Soil carbon sequestration was estimated in a conifer forest and an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau using a carbon- 14 radioactive label provided by thermonuclear weapon tests （known as bomb-^14C）. Soil organic ...Soil carbon sequestration was estimated in a conifer forest and an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau using a carbon- 14 radioactive label provided by thermonuclear weapon tests （known as bomb-^14C）. Soil organic matter was physically separated into light and heavy fractions. The concentration spike of bomb-^14C occurred at a soil depth of 4 cm in both the forest soil and the alpine meadow soil. Based on the depth of the bomb-^14C spike, the carbon sequestration rate was determined to be 38.5 g C/m^2 per year for the forest soil and 27.1 g C/m^2 per year for the alpine meadow soil. Considering that more than 60% of soil organic carbon （SOC） is stored in the heavy fraction and the large area of alpine forests and meadows on the Tibetan Plateau, these alpine ecosystems might partially contribute to ＂the missing carbon sink＂.展开更多
Alpine tundra ecosystems are highly sensitive to climate change,particularly due to their dependence on the duration and timing of snow cover.This study investigated the effects of the climate extreme years 2022 and 2...Alpine tundra ecosystems are highly sensitive to climate change,particularly due to their dependence on the duration and timing of snow cover.This study investigated the effects of the climate extreme years 2022 and 2023 on carbon(C)and nitrogen(N)forms in two alpine tundra communities:snowbed(SB)and Carex curvula(CC),located at high elevation in the North-West(NW)Italian Alps.During these years,both sites experienced exceptionally low snow cover duration and elevated mean soil temperature during the snow-free season.Dissolved organic carbon(DOC)concentrations significantly increased by+65%in SB and+42%in CC compared to 2016-2021,likely reflecting enhanced microbial decomposition of organic matter.In contrast,soil ammonium and nitrate levels showed no significant changes,indicating differential responses between C and N processes.These findings suggest that DOC is a sensitive(early)indicator of climate-induced shifts in soil functioning.Given the critical role of alpine tundra in global C cycling,understanding DOC dynamics under climate extreme events is crucial to predict future ecosystem feedback to global change.展开更多
The principles of remotely estimating grassland cover density in an alpine meadow soil from space lie in the synchronous collection of in situ samples with the satellite pass and statistically linking these cover dens...The principles of remotely estimating grassland cover density in an alpine meadow soil from space lie in the synchronous collection of in situ samples with the satellite pass and statistically linking these cover densities to their image properties according to their geographic coordinates. The principles and procedures for quantifying grassland cover density from satellite image data were presented with an example from Qinghai Lake, China demonstrating how quantification could be made more accurate through the integrated use of remote sensing and global positioning systems (GPS). An empirical model was applied to an entire satellite image to convert pixel values into ground cover density. Satellite data based on 68 field samples was used to produce a map of ten cover densities. After calibration a strong linear regression relationship (r2 = 0.745) between pixel values on the satellite image and in situ measured grassland cover density was established with an 89% accuracy level. However, to minimize positional uncertainty of field samples, integrated use of hyperspatial satellite data and GPS could be utilized. This integration could reduce disparity in ground and space sampling intervals, and improve future quantification accuracy even more.展开更多
Alpine meadow ecosystem is fragile and highly sensitive to climate change.An understanding of the allocation of above-and below-ground plant biomass and correlations with environmental factors in alpine meadow ecosyst...Alpine meadow ecosystem is fragile and highly sensitive to climate change.An understanding of the allocation of above-and below-ground plant biomass and correlations with environmental factors in alpine meadow ecosystem can result in better protection and effective utilization of alpine meadow vegetation.We chose an alpine meadow in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China as the study area and designed experimental warming plots using a randomized block experimental design.We used single-tube infrared radiators as warming devices,established the warming treatments,and measured plant above- （AGB） and below-ground biomass （BGB） during the growing seasons （May to September） in 2012 and 2013.We determined the allocation of biomass and the relationship between biomass and soil environment under the warming treatment.Biomass indices including above-ground biomass,below-ground biomass and the ratio of root to shoot （R/S） ,and soil factors including soil moisture and soil temperature at different depths were measured.The results showed that （1） BGB of the alpine meadow had the most significant allometric correlation with its AGB （y=298.7x~ （0.44） ,P〈0.001） ,but the relationship decreased under warming treatment and the determination coefficient of the