ranges with contrasting aspects as mediated by changes in global climate. It may help predict trends of vegetation variations in native ecosystems in natural reserves. As measures of climate response, temperature and precipitation data from the north, east, and south-facing mountain ranges of Shennongjia Massif in the coldest and hottest months(January and July), different seasons(spring, summer, autumn, and winter) and each year were analyzed from a long-term dataset(1960 to 2003) to tested variations characteristics, temporal and spatial quantitative relationships of climates. The results showed that the average seasonal temperatures and precipitation in the north, east, and south aspects of the mountain ranges changed at different rates. The average seasonal temperatures change rate ranges in the north, east, and south-facing mountain ranges were from –0.0210℃/yr to 0.0143℃/yr, –0.0166℃/yr to 0.0311℃/yr, and –0.0290 ℃/yr to 0.0084℃/yr, respectively, and seasonal precipitation variation magnitude were from –1.4940 mm/yr to 0.6217 mm/yr, –1.6833 mm/yr to 2.6182 mm/yr, and –0.8567 mm/yr to 1.4077 mm/yr, respectively. The climates variation trend among the three mountain ranges were different in magnitude and direction, showing a complicated change of the climates in mountain ranges and some inconsistency with general trends in global climate change. The climate variations were significantly different and positively correlated cross mountain ranges, revealing that aspects significantly affected on climate variations and these variations resulted from a larger air circulation system, which were sensitive to global climate change. We conclude that location and terrain of aspect are the main factors affecting differences in climate variation among the mountain ranges with contrasting aspects.展开更多
In forest ecosystems, gap formation changes the allocation of abiotic resources and thus affects the survival and growth of understory plants. However, how tree seedling survival and growth respond to low-temperature ...In forest ecosystems, gap formation changes the allocation of abiotic resources and thus affects the survival and growth of understory plants. However, how tree seedling survival and growth respond to low-temperature events and the influencing mechanisms remain unclear. To clarify how low-temperature event limits the survival and growth of tree seedlings in the montane regions of eastern Liaoning Province, northeast China, we investigated temperature and light intensity within secondary forest gaps, and the survival and growth of Juglans mandshurica seedlings after a low-temperature event in the spring of 2014. Damage to seedlings due to low temperature sig- nificantly varied in different aspects. Seedlings in gaps on southeast-facing slopes were the most seriously damaged, followed by those in gaps on northeast-facing slopes. In contrast, seedlings in west-facing gaps and in control plots without slope aspect were not damaged. The freezing injury index for seedlings was negatively correlated with minimum temperature （r = - 0.608, P 〈 0.01）, but it was positively correlated with light intensity （r= 0.818, P 〈 0.01）. In addition, height and root collar diameter of damaged seedlings were significantly lower than those of the undamaged seedlings （P 〈 0.01） during the early growing season （April-July）, but no significant difference were observed during the late growing season （July-Oc- tober） （P 〉 0.05）. The extent of seedling damage was directly related to slope aspect. Low temperature and high light intensity were found to be the dominant factors affecting extent of damage to seedlings on southeast- and northeast-facing slopes.展开更多
A study has been carried out in part of Chenab basin,Himalaya to understand the relationship between glacio-morphological factors and change in glacial area. Initially change in areal extent of glaciers was derived fo...A study has been carried out in part of Chenab basin,Himalaya to understand the relationship between glacio-morphological factors and change in glacial area. Initially change in areal extent of glaciers was derived for two time frames(1962-2001/02 and 2001/02-2010/11). The study comprised of 324 glaciers for the monitoring period of 1962-2001/02 for,which 11% loss in glacial area was observed. Two hundred and thirty-eight glaciers were further monitored between 2001/02 and 2010/11. These glaciers showed an area loss of 1.1%. The annual deglaciation has been found to be higher during the period of 1962-2001/02 compared to 2001/02-2010/11. The spatial and temporal variability in deglaciation was also addressed usingglacio-morphic parameters. Area,length,percentage of debris cover,and various elevation parameters of glaciers were observed to have significant controls on relationships to the rate of glacial shrinkage. Largerarea and longer glaciers show a lower percentage of retreat than smaller and shorter ones. Moreover,glaciers located at lower altitudes and having gentle slopes show more area retreat. The results of area retreat in debris covered and debris free glaciers supports that the glaciers covered by debris retard ice melting at some extent. 158 glaciers were observed having no debris cover,and these exhibit 14% of loss in surface area. In glaciers having 40% debris cover,8% of deglaciation was observed. The glaciers located below equilibrium line altitude(ELA) have experienced 4.6% of deglaciation for the time frame 2001/02 – 2010/11 whereas it was found to be 1.1% for the glaciers occurring above ELA. However,theorientation of glaciers did not show any considerable influence on glacial change based on hypothesis.展开更多
Gradient slope, aspect slope, profiling and contourlines are important topographic parameters that can be derived from digital elevation data obtained from different sources with exploitation of different interpolatio...Gradient slope, aspect slope, profiling and contourlines are important topographic parameters that can be derived from digital elevation data obtained from different sources with exploitation of different interpolation techniques. Geostatistical interpolation methods such as ordinary kriging models constitute reliable alternatives to deterministic approaches in creation of continuous surface models from discrete elevation data. This research aimed at extraction, analysis, and evaluation of different terrain parameters elevation measurements with the use of different ordinary kriging models including the linear model, the circular model, the spherical model, the exponential models, and the Gaussian model. Different ordinary kriging models under ESRI ArcView 3.3 package along with its 3D analyst and Spatial analysis extensions have been exploited in extraction of