Temperature and freeze-thaw events are two key factors controlling litter decomposition in cold biomes.Predicted global warming and changes in freeze-thaw cycles therefore may directly or indirectly impact litter deco...Temperature and freeze-thaw events are two key factors controlling litter decomposition in cold biomes.Predicted global warming and changes in freeze-thaw cycles therefore may directly or indirectly impact litter decomposition in those ecosystems. Here, we conducted a2-year-long litter decomposition experiment along an elevational gradient from 3000 to 3600 m to determine the potential effects of litter quality, climate warming and freeze-thaw on the mass losses of three litter types [dragon spruce（Picea asperata Mast.）, red birch（Betula albosinensis Burk.）, and minjiang fir（Abies faxoniana Rehd. et Wild）]. Marked differences in mass loss were observed among the litter types and sampling dates. Decay constant（k） values of red birch were significantly higher than those of the needle litters. However, mass losses between elevations did not differ significantly for any litter type.During the winter, lost mass contributed 18.3-28.8 % of the net loss rates of the first year. Statistical analysis showed that the relationships between mass loss and litter chemistry or their ratios varied with decomposition periods. Our results indicated that short-term field incubations could overestimate the k value of litter decomposition.Considerable mass was lost from subalpine forest litters during the wintertime. Potential future warming may not affect the litter decomposition in the subalpine forest ecosystems of eastern Tibetan Plateau.展开更多
Recently, a phylogenetic diversity and community structure analysis as complementary to species-centric approaches in biodiversity studies provides new insights into the processes of community assembly. In this study,...Recently, a phylogenetic diversity and community structure analysis as complementary to species-centric approaches in biodiversity studies provides new insights into the processes of community assembly. In this study, we analyzed species and phylogenetic diversity and community structures for woody and herbaceous plants along two elevational transects on Mt. Baekhwa, South Korea. The species richness and phylogenetic diversity of woody plants showed monotonic declining patterns with increasing elevation along all transects, whereas herbaceous plants showed different patterns, such as no relationship and a reversed unimodal pattern, between the study transects. The main drivers of these patterns were climate and habitat variables for woody and herbaceous plants, respectively. In addition, the phylogenetic community structure primarily showed phylogenetic clustering regulated by deterministic processes, especially environmental filtering, such as climate or habitat factors, along the two transects, although herbaceous plants along a transect depicted phylogenetic randomness as a result of a neutral process. Our findings suggest that deterministic and neutral processes may simultaneously control the community structures along small-scale elevational gradients such as local transects, although the deterministic process may be the predominant type.展开更多
Understanding the vertical distribution patterns of soil microbial community and its driving factors in alpine grasslands in the humid regions of the Tibet Plateau might be of great significance for predicting the soi...Understanding the vertical distribution patterns of soil microbial community and its driving factors in alpine grasslands in the humid regions of the Tibet Plateau might be of great significance for predicting the soil microbial community of this type of vegetation in response to environmental change. Using phospholipid fatty acids （PLFA）, we investigated soil microbial community composition along an elevational gradient （3094-4131 m above sea level） on Mount Yajiageng, and we explored the impact of plant functional groups and soil chemistry on the soil microbial community. Except for Arbuscular Mycorrhizal fungi （AM fungi） biomarker 18：2ω6,9 increasing significantly, other biomarkers did not show a consistent trend with the elevational gradient. Microbial biomass quantified by total PLFAs did not show the elevational trend and had mean values ranging from 1.64 to 4.09 ktmol per g organic carbon （OC）, which had the maximum value at the highest site. Bacterial PLFAs exhibited a similar trend with total PLFAs, and its mean values ranged from 0.82 to 1.81 μmol （g OC）-1. The bacterial to fungal biomass ratios had the minimum value at the highest site, which might be related to temperature and soil total nitrogen （TN）. The ratios of Gram-negative to Gram-positive bacteria had a significantly negative correlation with soil TN and had the maximum value at the highest site. Leguminous plant coverage and soil TN explained 58% of the total variation in the soil microbial community and could achieve the same interpretation as the whole model. Other factors may influence the soil microbial community through interaction with leguminous plant coverage and soil TN. Soil chemistry and plant functional group composition in substantial amounts explained different parts of the variation within the soil microbial community, and the interaction between them had no impact on the soil microbial community maybe beeause long-term grazing greatly reduces litter. In sum, although there were obvious differences in soil microbial communities along the elevation gradient, there were no clear elevational trends found in general. Plant functional groups and soil chemistry respectively affect the different aspects of soil microbial community. Leguminous plant coverage and soil TN had important effects in shaping soil microbial community.展开更多