functional equation was 0.102 which was less than that of 0.188 of the unwarming treatment （control） ; （2） BGB increased,especially in the deeper soil layers under warming treatment （P〉0.05） .At 0–10 cm soil depth,the percentages of BGB under warming treatment were smaller than those of the control treatment with the decreases being 8.52% and 8.23% in 2012 and 2013,respectively.However,the BGB increased 2.13% and 2.06% in 2012 and 2013,respectively,at 10–50 cm soil depths; （3） BGB had significant positive correlations with soil moisture at 100 cm depth and with soil temperature at 20–100 cm depths （P〈0.05） ,but the mean correlation coefficient of soil temperature was 0.354,greater than the 0.245 of soil moisture.R/S ratio had a significant negative correlation with soil temperature at 20 cm depth （P〈0.05） .The warmer soil temperatures in shallow layers increased the biomass allocation to above-ground plant parts,which leading to the increase in AGB;whereas the enhanced thawing of frozen soil in deep layers causing by warming treatment produced more moisture that affected plant biomass allocation.展开更多
Alpine soil infiltration process is an important part of the hydrological characteristics of alpine soil in permafrost. This research is carried out in the source region of the Yellow River where the permafrost is sev...Alpine soil infiltration process is an important part of the hydrological characteristics of alpine soil in permafrost. This research is carried out in the source region of the Yellow River where the permafrost is severely degraded, using various methods for choosing typical sample areas, and to experiment, study and simulate the soil water curve, soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil infiltration and soil moisture under different characteristics of degraded vegetation. The results indicate that the empirical equation θ=AS-B, proposed by Gradner and Visser, is very reliable in simulating the soil moisture curve; soil saturated hydraulic conductivity and soil infiltration are significantly different under different vegetation coverage： in the soil surface within 0-10 cm, the saturated hydraulic conductivity and infiltration intensity of Black Beach are the strongest; respectively, in soil layers below 30 cm, vegetation has almost no impacts on the saturated hydraulic conductivity, infiltration intensity and soil moisture content. Significant reduction of soil moisture occurs in soil surfaces with degraded vegetation. The more serious the degradation, the more water loss, and it can be up to 38.6% in the worst situation. Soil moisture of developed vegetation root systems in depths within 10-20 cm has the greatest impact on the soil environment, and the loss of moisture induces difficulty in the restoration of degraded meadows. Through a comparative study, the Kostiakov infiltration equationf（t） = at-b is more applicable for studies on the process of soil moisture infiltration of the alpine meadow in the source region of the Yellow River.展开更多
Seasonally frozen soil in alpine and subalpine zones in the mountains of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is particularly sensitive to global climate change. Therefore, a better understanding of the thermal properties of froze...Seasonally frozen soil in alpine and subalpine zones in the mountains of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is particularly sensitive to global climate change. Therefore, a better understanding of the thermal properties of frozen soil is crucial for predicting the responses of frozen soils to soil warming. In this study, thermal properties of frozen soil with different moisture contents under subzero temperature (0°C - 20°C) in an alpine forest in western Sichuan were analyzed by KD<sub>2</sub> Pro in its cooling and heating processes, respectively. Our results reveal that the soil apparent volumetric specific heat capacity (C<sub>v</sub>) and apparent thermal conductivity (K) under the same water content show similar response patterns to changing temperature lower than -2°C in both heating and cooling processes. Moreover, ice content of frozen soils can be well predicted by Logistic model in cooling and heating processes. The C<sub>v</sub> and K tend to increase along with increasing soil moisture contents. Remarkably, asymptotic characters of the value of C<sub>v</sub> and K are at the vicinity of the initial temperature of phase transitions, indicating that both C<sub>v</sub> and K are particularly sensitive to changing soil temperature at the range of -2°C to 0°C. Therefore, the widely distributed frozen soil layers with temperature above -2°C in alpine and subalpine zones over Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau are susceptible to the observed climate warming during cold season.展开更多