gradient slope maps, aspect slope maps, and hillshade maps in addition to contourline maps from a sample of elevation data. Visual analysis of the gradient slope maps shows great similarities between the slope maps from the linear, circular, spherical, and exponential OK models, however, that from OK Gaussian models look very different as different sizes and arrangements of the colour patches, referring to different tones and different textures where smooth tones and smooth textures dominate the gradient slope map from the OK Gaussian model. Thus, gradient slope degradation and smoothing are considerably high in the gradient slope map from Gaussian model compared to the slope maps from the other four OK models. Also, the mean slope in the Gaussian model records the lowest value with the lowest value of the standard deviation of slopes in the same map reflecting less structured and highly smoothed gradient slope map compared to the slope maps from the other OK models. Thus, similar sizes of the colour patches and similar tones and similar texture dominate the different aspect slope maps. This is not the case in Figure 2(e) which depicts the aspect slope map extracted with the use of the Gaussian OK model where the smooth colour patches, smooth tones and smooth textures can be observed. Also, the Aspect map, hillshade map and the contourline map from Gaussian OK model are visually and statistically different from their corresponding maps created with the other four OK models. Finally, analysis of extracted two groups of profiles shows that the profiles extracted with the use of linear, circular, spherical, and exponential OK models run close and show highly corrugated and varied terrain. This is different from the profiles with the use of the Gaussian model which are less corrugated and tend to smooth and approximate different parts of the terrains.展开更多
In the mountainous permafrost area,most thaw slumps are distributed in north or northeast-facing shady slope areas.It is commonly known that there is a heterogeneity in permafrost between diferent slope aspects,but th...In the mountainous permafrost area,most thaw slumps are distributed in north or northeast-facing shady slope areas.It is commonly known that there is a heterogeneity in permafrost between diferent slope aspects,but there has been a lack of detailed measured data to quantitatively evaluate their relationships,and in-depth understandings on how the slope aspects are linked to the distribution of thaw slumps.This study examined the heterogenous thermal regime,soil moisture content,and surface radiation at two slope sites with opposing aspects in a warming permafrost region on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP).The results indicate that similar air temperatures(T_(a))were monitored on the two slopes,but there were signifcant diferences in ground temperature and moisture content in the active layer from 2016 to 2021.The sunny slope exhibited a higher mean annual ground surface temperature(T_(s)),and over the fve years the mean annual temperature at the top of permafrost was 1.3–1.4℃warmer on the sunny slope than the shady slope.On the contrary,the near-surface soil moisture content was about 10–13%lower on the sunny slope(~22–27%)than the shady slope(~35–38%)during the thawing season(June–September).Radiation data indicate that signifcantly higher shortwave downward radiation(DR)appeared at the sunny slope site.However,due to the greater surface albedo,the net radiation(Rn)was lower on the sunny slope.Slope aspect also afects the ground ice content due to its infuence on ground temperature,freeze-thaw cycles,and soil moisture.Shady slopes have a shallower burial of ice-rich permafrost compared to sunny slopes.The results highlight greatly diferent near-surface ground thermal conditions at the two slope sites with diferent aspects in a mountainous permafrost region.This helps identify the slope-related causes of increasing thaw slumps and provides a basis for predicting their future development.展开更多
Aims Species composition and diversity of the mountainous rangelands are results of interactions between environmental severities,het-erogeneous topography and facilitative effects by nurse plants.This research was ai...Aims Species composition and diversity of the mountainous rangelands are results of interactions between environmental severities,het-erogeneous topography and facilitative effects by nurse plants.This research was aimed to compare relative effects of these three envi-ronmental variables on the natural vegetation of a mountainous rangeland.For a more detailed understanding,effects of four dif-ferent nurse species were separately compared on the various plant growth forms and on two community plant responses(diversity and abundance).Methods A mountainous semiarid rangeland was selected in Baharkish,Quchan,Northeast of Iran.Density and canopy cover of all plant species were recorded under the canopy of four different shrubs and in open areas,in north and south-facing aspects,and in a normal and a drought year.Shannon diversity,total abundance(%cover)and the abundance of different growth forms were used as crite-ria for assessing effects of the environmental variables.Data were arranged in a factorial combination and analyzed by three-way analysis of variance using a GLM analysis.Important Findings(i)Drought,aspect and canopy created niche differentiation:annual forbs and shrubs were more affected by drought,whereas geophytes and grasses were more responsive to slope aspects.Effects of drought and slope aspect were more profound on species diversity,whereas that of canopy facilitation was stronger on plant abundance.(ii)Canopy facili-tation was dependent on severity of the abiotic factors and life history of interacting species.Canopy facilitation allowed for the persistence of only annual forbs,but it was disadvantaged during the drought year.Plant community responses to abiotic factors(slope and drought)were more dependent on the plant growth form,while responses to canopy facilitation were more dependent on the morphology and/or ecology of nurse shrubs.(iii)Effect of shrubs was dependent on their morphology and ecology:shrubs with larger canopy area and nitrogen fixation capa-bility increased,but those with allelopathic effects or a dense canopy structure decreased the diversity of the understory species.展开更多