Mountain systems harbor an evolutionarily unique and exceptionally rich biodiversity,especially for amphibians.However,the associated elevational gradients and underlying mechanisms of amphibian diversity in most moun...Mountain systems harbor an evolutionarily unique and exceptionally rich biodiversity,especially for amphibians.However,the associated elevational gradients and underlying mechanisms of amphibian diversity in most mountain systems remain poorly understood.Here,we explored amphibian phylogenetic and functional diversity along a 2600 m elevational gradient on Mount Emei on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in southwestern China.We also assessed the relative importance of spatial(area)and environmental factors(temperature,precipitation,solar radiation,normalized difference vegetation index,and potential evapotranspiration)in shaping amphibian distribution and community structure.Results showed that the phylogenetic and functional diversities were unimodal with elevation,while the standardized effect size of phylogenetic and functional diversity increased linearly with elevation.Phylogenetic net relatedness,nearest taxon index,and functional net relatedness index all showed a positive to negative trend with elevation,indicating a shift from clustering to overdispersion and suggesting a potential change in key processes from environmental filtering to competitive exclusion.Overall,our results illustrate the importance of deterministic processes in structuring amphibian communities in subtropical mountains,with the dominant role potentially switching with elevation.This study provides insights into the underlying assembly mechanisms of mountain amphibians,integrating multidimensional diversity.展开更多
Mountainous ecosystems are considered highly sensitive and vulnerable to natural disasters and cli- rnatic changes. Therefore, quantifying the effects of elevation on grassland productivity to understand ecosys- tem-c...Mountainous ecosystems are considered highly sensitive and vulnerable to natural disasters and cli- rnatic changes. Therefore, quantifying the effects of elevation on grassland productivity to understand ecosys- tem-climate interactions is vital for mountainous ecosystems. Water-use efficiency （WUE） provides a useful index for understanding the metabolism of terrestrial ecosystems as well as for evaluating the degradation of grasslands. This paper explored net primary productivity （NPP） and WUE in grasslands along an elevational gradient ranging from 400 to 3,400 m asl in the northern Tianshan Mountains-southern Junggar Basin （TMJB）, Xinjiang of China, using the Biome-BGC model. The results showed that： 1 ） the NPP increased by 0.05 g C/（m2-a） with every increase of 1-m elevation, reached the maximum at the mid-high elevation （1,600 m asl）, and then decreased by 0.06 g C/（m2.a） per 1-m increase in elevation; 2） the grassland NPP was positively correlated with temperature in alpine meadow （AM, 2,700-3,500 m asl）, mid-mountain forest meadow （MMFM, 1,650-2,700 m asl） and low-mountain dry grassland （LMDG, 650-1,650 m asl）, while positive correlations were found between NPP and annual precipitation in plain desert grassland （PDG, lower than 650 m asl）; 3） an increase （from 0.08 to 1.09 g C/（m2.a）） in mean NPP for the grassland in TMJB under a real climate change scenario was observed from 1959 to 2009; and 4） remarkable differences in WUE were found among different elevations, in general, WUE increased with decreasing elevation, because water availability is lower at lower elevations; however, at elevations lower than 540 m asl, we did observe a decreasing trend of WUE with decreasing elevation, which may be due to the sharp changes in canopy cover over this gradient. Our research suggests that the NPP simulated by Biome-BGC is consistent with field data, and the modeling provides an opportunity to further evaluate interactions between environmental factors and ecosystem productivity.展开更多