Bulk density(BD) is an important soil physical property and has significant effect on soil water conservation function. Indirect methods, which are called pedotransfer functions(PTFs), have replaced direct measurement...Bulk density(BD) is an important soil physical property and has significant effect on soil water conservation function. Indirect methods, which are called pedotransfer functions(PTFs), have replaced direct measurement and can acquire the missing data of BD during routine soil surveys. In this study, multiple linear regression(MLR) and artificial neuron network(ANN) methods were used to develop PTFs for predicting BD from soil organic carbon(OC), texture and depth in the Three-River Headwater region of Qinghai Province, China. The performances of the developed PTFs were compared with 14 published PTFs using four indexes, the mean error(ME), standard deviation error(SDE), root mean squared error(RMSE) and coefficient of determination(R^2). Results showed that the performances of published PTFs developed using exponential regression were better than those developed using linear regression from OC. Alexander(1980)-B, Alexander(1980)-A and Manrique and Jones(1991)-B PTFs, which had good predictions, could be applied for the soils in the study area. The PTFs developed using MLR(MLR-PTFs) and ANN(ANN-PTFs) had better soil BD predictions than most of published PTFs. The ANN-PTFs had better performances than the MLR-PTFs and their performances could be improved when soil texture and depth were added as predictor variables. The idea of developing PTFs for predicting soil BD in the study area could provide reference for other areas and the results could lay foundation for the estimation of soil water retention and carbon pool.展开更多
Three alpine meadows were chosen from the eastern margin of the Qilian Mountain：Polygonum viviparum meadow（P）,Stipa capillata grassland（S）and Rhododendron simsii shrub meadow（R）;LI-8100 A soil CO2 flux auto-mon...Three alpine meadows were chosen from the eastern margin of the Qilian Mountain：Polygonum viviparum meadow（P）,Stipa capillata grassland（S）and Rhododendron simsii shrub meadow（R）;LI-8100 A soil CO2 flux auto-monitoring system and lab analysis were applied to analyze the soil organic carbon density,dynamics of carbon flux,and their relationship with environmental factors.The results showed that different vegetations varied greatly in soil organic carbon density：R 〉 S 〉 P,and the soil carbon density reduced with the increasing depth;soil CO2flux：S 〉 P 〉 R,and sample plot P and S showed unimodal changes.The peak values appeared at 14：00-15：00 p.m.;soil CO2 flux was negatively correlated with near-ground air humidity and carbon content,positively correlated with soil temperature and near-ground air temperature,and showed no obvious correlation with soil moisture.展开更多
With the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China,a collaborative study by the research groups led by Prof.Feng Xiaojuan(冯晓娟)from the Institute...With the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China,a collaborative study by the research groups led by Prof.Feng Xiaojuan(冯晓娟)from the Institute of Botany,Chinese Academy of Sciences and Prof.He Jinsheng(贺金生)from Peking University demonstrates the under-investigated role of iron(Fe)in mediating soil enzyme activity展开更多
Alpine forest soil in the southeastern Qinghai–Xizang Plateau plays a crucial role in regional and global climate and biogeochemical cycles,yet the elevational distribution of soil nitrogen(N)availability and losing ...Alpine forest soil in the southeastern Qinghai–Xizang Plateau plays a crucial role in regional and global climate and biogeochemical cycles,yet the elevational distribution of soil nitrogen(N)availability and losing risk is unresolved.In this study,we characterized soil N composition and key N transformation processes across different elevations in 3 typical mounts of the Qinghai–Xizang Plateau.In contrast to previous suggestions,soil total N and ammonium are found to accumulate in high elevation zones.This accumulation of N at higher altitudes is due to a consistent soil net N mineralization rate coupled with an extremely low net nitrification rate,which is suppressed by low p H and high soil moisture in high elevation zones.Moreover,the elevated rates of biological N fixation along the elevation further contribute to N accumulation in high elevation regions in which the acid-tolerant Bradyrhizobium,plant-associated Herbaspirillum,and Klebsiella are identified as the key diazotrophic microbial taxa responsible for active N fixation.Collectively,our results suggest that total N and NH_(4)^(+)-N accumulation in higher altitude zone is a ubiquitous phenomenon in the southeast Qinghai–Xizang Plateau,with lower nitrification rates and higher biological nitrogen fixation being key processes enabling this occurrence.展开更多
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30590384)State Key Basic Research and Development Plan of China (2005CB422005)+1 种基金Key Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX3-SW-339-04)Open Fund of State Key Laboratory of ESPRE, Beijing Normal University(08-KF-04, 070401)
文摘Soil carbon sequestration was estimated in a conifer forest and an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau using a carbon- 14 radioactive label provided by thermonuclear weapon tests （known as bomb-^14C）. Soil organic matter was physically separated into light and heavy fractions. The concentration spike of bomb-^14C occurred at a soil depth of 4 cm in both the forest soil and the alpine meadow soil. Based on the depth of the bomb-^14C spike, the carbon sequestration rate was determined to be 38.5 g C/m^2 per year for the forest soil and 27.1 g C/m^2 per year for the alpine meadow soil. Considering that more than 60% of soil organic carbon （SOC） is stored in the heavy fraction and the large area of alpine forests and meadows on the Tibetan Plateau, these alpine ecosystems might partially contribute to ＂the missing carbon sink＂.