The upward shift of the alpine treeline driven by global climate change has been extensively observed across many mountain ecosystems worldwide.However,variations in belowground microbial communities in the treeline e...The upward shift of the alpine treeline driven by global climate change has been extensively observed across many mountain ecosystems worldwide.However,variations in belowground microbial communities in the treeline ecotone,as well as the influence of microtopographic factors(e.g.,slope aspect)on these changes,remain unclear.Here,we collected soil samples from different aspects above or below the treeline and analyzed the microbial communities using high-throughput sequencing.Our study revealed distinct community characteristics,co-occurrence patterns,and assembly processes between bacterial and fungal communities.Especially,homogeneous selection and dispersal limitation played dominant roles in shaping bacterial and fungal communities,respectively.Keystone bacteria were more critical for maintaining network stability above the treeline,while fungi were the keystone taxa for network stability below the treeline.We also found that oligotrophic species such as Acidobacteriota,Chloroflexi,Verrucomicrobiota,and Ascomycota were predominantly enriched above the treeline,whereas copiotrophic species like Proteobacteria,Gemmatimonadota,Actinobacteriota,and Firmicutes were more abundant below the treeline.Our results uncovered that microbial communities responded greatly to treeline shift than slope aspect,and also imply that the upward shift of the alpine treeline may increase the stochasticity of microbial communities.These findings facilitate our understanding of how microbial communities in the treeline transition zones of alpine ecosystems respond to global warming and their potential effects on soil carbon dynamics.展开更多
Spatial processes and environmental control are the two distinct,yet not mutually exclusive forces of community structuring,but the relative importance of these factors is controversial due to the speciesspecific disp...Spatial processes and environmental control are the two distinct,yet not mutually exclusive forces of community structuring,but the relative importance of these factors is controversial due to the speciesspecific dispersal ability,sensitivity towards environmental variables,organism’s abundance and the effect of spatial scale.In the present paper,we explored spatial versus environmental control in shaping community composition(i.e.b-diversity)and species turnover(i.e.change of b-diversity)at an alpine meadow along a slope aspect gradient on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau at different spatial scales of sampling(quadrats and plots),by taking account of seed dispersal mode and abundance.Methods We examined the relative importance of spatial processes and environmental factors using all species and four additional subsets of selected species.Moreover,we attempted to explore the effect of scale(quadrat refers to scale of;0.3 m and plot of;8 m)on their counter balance.The data were analyzed both by variation partitioning and multiple regressions on distance matrices.The spatial structure was modelled using Moran’s eigenvector maps(MEM).Important Findings Both spatial processes and environmental factors were important determinants of the community composition and species turnover.The community composition in the alpine meadow was controlled by spatially structured environment(17.6%),space independent of environment(18.0%)and a negligible effect of environment independent of space(4.4%)at the scale of quadrats.These three components contributed 21.8,9.9 and 13.9%,respectively,at the scale of plots.The balance between the forces at different spatial scales drove community structures along the slope aspect gradient.The importance of environmental factors on b-diversity at alpine meadow increased with scale while that of spatial processes decreased or kept steady,depending on dispersal mode and abundance of species comprising the subset.But the‘pure’effect of spatial processes on species turnover increased with scale while that of environmental factors decreased.This discrepancy highlights that b-diversity and species turnover were determined jointly by spatial processes and environmental factors.We also found that the relative roles of these processes vary with spatial scale.These results underline the importance of considering species-specific dispersal ability and abundance of species comprising the communities and the appropriate spatial scale in understanding the mechanisms of community assembly.展开更多
Aims We investigated the treeline dynamics of two environmentally con-trasting areas in the Nepalese Himalaya to address the following questions:(i)Does the timing of establishment of the current tree-line differ betw...Aims We investigated the treeline dynamics of two environmentally con-trasting areas in the Nepalese Himalaya to address the following questions:(i)Does the timing of establishment of the current tree-line differ between the two study areas,and can area-specific tree-line developments be identified?(ii)Do recruitment patterns and height growth indicate recent climate-driven treeline advance,fol-lowing the general prediction for the central Himalayan region,in the two study areas?Methods a dry-climate treeline dominated by Pinus wallichiana and a mesic-climate treeline with Abies spectabilis were selected for study.In each area,we sampled the size and age structure of the study spe-cies along three elevational transects(20-m wide)from the forest line to the tree species line crossing the treeline.We also sampled treeline trees from within and outside transects to reconstruct past treeline establishment dynamics.Important Findings Despite differences in moisture regimes,tree species and recent climate trends,our two study areas showed very similar treeline dynamics over the past six decades.In both areas,the recruitment of treeline trees indicates stationary treelines over the past six decades with the current treelines being dominated by trees that were established around 1990.the mesic area has experienced an overall climatic warming trend,and the stationary Abies treeline is hypothesized to be regulated by non-climatic factors,notably grazing.the dry area has not experienced warming but increased climatic variability and some very cool summers in the recent dec-ades may explain the stationary to weakly receding Pinus treeline,which appears more climatically controlled with decreased recruit-ment over the past decades and decreased growth towards higher elevations.In both areas,there is a potential for treeline advance,depending on future land use and climate change.our results highlight the importance of conducting treeline ecotone analyses for several sites or areas,and considering both climatic and non-climatic drivers of the treeline dynamics within each of these areas,for understanding regional treeline dynamics.展开更多
基金the National Key Technology Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China(2015BAD07B02).