Soil seed banks are a vital part of ecosystems and influence community dynamics and regeneration.Although soil seed banks in different habitats have been reported, how soil seed banks vary with elevational gradients i...Soil seed banks are a vital part of ecosystems and influence community dynamics and regeneration.Although soil seed banks in different habitats have been reported, how soil seed banks vary with elevational gradients in different climatic zones is still unknown. This paper investigates seed density,species composition and nonconstituent species of forest soil seed banks in Yunnan Province, southwest China. Similarity between the soil seed bank and standing vegetation was also examined. We collected soil samples from sites spanning 12 elevations in tropical rain forests, subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests and subalpine coniferous forests, and transported them to a glasshouse for germination trials for species identification. The soil seed banks of tropical and subtropical forests had much higher seed densities and species richness than those of subalpine forests. Seeds of woody species dominated the soil seed banks of tropical and subtropical forests, while herbs dominated those of subalpine forests.The nonconstituent species in the soil seed banks were all herbs and were most abundant in tropical forests, followed by subtropical forests but were completely absent from subalpine forests.展开更多
In mountain ecosystems,plants are sensitive to climate changes,and an entire range of species distribution can be observed in a small area.Therefore,mountains are of great interest for climate–growth relationship ana...In mountain ecosystems,plants are sensitive to climate changes,and an entire range of species distribution can be observed in a small area.Therefore,mountains are of great interest for climate–growth relationship analysis.In this study,the Siberian spruce’s(Picea obovata Ledeb.)radial growth and its climatic response were investigated in the Western Sayan Mountains,near the SayanoShushenskoe Reservoir.Sampling was performed at three sites along an elevational gradient:at the lower border of the species range,in the middle,and at the treeline.Divergence of growth trends between individual trees was observed at each site,with microsite landscape-soil conditions as the most probable driver of this phenomenon.Cluster analysis of individual tree-ring width series based on inter-serial correlation was carried out,resulting in two sub-set chronologies being developed for each site.These chronologies appear to have substantial differences in their climatic responses,mainly during the cold season.This response was not constant due to regional climatic change and the local influence of the nearby Sayano-Shushenskoe Reservoir.The main response of spruce to growing season conditions has a typical elevational pattern expected in mountains:impact of temperature shifts with elevation from positive to negative,and impact of precipitation shifts in the opposite direction.Chronologies of trees,growing under more severe micro-conditions,are very sensitive to temperature during September–April and to precipitation during October–December,and they record both inter-annual and long-term climatic variation.Consequently,it would be interesting to test if they indicate the Siberian High anticyclone,which is the main driver of these climatic factors.展开更多
The Andean forests of northern Ecuador are known for their high levels of plant diversity relative to the area they occupy.Typically,these forests grow on steep slopes that lead to dramatic habitat gradients across sh...The Andean forests of northern Ecuador are known for their high levels of plant diversity relative to the area they occupy.Typically,these forests grow on steep slopes that lead to dramatic habitat gradients across short distances.These extreme habitat gradients make the Andean forest ecosystem an excellent natural laboratory for understanding the effect of elevation on forest community diversity,structure and composition.We established 31 plots(50 m×5 m)which are divided between two elevational transects in the cloud forest of the Siempre Verde Reserve in the western foothills of the Andes Mountains of northern Ecuador.All trees and tree ferns with a diameter at breast height(dbh)≥5 cm were measured and identified.We examined changes in community composition,structure,and diversity along and between the elevational transects and three elevational zones:low(2437–2700 m),middle(2756–3052 m),and high(3163–3334 m).We found four main trends associated with the elevational gradients at this site:(1)community composition differed between the two transects and among the three elevational zones according to N-MDS,ANOSIM,and percentage of shared species,with some species having limited distributions,(2)metrics of community structure showed opposite relationships with elevation,depending on the transect,with the only significant relationship(negative)found between basal area and elevation in the open trail transect,(3)alpha diversity,in general,peaked at mid-elevations,and(4)beta diversity consistently increased with distance between plots along elevation.The complexity of changes in community composition,structure,and alpha diversity along elevation may be related to the heterogeneity of the environment on a local scale,such as topography,soil composition,and even human impact,or to dispersal limitation and should be investigated further.These changes in community composition and the relatively high beta diversity found at this site exemplify the biological complexity of montane forest,reinforcing arguments from other studies on the importance of their conservation.展开更多