基金supported by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan(NRRP),Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.4-Call for tender No.3138 of 16 December 2021,rectified by Decree n.3175 of 18 December 2021 of Italian Ministry of University and Research funded by the European Union–Next Generation EUProject code CN_00000033,Concession Decree No.1034 of 17 June 2022 adopted by the Italian Ministry of University and Research,CUP D13C22001350001,Project title“National Biodiversity Future Center NBFC”supported by the project NODES,which has received funding from the MUR-M4C21.5 of PNRR funded by the European Union-Next Generation EU(ECS00000036-CUP[D17G22000150001])。
文摘Alpine tundra ecosystems are highly sensitive to climate change,particularly due to their dependence on the duration and timing of snow cover.This study investigated the effects of the climate extreme years 2022 and 2023 on carbon(C)and nitrogen(N)forms in two alpine tundra communities:snowbed(SB)and Carex curvula(CC),located at high elevation in the North-West(NW)Italian Alps.During these years,both sites experienced exceptionally low snow cover duration and elevated mean soil temperature during the snow-free season.Dissolved organic carbon(DOC)concentrations significantly increased by+65%in SB and+42%in CC compared to 2016-2021,likely reflecting enhanced microbial decomposition of organic matter.In contrast,soil ammonium and nitrate levels showed no significant changes,indicating differential responses between C and N processes.These findings suggest that DOC is a sensitive(early)indicator of climate-induced shifts in soil functioning.Given the critical role of alpine tundra in global C cycling,understanding DOC dynamics under climate extreme events is crucial to predict future ecosystem feedback to global change.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2006CB400505) and the National NaturalSciences Foundation of China (Nos. 49971056 and 40171007)
文摘The principles of remotely estimating grassland cover density in an alpine meadow soil from space lie in the synchronous collection of in situ samples with the satellite pass and statistically linking these cover densities to their image properties according to their geographic coordinates. The principles and procedures for quantifying grassland cover density from satellite image data were presented with an example from Qinghai Lake, China demonstrating how quantification could be made more accurate through the integrated use of remote sensing and global positioning systems (GPS). An empirical model was applied to an entire satellite image to convert pixel values into ground cover density. Satellite data based on 68 field samples was used to produce a map of ten cover densities. After calibration a strong linear regression relationship (r2 = 0.745) between pixel values on the satellite image and in situ measured grassland cover density was established with an 89% accuracy level. However, to minimize positional uncertainty of field samples, integrated use of hyperspatial satellite data and GPS could be utilized. This integration could reduce disparity in ground and space sampling intervals, and improve future quantification accuracy even more.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41501219)
文摘Alpine meadow ecosystem is fragile and highly sensitive to climate change.An understanding of the allocation of above-and below-ground plant biomass and correlations with environmental factors in alpine meadow ecosystem can result in better protection and effective utilization of alpine meadow vegetation.We chose an alpine meadow in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China as the study area and designed experimental warming plots using a randomized block experimental design.We used single-tube infrared radiators as warming devices,established the warming treatments,and measured plant above- （AGB） and below-ground biomass （BGB） during the growing seasons （May to September） in 2012 and 2013.We determined the allocation of biomass and the relationship between biomass and soil environment under the warming treatment.Biomass indices including above-ground biomass,below-ground biomass and the ratio of root to shoot （R/S） ,and soil factors including soil moisture and soil temperature at different depths were measured.The results showed that （1） BGB of the alpine meadow had the most significant allometric correlation with its AGB （y=298.7x~ （0.44） ,P〈0.001） ,but the relationship decreased under warming treatment and the determination coefficient of the functional equation was 0.102 which was less than that of 0.188 of the unwarming treatment （control） ; （2） BGB increased,especially in the deeper soil layers under warming treatment （P〉0.05） .At 0–10 cm soil depth,the percentages of BGB under warming treatment were smaller than those of the control treatment with the decreases being 8.52% and 8.23% in 2012 and 2013,respectively.However,the BGB increased 2.13% and 2.06% in 2012 and 2013,respectively,at 10–50 cm soil depths; （3） BGB had significant positive correlations with soil moisture at 100 cm depth and with soil temperature at 20–100 cm depths （P〈0.05） ,but the mean correlation coefficient of soil temperature was 0.354,greater than the 0.245 of soil moisture.R/S ratio had a significant negative correlation with soil temperature at 20 cm depth （P〈0.05） .The warmer soil temperatures in shallow layers increased the biomass allocation to above-ground plant parts,which leading to the increase in AGB;whereas the enhanced thawing of frozen soil in deep layers causing by warming treatment produced more moisture that affected plant biomass allocation.
基金supported by the Global Change Research Program of China (2010CB951404)in part by the Important Orientation Projects of the CAS (KZCX2-YW-Q03-04)+2 种基金The Outstanding Youth Foundation Project, National Natural ScienceFoundation of China (Grant No. 40625004)The State Key Program of National Natural Science of China (Grant No.41030741)The State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering Open Fund (SKLFSE200804)
文摘Alpine soil infiltration process is an important part of the hydrological characteristics of alpine soil in permafrost. This research is carried out in the source region of the Yellow River where the permafrost is severely degraded, using various methods for choosing typical sample areas, and to experiment, study and simulate the soil water curve, soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil infiltration and soil moisture under different characteristics of degraded vegetation. The results indicate that the empirical equation θ=AS-B, proposed by Gradner and Visser, is very reliable in simulating the soil moisture curve; soil saturated hydraulic conductivity and soil infiltration are significantly different under different vegetation coverage： in the soil surface within 0-10 cm, the saturated hydraulic conductivity and infiltration intensity of Black Beach are the strongest; respectively, in soil layers below 30 cm, vegetation has almost no impacts on the saturated hydraulic conductivity, infiltration intensity and soil moisture content. Significant reduction of soil moisture occurs in soil surfaces with degraded vegetation. The more serious the degradation, the more water loss, and it can be up to 38.6% in the worst situation. Soil moisture of developed vegetation root systems in depths within 10-20 cm has the greatest impact on the soil environment, and the loss of moisture induces difficulty in the restoration of degraded meadows. Through a comparative study, the Kostiakov infiltration equationf（t） = at-b is more applicable for studies on the process of soil moisture infiltration of the alpine meadow in the source region of the Yellow River.
文摘Seasonally frozen soil in alpine and subalpine zones in the mountains of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is particularly sensitive to global climate change. Therefore, a better understanding of the thermal properties of frozen soil is crucial for predicting the responses of frozen soils to soil warming. In this study, thermal properties of frozen soil with different moisture contents under subzero temperature (0°C - 20°C) in an alpine forest in western Sichuan were analyzed by KD<sub>2</sub> Pro in its cooling and heating processes, respectively. Our results reveal that the soil apparent volumetric specific heat capacity (C<sub>v</sub>) and apparent thermal conductivity (K) under the same water content show similar response patterns to changing temperature lower than -2°C in both heating and cooling processes. Moreover, ice content of frozen soils can be well predicted by Logistic model in cooling and heating processes. The C<sub>v</sub> and K tend to increase along with increasing soil moisture contents. Remarkably, asymptotic characters of the value of C<sub>v</sub> and K are at the vicinity of the initial temperature of phase transitions, indicating that both C<sub>v</sub> and K are particularly sensitive to changing soil temperature at the range of -2°C to 0°C. Therefore, the widely distributed frozen soil layers with temperature above -2°C in alpine and subalpine zones over Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau are susceptible to the observed climate warming during cold season.