文摘The slope aspect is one of the most critical topographic factors in mountainous areas.Little is known,however,about the eff ect of the aspect on the ectomycorrhizal(ECM)fungal community.Additionally,we know very little about the composition of ECM fungal communities associated with Quercus variabilis,which is widely distributed in East Asia.In this study,we compared the richness,community composition,and exploration types of ECM fungi associated with Q.variabilis between predominantly south-and north-facing slopes in the Taihang Mountain,North China for the fi rst time.DNA was extracted from the root tips of Q.variabilis,and Illumina MiSeq sequencing was used to identify ECM fungi.In total,168 operational taxonomic units belonging to 28 genera were detected,and the ECM community was found to be dominated by Russula,Inocybe,Tomentella,Scleroderma,and Cortinarius.Compared with the north-facing slopes,the ECM communities on the south-facing slopes had higher diversity.The community composition and exploration types were directly aff ected by the slope aspect.Also,the aspect-induced edaphic variables,such as total phosphorus,total nitrogen,total potassium,pH,and soil water content,were important sources of variation in ECM fungal richness and distributions of exploration types.Diff erent genera tended to be distributed in various slope aspects.Cenococcum,Genea,and Clavulina were signifi cantly enriched in north-facing slopes,while Geopora,Helvelosebacina,Scleroderma,Gyroporus,Astraeus,Boletus,Tricholoma,Hebeloma,Cortinarius and unclassifi ed Thelephoraceae were more abundant in south-facing slopes.Hydrophobic ECM fungi were obviously enriched in the south-facing slope,but there was no statistical diff erence between hydrophilic among the south-and north-facing slopes.Our study deepened our knowledge of the aspect-driven variation in ECM fungal communities associated with Q.variabilis.
文摘On farm bio-resource recycling has been given greater emphasis with the introduction of conservation agriculture specifically withclimate change scenarios in the mid-hills of the north-west Himalaya region（NWHR）. Under this changing scenario, elevation, slope aspect and integrated nutrient management（INM） may affect significantly soil quality and crop productivity. A study was conducted during 2009-2010 to 2010-2011 at the Ashti watershed of NWHR in a rainfed condition to examine the influence of elevation, slope aspect and integrated nutrient management（INM） on soil resource and crop productivity. Two years of farm demonstration trials indicated that crop productivity and soil quality is significantly affected by elevation, slope aspect and INM. Results showed that wheat equivalent yield（WEY） of improved technology increased crop productivity by -20%-37% compared to the conventional system. Intercropping of maize with cowpea and soybean enhanced yield by another 8%-17%. North aspect and higher elevation increased crop productivity by 15%-25% compared to south aspect and low elevation（except paddy）. Intercropping of maize with cowpea and soybean enhanced yield by another 8%-15%. Irrespective of slope, elevation and cropping system, the WEY increased by -30% in this region due to INMtechnology. The influence of elevation, slope aspect and INM significantly affected soil resources（SQI） and soil carbon change（SCC）. SCC is significantly correlated with SQI for conventional（R2 = 0.65＊）, INM technology（R2 = 0.81＊） and for both technologies（R2 = 0.73＊）. It is recommended that at higher elevation.（except for paddy soils） with a north facing slope, INM is recommended for higher crop productivity; conservation of soil resources is recommended for the mid hills of NWHR; and single values of SCC are appropriate as a SQI for this region.
基金Supported by Forestry Key Technology R&D Program in the 11th Five year Plan of China(2006BAD03A0302)~~
文摘[Objective] The aim was to study the effect of site factor on plant community characteristic in closed watershed in loess hilly and gully region.[Method] Based on the investigation of vegetation in the closed watershed of Wuqi County in Shaanxi Province,the difference of plant community characteristic and species diversity under various site types was researched in our paper.[Result] In the investigation area,xerophytic herb was the main community,with sole species composition and simple community structure.Zonal vegetations were Artemisia sacrorum and Artemisia giraldii community;for plant diversity,the order of diversity index was ridge topgully bottomridge slopegully slope in various landform positions and semi-shady slopeshady slopesemi-sunny slopesunny slope in various slope aspects;with the increase of gradient,the diversity index of sunny slope changed with ＂S＂ type,and it reached maximum value at 37°.[Conclusion] Our study could provide theoretical foundation for vegetative restoration in loess hilly and gully region.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.90202012 National Basic Research Program of China, No.2005CB422006+1 种基金 No.2002CB412507 Knowledge Innovation Project of CAS, No.KZCX3-SW-339
文摘The source region of the Yellow River is located in the middle east of the Tibetan Plateau in northwest China. The total area is about 51,700 km^2, mainly covered by grassland （79%）, unused land （16%） and water （4%）. The increasing land utilization in this area has increased the risk of environmental degradation. The land use/cover data （1985 and 2000） provided by the Data Center of Resources and Environment in the Chinese Academy of Sciences were used to analyze the land cover change in the source region of the Yellow River. DEM （1：250,000） data, roads and settlement data were used to analyze the spatial characteristics of grasslands degradation. The ArcGIS 9 software was used to convert data types and do the overlay, reclassification and zonal statistic analysis. Results show that grassland degradation is the most important land cover change in the study area, which occupied 8.24% of the region＇s total area. Human activities are the main causes of the grassland degradation in the source region of the Yellow River： 1） the degradation rate is higher on the sunny slope than on the shady slope; 2） the grassland degradation rate decreases with an increase in the elevation, and it has a correlation coefficient of -0.93; 3） the nearer to the settlements the grassland is, the higher the degradation rate. Especially within a distance range of 12 km to the settlements, the grassland degradation rate is highly related with the distance, with a coefficient of -0.99; and 4） in the range of 4 km, the degradation rate decreases with the increase of distance to the roads, with a correlation coefficient of -0.98. Besides some physical factors, human activities have been the most important driving forces of the grassland degradation in the source region of the Yellow River since 1985. To resolve the degradation problems, population control is essential, and therefore, it can reduce the social demand of livestock products from the grassland. To achieve sustainable development, it needs to improve the management of grassland ecosystem.