The avifauna in Tajikistan has been widely studied for the last century,but specific work on species richness pattern along elevation gradients in Tajikistan is rarely investigated.Here,we reported the first study of ...The avifauna in Tajikistan has been widely studied for the last century,but specific work on species richness pattern along elevation gradients in Tajikistan is rarely investigated.Here,we reported the first study of bird species richness(BSR)in the high-altitude mountain systems(Tien Shan and Pamir-Alay)of Tajikistan which are very sensitive to the recent climate changes.We aim to explore the relationship of BSR pattern with elevation gradient and to determine the potential drivers underlying the patterns.We collected occurrence data from field surveys,published articles,and open access websites to compile a list of bird species along elevational gradients across the whole country.The BSR was counted by 100 m elevational bands ranging from 294 m to 5146 m.The patterns of BSR were calculated separately for five groups:all breeding birds,Passeriformes,Non-Passeriformes,large elevational range species,and small elevational range species.We calculated ecological and climatic factors of planimetric area,mid-domain effect(MDE),habitat heterogeneity(HH),mean annual temperature(MAT),temperature annual range(TAR),annual precipitation(AP),normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI),human influence index(HII),and human disturbance(HD)in each elevational band.A combination of polynomial regression,Pearson’s correlation,and general least squares model analyses were used to test the effects of these factors on the BSR.A unimodal distribution pattern with a peak at 750-1950 m was observed for all breeding birds.The similar pattern was explored for Passeriformes and Non-Passeriformes,while species with different elevational range sizes had different shapes and peak elevations.For all the breeding birds and Passeriformes,BSR was significantly related to spatial,climate and human influence factors,while BSR of Non-Passeriformes positively correlated with all the given factors.First,second and fourth range classes of birds were significantly correlated with human influence factors.Moreover,large-ranged species had positive correlations with the middomain effect and weakly with habitat heterogeneity.We found that area,MAT and AP were the main factors to explain the richness pattern of birds,and the species richness increases with these three factors increasing.Multiple factors such as area and climate explain 84%of the variation in richness.Bivariate and multiple regression analyses revealed a consistent influence of spatial and climate factors in shaping the richness pattern for nearly all bird groups.展开更多
Background Identifying the processes that govern community assembly along elevational gradients has been a central theme in ecology,especially in montane ecosystems where abundant species and strong turnover are prese...Background Identifying the processes that govern community assembly along elevational gradients has been a central theme in ecology,especially in montane ecosystems where abundant species and strong turnover are present.However,our understanding of how the relative importance of deterministic and stochastic processes varies along elevational gradients remains limited.Here,we compiled a rigorously curated dataset of elevational distributions of 734 breeding bird species across the Hengduan Mountains in China to assess the dominant underlying mechanisms of bird community assembly at both intra-community and inter-community scales across four elevation zones:low,middle,subalpine,and alpine.Results At the intra-community scale,homogeneous dispersal played a pivotal role in driving community assembly of breeding birds across the Hengduan Mountains.Deterministic processes became more influential with increasing elevation,whereas stochastic processes prevailed in low,middle,and subalpine zones.At inter-community scale,assemblages from different elevation zones were more differentiated by dispersal limitation.Non-Passeriformes experienced more obvious influence of homogeneous dispersal but were less subject to dispersal limitation compared to Passeriformes.Conclusions Our findings highlight the role of stochastic processes in shaping biotic communities in montane ecosystems,but this effect is scale-dependent.The transition from stochastic to deterministic processes along elevational gradients suggests that environmental factors become more influential at higher elevations.Species dispersal ability may affect the relative importance of these two processes shaping community assembly.展开更多