基金supported by the National Key Technology R&D Program of China(No.2009BAC61B01)the National Basic Research Program(973Program) of China(No.2012CB95570002)the Innovative Team(Investigation and Management for Agricultural Land Resource) of Predominant Science and Technology in Chinese Academy of Agricultural Engineering
文摘Bulk density(BD) is an important soil physical property and has significant effect on soil water conservation function. Indirect methods, which are called pedotransfer functions(PTFs), have replaced direct measurement and can acquire the missing data of BD during routine soil surveys. In this study, multiple linear regression(MLR) and artificial neuron network(ANN) methods were used to develop PTFs for predicting BD from soil organic carbon(OC), texture and depth in the Three-River Headwater region of Qinghai Province, China. The performances of the developed PTFs were compared with 14 published PTFs using four indexes, the mean error(ME), standard deviation error(SDE), root mean squared error(RMSE) and coefficient of determination(R^2). Results showed that the performances of published PTFs developed using exponential regression were better than those developed using linear regression from OC. Alexander(1980)-B, Alexander(1980)-A and Manrique and Jones(1991)-B PTFs, which had good predictions, could be applied for the soils in the study area. The PTFs developed using MLR(MLR-PTFs) and ANN(ANN-PTFs) had better soil BD predictions than most of published PTFs. The ANN-PTFs had better performances than the MLR-PTFs and their performances could be improved when soil texture and depth were added as predictor variables. The idea of developing PTFs for predicting soil BD in the study area could provide reference for other areas and the results could lay foundation for the estimation of soil water retention and carbon pool.
基金Sponsored by Natural Science Foundation of China(31360569)Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem Program(CYZS-2011007)Modern Agricultural Technical System of Gansu Agricultural University CARS-35
文摘Three alpine meadows were chosen from the eastern margin of the Qilian Mountain：Polygonum viviparum meadow（P）,Stipa capillata grassland（S）and Rhododendron simsii shrub meadow（R）;LI-8100 A soil CO2 flux auto-monitoring system and lab analysis were applied to analyze the soil organic carbon density,dynamics of carbon flux,and their relationship with environmental factors.The results showed that different vegetations varied greatly in soil organic carbon density：R 〉 S 〉 P,and the soil carbon density reduced with the increasing depth;soil CO2flux：S 〉 P 〉 R,and sample plot P and S showed unimodal changes.The peak values appeared at 14：00-15：00 p.m.;soil CO2 flux was negatively correlated with near-ground air humidity and carbon content,positively correlated with soil temperature and near-ground air temperature,and showed no obvious correlation with soil moisture.
文摘With the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China,a collaborative study by the research groups led by Prof.Feng Xiaojuan(冯晓娟)from the Institute of Botany,Chinese Academy of Sciences and Prof.He Jinsheng(贺金生)from Peking University demonstrates the under-investigated role of iron(Fe)in mediating soil enzyme activity
基金supported by the Second Qinghai-Xizang Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(2019QZKK0306 and 2019QZKK0308)
文摘Alpine forest soil in the southeastern Qinghai–Xizang Plateau plays a crucial role in regional and global climate and biogeochemical cycles,yet the elevational distribution of soil nitrogen(N)availability and losing risk is unresolved.In this study,we characterized soil N composition and key N transformation processes across different elevations in 3 typical mounts of the Qinghai–Xizang Plateau.In contrast to previous suggestions,soil total N and ammonium are found to accumulate in high elevation zones.This accumulation of N at higher altitudes is due to a consistent soil net N mineralization rate coupled with an extremely low net nitrification rate,which is suppressed by low p H and high soil moisture in high elevation zones.Moreover,the elevated rates of biological N fixation along the elevation further contribute to N accumulation in high elevation regions in which the acid-tolerant Bradyrhizobium,plant-associated Herbaspirillum,and Klebsiella are identified as the key diazotrophic microbial taxa responsible for active N fixation.Collectively,our results suggest that total N and NH_(4)^(+)-N accumulation in higher altitude zone is a ubiquitous phenomenon in the southeast Qinghai–Xizang Plateau,with lower nitrification rates and higher biological nitrogen fixation being key processes enabling this occurrence.