基金supported by National Autonomous University of Mexico(DGAPAPAPIIT,Research Proyect-IN301414)Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia,Espana(Research Proyect CGL2006-01983/BTE)+1 种基金Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación,Espana(Research Proyect CGL200907434)Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad,Espana(Research Project CGL2012-35858)
文摘The earliest stages of plant succession on severely disturbed sites usually follow highly unpredictable trajectories. However, in the Popocatépetl volcano area(50 km SE of Mexico City),the development of physiognomically distinct primary plant communities suggests the occurrence of various successional trajectories only 10 years after the onset of colonization of a temperate forest on lahars. To characterize plant communities and determine the environmental factors that drive the differences observed between plant communities and their successional trajectories, we monitored 64 circular sample plots(3.14 m2) from 2002 to 2011. We examined the plant communities' composition and structure in terms of their species richness and abundance, plant cover, and maximum stem height,and recorded 13 environmental factors related to the volcanic deposit characteristics, microclimate, soil,flow dynamics and gravitational processes. A cluster analysis of the species abundance data showed that,by 2011, six plant community types(CT's) had established, including grasslands, and open, dense and very dense shrub lands. As these communities developed over the same period of time and within the same overall ecosystem, then these plant community types were interpreted as different stages of the same successional trajectory. Two sequential main stages that drive regeneration were identified from this successional trajectory: a) the first four years are characterized by a steady increase in species richness and physiognomic development(plant size and coverage), mostly dominated by Baccharis conferta, Eupatorium glabratum and Senecio barbajohannis; b) from the sixth year onwards, a continued increase in the abundance of those same species led to the development of the dense shrubland communities.Differences in the availability of soil resources and disturbances linked to recent lahar flows were the main factors accounting for such differences.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFD0600501)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China (TD2011-08)
文摘In Hebei Province of North China, forest was recovered with natural recruitment in plantations with large area of clear-cutting Chinese pine（Pinus tabuliformis）. This study was aimed to demonstrate the dynamic characteristics of recruits during the natural recruitment. Both plot survey and the spatial point-pattern analysis were performed. Five developmental stages of natural recruitment were selected and studied, including 1 year before and 2, 5, 8, and 11 years after clear-cutting. Different slope aspects were also included. Natural recruitment was always dominated by Chinese pine with a proportion of higher than 90%. For plots of 1 year before clear-cutting on east-and north-facing slopes, recruit densities were 7886 and 5036 stems/hm2, the average heights were 0.78（±0.85） and 1.06（±1.15） m, and the average diameters at breast height（DBH） were 3.21（±1.38） and 2.91（±1.38） cm, respectively. After clear-cutting, recruit density was initially increased, then it was gradually declined with time; however, the variation of average DBH was contrary to that of recruit density. Both of them were no longer varied between 8 and 11 years after clear-cutting. The average height of recruits continued to increase after clear-cutting. For the plots of 11 years after clear-cutting on east-and north-facing slopes, average heights of recruits reached 2.00（±1.14） and 2.24（±1.20） m, respectively. The statuses of recruits on north-facing slopes were better than those on east-facing slopes after clear-cutting. Meanwhile, recruits on east-facing slopes were always aggregated at small scales, while spatial pattern of recruits varied with time on north-facing slopes. Moreover, forest was recovered more quickly by natural recruitment than by artificial afforestation after clear-cutting. The structural diversity was higher in naturally regenerated forests than in plantations of the same age. Our results demonstrated that clear-cutting of Chinese pine plantations recovered by natural recruitment has the potential to be an effective approach for establishing multifunctional forest.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grants No.42201100,U21A2011,41991233)the Central Public-Interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund(Grant No.CKSF2023301)the Knowledge Innovation Program of Wuhan-Basic Research(Grant No.2022020801010236).
文摘Terracing is a widely adopted agricultural practice in mountainous regions around the world that aims to conserve soil and water resources.Soil nutrients play a crucial role in determining soil quality,particularly in landscapes prone to drought.They are influenced by factors such as land-use type,slope aspect,and altitude.In this study,we sought to examine the impact of terracing on soil nutrients(soil organic content(SOC),total nitrogen(TN),nitrate-nitrogen(NO_(3)^(-)-N),ammonium nitrogen(NH_(4)^(+)-N),total phosphorus(TP),available phosphorus(AP),total potassium(TK),and available potassium(AK))and how they vary with environmental factors in the Chinese Loess Plateau.During the growing season,we collected 540 soil samples from the 0 to 100 cm soil layer across five major land-use types,different slope aspects,and varying altitudes.Additionally,a meta-analysis of literature data further corroborated the effective accumulation of soil nutrients through terracing in the Loess Plateau.Our findings are as follows:(1)Terraced fields,regardless of land-use type,showed a significant improvement in SOC and TN content.(2)Soil nutrient contents within terraced fields were predominantly higher on sunny slopes.(3)Terraces at lower altitudes are characterized by elevated SOC concentrations.(4)A meta-analysis of literature data pertaining to terracing and soil nutrients in this region confirmed the effective accumulation of soil nutri-ents through terracing.The elucidated outcomes of this study offer a profound theoretical underpinning for the accurate planning and management of terraces,the scientific utilization of land resources,and the enhancement of land productivity.