Background Understanding the patterns and processes of species distributions has long remained a central focus of biogeographical and ecological research.While the evidence for elevational patterns in species richness...Background Understanding the patterns and processes of species distributions has long remained a central focus of biogeographical and ecological research.While the evidence for elevational patterns in species richness is widespread,our understanding of underlying causes and mechanisms remains limited.Therefore,this study aimed to entangle the infuence of environmental variables on plant species richness along elevational gradients in the Western Himalayas.Methods We compiled elevational distribution for about 1150 vascular plants using the published literature and available database.The species richness was estimated in 100-m elevational bands using the range interpolation method.We used the generalised linear model and structural equation modelling(SEM)framework to identify the direct and indirect efects of climatic factors on species richness.Results Our results indicated that primary environmental correlates of species richness varied with elevational gradients.Climatic variables combined with energy and water availability were more important than the topographic heterogeneity.Further,the direct and interaction efects of climatic variables were more substantial than their indirect efects.The indirect efects of climate are more strongly mediated by water–energy dynamics than the energy alone.Conclusions Overall,our fndings emphasise the importance of considering direct efects and interactions among environmental variables while studying the underlying mechanisms governing elevational biodiversity gradients.Species richness appeared to be shaped by climatic tolerances rather than habitat heterogeneity at regional scales.This information can have implications for biodiversity dynamics under environmental change.展开更多
Understanding how and why assemblage dissimilarity changes along spatial gradient is a great challenge in ecology,because answers to these questions depend on the analytical types,dimensions,and components of beta div...Understanding how and why assemblage dissimilarity changes along spatial gradient is a great challenge in ecology,because answers to these questions depend on the analytical types,dimensions,and components of beta diversity we concerned.To obtain a comprehensive understanding of assemblage dissimilarity and its implications for biodiversity conservation in the Himalayas,we explored the elevational patterns and determinants of beta diversity and its turnover and nestedness components of pairwise and multiple types and taxonomic and phylogenetic dimensions simultaneously.Patterns of beta diversity and their components of different types and dimensions were calculated based on 96 sampling quadrats along an 1800-5400 m elevational gradient.We examined whether and how these patterns differed from random expectations using null models.Furthermore,we used random forest methods to quantify the role of environmental variables representing climate,topography,and human disturbance in determining these patterns.We found that beta diversity and its turnover component,regardless of its types and dimensions,shown a hump-shaped elevational patterns.Both pairwise and multiple phylogenetic beta diversity were remarkably lower than their taxonomic counterpart.These patterns were significantly less than random expectation and were mostly associated with climate variables.In summary,our results suggested that assemblage dissimilarity of seed plants was mostly originate from the replacement of closely related species determined by climate-driven environmental filtering.Accordingly,conservation efforts should better cover elevations with different climate types to maximalize biodiversity conservation,rather than only focus on elevations with highest species richness.Our study demonstrated that comparisons of beta diversity of different types,dimensions,and components could be conductive to consensus on the origin and mechanism of assemblage dissimilarity.展开更多
Climate change in High Mountain Asia(HMA)is characterized by elevation dependence,which results in vertical zoning of vegetation distribution.However,few studies have been conducted on the distribution patterns of veg...Climate change in High Mountain Asia(HMA)is characterized by elevation dependence,which results in vertical zoning of vegetation distribution.However,few studies have been conducted on the distribution patterns of vegetation,the response of vegetation to climate change,and the key climatic control factors of vegetation along the elevation gradient in this region.In this study,based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation index(NDVI),we investigated the evolution pattern of vegetation in HMA during 2001-2020 using linear trend and Bayesian Estimator of Abrupt change,Seasonality,and Trend(BEAST)methods.Pearson correlation analysis and partial correlation analysis were used to explore the response relationship between vegetation and climatic factors along the elevation gradient.Path analysis was employed to quantitatively reveal the dominant climatic factors affecting vegetation distribution along the elevation gradient.The results showed that NDVI in HMA increased at