基金Under the auspices of National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41371216)Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province(No.2014CFB376)
文摘The aim of this study was to better understand the mechanisms of regional climate variation in mountain ranges with contrasting aspects as mediated by changes in global climate. It may help predict trends of vegetation variations in native ecosystems in natural reserves. As measures of climate response, temperature and precipitation data from the north, east, and south-facing mountain ranges of Shennongjia Massif in the coldest and hottest months(January and July), different seasons(spring, summer, autumn, and winter) and each year were analyzed from a long-term dataset(1960 to 2003) to tested variations characteristics, temporal and spatial quantitative relationships of climates. The results showed that the average seasonal temperatures and precipitation in the north, east, and south aspects of the mountain ranges changed at different rates. The average seasonal temperatures change rate ranges in the north, east, and south-facing mountain ranges were from –0.0210℃/yr to 0.0143℃/yr, –0.0166℃/yr to 0.0311℃/yr, and –0.0290 ℃/yr to 0.0084℃/yr, respectively, and seasonal precipitation variation magnitude were from –1.4940 mm/yr to 0.6217 mm/yr, –1.6833 mm/yr to 2.6182 mm/yr, and –0.8567 mm/yr to 1.4077 mm/yr, respectively. The climates variation trend among the three mountain ranges were different in magnitude and direction, showing a complicated change of the climates in mountain ranges and some inconsistency with general trends in global climate change. The climate variations were significantly different and positively correlated cross mountain ranges, revealing that aspects significantly affected on climate variations and these variations resulted from a larger air circulation system, which were sensitive to global climate change. We conclude that location and terrain of aspect are the main factors affecting differences in climate variation among the mountain ranges with contrasting aspects.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2016YFC0500302)the National Nature Scientific Foundation Project of China(31200432)
文摘In forest ecosystems, gap formation changes the allocation of abiotic resources and thus affects the survival and growth of understory plants. However, how tree seedling survival and growth respond to low-temperature events and the influencing mechanisms remain unclear. To clarify how low-temperature event limits the survival and growth of tree seedlings in the montane regions of eastern Liaoning Province, northeast China, we investigated temperature and light intensity within secondary forest gaps, and the survival and growth of Juglans mandshurica seedlings after a low-temperature event in the spring of 2014. Damage to seedlings due to low temperature sig- nificantly varied in different aspects. Seedlings in gaps on southeast-facing slopes were the most seriously damaged, followed by those in gaps on northeast-facing slopes. In contrast, seedlings in west-facing gaps and in control plots without slope aspect were not damaged. The freezing injury index for seedlings was negatively correlated with minimum temperature （r = - 0.608, P 〈 0.01）, but it was positively correlated with light intensity （r= 0.818, P 〈 0.01）. In addition, height and root collar diameter of damaged seedlings were significantly lower than those of the undamaged seedlings （P 〈 0.01） during the early growing season （April-July）, but no significant difference were observed during the late growing season （July-Oc- tober） （P 〉 0.05）. The extent of seedling damage was directly related to slope aspect. Low temperature and high light intensity were found to be the dominant factors affecting extent of damage to seedlings on southeast- and northeast-facing slopes.
文摘A study has been carried out in part of Chenab basin,Himalaya to understand the relationship between glacio-morphological factors and change in glacial area. Initially change in areal extent of glaciers was derived for two time frames(1962-2001/02 and 2001/02-2010/11). The study comprised of 324 glaciers for the monitoring period of 1962-2001/02 for,which 11% loss in glacial area was observed. Two hundred and thirty-eight glaciers were further monitored between 2001/02 and 2010/11. These glaciers showed an area loss of 1.1%. The annual deglaciation has been found to be higher during the period of 1962-2001/02 compared to 2001/02-2010/11. The spatial and temporal variability in deglaciation was also addressed usingglacio-morphic parameters. Area,length,percentage of debris cover,and various elevation parameters of glaciers were observed to have significant controls on relationships to the rate of glacial shrinkage. Largerarea and longer glaciers show a lower percentage of retreat than smaller and shorter ones. Moreover,glaciers located at lower altitudes and having gentle slopes show more area retreat. The results of area retreat in debris covered and debris free glaciers supports that the glaciers covered by debris retard ice melting at some extent. 158 glaciers were observed having no debris cover,and these exhibit 14% of loss in surface area. In glaciers having 40% debris cover,8% of deglaciation was observed. The glaciers located below equilibrium line altitude(ELA) have experienced 4.6% of deglaciation for the time frame 2001/02 – 2010/11 whereas it was found to be 1.1% for the glaciers occurring above ELA. However,theorientation of glaciers did not show any considerable influence on glacial change based on hypothesis.
文摘Gradient slope, aspect slope, profiling and contourlines are important topographic parameters that can be derived from digital elevation data obtained from different sources with exploitation of different interpolation techniques. Geostatistical interpolation methods such as ordinary kriging models constitute reliable alternatives to deterministic approaches in creation of continuous surface models from discrete elevation data. This research aimed at extraction, analysis, and evaluation of different terrain parameters elevation measurements with the use of different ordinary kriging models including the linear model, the circular model, the spherical model, the exponential models, and the Gaussian model. Different ordinary kriging models under ESRI ArcView 3.3 package along with its 3D analyst and Spatial analysis extensions have been exploited in extraction of gradient slope maps, aspect slope maps, and hillshade maps in addition to contourline maps from a sample of elevation data. Visual analysis of the gradient slope maps shows great similarities between the slope maps from the linear, circular, spherical, and exponential OK models, however, that from OK Gaussian models look very different as different sizes and arrangements of the colour patches, referring to different tones and different textures where smooth tones and smooth textures dominate the gradient slope map from the OK Gaussian model. Thus, gradient slope degradation and smoothing are considerably high in the gradient slope map from Gaussian model compared to the slope maps from the other four OK models. Also, the mean slope in the Gaussian model records the lowest value with the lowest value of the standard deviation of slopes in the same map reflecting less structured and highly smoothed gradient slope map compared to the slope maps from the other OK models. Thus, similar sizes of the colour patches and similar tones and similar texture dominate the different aspect slope maps. This is not the case in Figure 2(e) which depicts the aspect slope map extracted with the use of the Gaussian OK model where the smooth colour patches, smooth tones and smooth textures can be observed. Also, the Aspect map, hillshade map and the contourline map from Gaussian OK model are visually and statistically different from their corresponding maps created with the other four OK models. Finally, analysis of extracted two groups of profiles shows that the profiles extracted with the use of linear, circular, spherical, and exponential OK models run close and show highly corrugated and varied terrain. This is different from the profiles with the use of the Gaussian model which are less corrugated and tend to smooth and approximate different parts of the terrains.
基金supported by the Second Tibet Plateau Scientifc Expedition and Research Program(STEP)(Grant No.2019QZKK0905)the Gansu Province Science and Technology Major Special Projects(Grant No.22ZD6FA004)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.41971089).
文摘In the mountainous permafrost area,most thaw slumps are distributed in north or northeast-facing shady slope areas.It is commonly known that there is a heterogeneity in permafrost between diferent slope aspects,but there has been a lack of detailed measured data to quantitatively evaluate their relationships,and in-depth understandings on how the slope aspects are linked to the distribution of thaw slumps.This study examined the heterogenous thermal regime,soil moisture content,and surface radiation at two slope sites with opposing aspects in a warming permafrost region on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP).The results indicate that similar air temperatures(T_(a))were monitored on the two slopes,but there were signifcant diferences in ground temperature and moisture content in the active layer from 2016 to 2021.The sunny slope exhibited a higher mean annual ground surface temperature(T_(s)),and over the fve years the mean annual temperature at the top of permafrost was 1.3–1.4℃warmer on the sunny slope than the shady slope.On the contrary,the near-surface soil moisture content was about 10–13%lower on the sunny slope(~22–27%)than the shady slope(~35–38%)during the thawing season(June–September).Radiation data indicate that signifcantly higher shortwave downward radiation(DR)appeared at the sunny slope site.However,due to the greater surface albedo,the net radiation(Rn)was lower on the sunny slope.Slope aspect also afects the ground ice content due to its infuence on ground temperature,freeze-thaw cycles,and soil moisture.Shady slopes have a shallower burial of ice-rich permafrost compared to sunny slopes.The results highlight greatly diferent near-surface ground thermal conditions at the two slope sites with diferent aspects in a mountainous permafrost region.This helps identify the slope-related causes of increasing thaw slumps and provides a basis for predicting their future development.
文摘Aims Species composition and diversity of the mountainous rangelands are results of interactions between environmental severities,het-erogeneous topography and facilitative effects by nurse plants.This research was aimed to compare relative effects of these three envi-ronmental variables on the natural vegetation of a mountainous rangeland.For a more detailed understanding,effects of four dif-ferent nurse species were separately compared on the various plant growth forms and on two community plant responses(diversity and abundance).Methods A mountainous semiarid rangeland was selected in Baharkish,Quchan,Northeast of Iran.Density and canopy cover of all plant species were recorded under the canopy of four different shrubs and in open areas,in north and south-facing aspects,and in a normal and a drought year.Shannon diversity,total abundance(%cover)and the abundance of different growth forms were used as crite-ria for assessing effects of the environmental variables.Data were arranged in a factorial combination and analyzed by three-way analysis of variance using a GLM analysis.Important Findings(i)Drought,aspect and canopy created niche differentiation:annual forbs and shrubs were more affected by drought,whereas geophytes and grasses were more responsive to slope aspects.Effects of drought and slope aspect were more profound on species diversity,whereas that of canopy facilitation was stronger on plant abundance.(ii)Canopy facili-tation was dependent on severity of the abiotic factors and life history of interacting species.Canopy facilitation allowed for the persistence of only annual forbs,but it was disadvantaged during the drought year.Plant community responses to abiotic factors(slope and drought)were more dependent on the plant growth form,while responses to canopy facilitation were more dependent on the morphology and/or ecology of nurse shrubs.(iii)Effect of shrubs was dependent on their morphology and ecology:shrubs with larger canopy area and nitrogen fixation capa-bility increased,but those with allelopathic effects or a dense canopy structure decreased the diversity of the understory species.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.42177274,42377119)the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(Grant Nos.2019QZKK0308,2019QZKK0306).
文摘The upward shift of the alpine treeline driven by global climate change has been extensively observed across many mountain ecosystems worldwide.However,variations in belowground microbial communities in the treeline ecotone,as well as the influence of microtopographic factors(e.g.,slope aspect)on these changes,remain unclear.Here,we collected soil samples from different aspects above or below the treeline and analyzed the microbial communities using high-throughput sequencing.Our study revealed distinct community characteristics,co-occurrence patterns,and assembly processes between bacterial and fungal communities.Especially,homogeneous selection and dispersal limitation played dominant roles in shaping bacterial and fungal communities,respectively.Keystone bacteria were more critical for maintaining network stability above the treeline,while fungi were the keystone taxa for network stability below the treeline.We also found that oligotrophic species such as Acidobacteriota,Chloroflexi,Verrucomicrobiota,and Ascomycota were predominantly enriched above the treeline,whereas copiotrophic species like Proteobacteria,Gemmatimonadota,Actinobacteriota,and Firmicutes were more abundant below the treeline.Our results uncovered that microbial communities responded greatly to treeline shift than slope aspect,and also imply that the upward shift of the alpine treeline may increase the stochasticity of microbial communities.These findings facilitate our understanding of how microbial communities in the treeline transition zones of alpine ecosystems respond to global warming and their potential effects on soil carbon dynamics.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(30970465 and 31000199)Research Station of Alpine Meadow and Wetland Ecosystems of Lanzhou UniversityAcademy of Finland.
文摘Spatial processes and environmental control are the two distinct,yet not mutually exclusive forces of community structuring,but the relative importance of these factors is controversial due to the speciesspecific dispersal ability,sensitivity towards environmental variables,organism’s abundance and the effect of spatial scale.In the present paper,we explored spatial versus environmental control in shaping community composition(i.e.b-diversity)and species turnover(i.e.change of b-diversity)at an alpine meadow along a slope aspect gradient on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau at different spatial scales of sampling(quadrats and plots),by taking account of seed dispersal mode and abundance.Methods We examined the relative importance of spatial processes and environmental factors using all species and four additional subsets of selected species.Moreover,we attempted to explore the effect of scale(quadrat refers to scale of;0.3 m and plot of;8 m)on their counter balance.The data were analyzed both by variation partitioning and multiple regressions on distance matrices.The spatial structure was modelled using Moran’s eigenvector maps(MEM).Important Findings Both spatial processes and environmental factors were important determinants of the community composition and species turnover.The community composition in the alpine meadow was controlled by spatially structured environment(17.6%),space independent of environment(18.0%)and a negligible effect of environment independent of space(4.4%)at the scale of quadrats.These three components contributed 21.8,9.9 and 13.9%,respectively,at the scale of plots.The balance between the forces at different spatial scales drove community structures along the slope aspect gradient.The importance of environmental factors on b-diversity at alpine meadow increased with scale while that of spatial processes decreased or kept steady,depending on dispersal mode and abundance of species comprising the subset.But the‘pure’effect of spatial processes on species turnover increased with scale while that of environmental factors decreased.This discrepancy highlights that b-diversity and species turnover were determined jointly by spatial processes and environmental factors.We also found that the relative roles of these processes vary with spatial scale.These results underline the importance of considering species-specific dispersal ability and abundance of species comprising the communities and the appropriate spatial scale in understanding the mechanisms of community assembly.
基金Research Council of Norway under the project HimaLines(190153/V10)RCN funds to A.H.under the‘The PPS Arctic project’,Grolle Olsen fund and University fund from Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science at the University of Bergen supported for the field.
文摘Aims We investigated the treeline dynamics of two environmentally con-trasting areas in the Nepalese Himalaya to address the following questions:(i)Does the timing of establishment of the current tree-line differ between the two study areas,and can area-specific tree-line developments be identified?(ii)Do recruitment patterns and height growth indicate recent climate-driven treeline advance,fol-lowing the general prediction for the central Himalayan region,in the two study areas?Methods a dry-climate treeline dominated by Pinus wallichiana and a mesic-climate treeline with Abies spectabilis were selected for study.In each area,we sampled the size and age structure of the study spe-cies along three elevational transects(20-m wide)from the forest line to the tree species line crossing the treeline.We also sampled treeline trees from within and outside transects to reconstruct past treeline establishment dynamics.Important Findings Despite differences in moisture regimes,tree species and recent climate trends,our two study areas showed very similar treeline dynamics over the past six decades.In both areas,the recruitment of treeline trees indicates stationary treelines over the past six decades with the current treelines being dominated by trees that were established around 1990.the mesic area has experienced an overall climatic warming trend,and the stationary Abies treeline is hypothesized to be regulated by non-climatic factors,notably grazing.the dry area has not experienced warming but increased climatic variability and some very cool summers in the recent dec-ades may explain the stationary to weakly receding Pinus treeline,which appears more climatically controlled with decreased recruit-ment over the past decades and decreased growth towards higher elevations.In both areas,there is a potential for treeline advance,depending on future land use and climate change.our results highlight the importance of conducting treeline ecotone analyses for several sites or areas,and considering both climatic and non-climatic drivers of the treeline dynamics within each of these areas,for understanding regional treeline dynamics.