a rate of 0.011/10a from 2001 to 2020,and the rate of increase abruptly slowed down after 2017.NDVI showed a fluctuating increase at elevation zones 1-2(<2500 m)and then decreased at elevation zones 3-9(2500-6000 m)with the increase of elevation.NDVI was most sensitive to precipitation and temperature at a 1-month lag.With the increase of elevation,the positive response relationship of NDVI with precipitation gradually weakened,while that of NDVI with temperature was the opposite.The total effect coefficient of precipitation(0.95)on vegetation was larger than that of temperature(0.87),indicating that precipitation is the dominant control factor affecting vegetation growth.Spacially,vegetation growth is jointly influenced by precipitation and temperature,but the influence of precipitation on vegetation growth is dominant at each elevation zone.The results of this study contribute to understanding how the elevation gradient effect influences the response of vegetation to climate change in alpine ecosystems.展开更多
Mountain systems are unique for studying the responses of species distribution and diversity to environmental changes along elevational gradients.It is well known that free-living diazotrophic microorganisms are impor...Mountain systems are unique for studying the responses of species distribution and diversity to environmental changes along elevational gradients.It is well known that free-living diazotrophic microorganisms are important to nitrogen cycling in mountain systems.However,the elevational patterns of free-living diazotrophs and the underlying ecological processes in controlling their turnover along broader gradients are less well documented.Here,we investigated the pattern of diazotrophic diversity along the elevational gradient(1800 m-4100 m)in Mount Gongga of China.The results showed that the α-diversity of diazotrophs did not change with the elevation from 1800 m to 2800 m,but decreased at elevations above 3000 m.Such diversity pattern was driven mainly by soil total carbon,nitrogen,and plant richness.Various diazotrophic taxa showed differential abundance-elevation relationships.Ecological processes determining diazotrophic community assemblage shift along the elevations.Deterministic processes were relatively stronger at both low and high elevations,whereas stochastic processes were stronger at the middle elevation.This study also suggested a strong relationship among aboveground plants and diazotrophs,highlighting their potential interactions,even for free-living diazotrophs.展开更多
Background Soil fauna is an important driver of carbon(C)and nitrogen(N)release from decomposing litter in forest ecosystems.However,its role in C and N cycling concerning climate and litter traits remains less known....Background Soil fauna is an important driver of carbon(C)and nitrogen(N)release from decomposing litter in forest ecosystems.However,its role in C and N cycling concerning climate and litter traits remains less known.In a 4-year field experiment,we evaluated the effects of soil fauna on litter C and N release across an elevation gradient(453,945,3023,and 3582 m)and litter traits(coniferous vs.broadleaf)in southwestern China.Results Our results showed that N was retained by–0.4%to 31.5%,but C was immediately released during the early stage(156–516 days)of decomposition for most litter species.Soil fauna significantly increased the peak N content and N retention across litter species,but reduced the C/N ratio for certain species(i.e.,Juniperus saltuaria,Betula albosinensis,Quercus acutissima,and Pinus massoniana litter),leading to more C and N being released from decomposing litter across the elevation gradient.Contributions of soil fauna to C and N release were 3.87–9.90%and 1.10–8.71%,respectively,across litter species after 4 years of decomposition.Soil environment and initial litter quality factors caused by elevation directly affected litter C and N release.Changes in soil fauna resulting from elevation and fauna exclusion factors had a direct or indirect impact on C and N release during litter decomposition.Conclusions Our findings suggest that soil fauna promote C and N release from decomposing litter in different magnitudes,mainly controlled by environmental conditions(i.e.,temperature and moisture),litter quality(i.e.,lignin and cellulose content,and lignin/cellulose),and its diversity across the elevation gradient.展开更多
Aims There are different components of carbon(C)pools in a natural forest ecosystem:biomass,soil,litter and woody debris.We asked how these pools changed with elevation in one of China’s ecologically important forest...Aims There are different components of carbon(C)pools in a natural forest ecosystem:biomass,soil,litter and woody debris.We asked how these pools changed with elevation in one of China’s ecologically important forest ecosystem,i.e.beech(Fagus L.,Fagaceae)forests,and what were the underlying driving factors of such variation.Methods The four C pools in nine beech forests were investigated along an elevational gradient(1095–1930 m)on Mt.Fanjingshan in Guizhou Province,Southwest China.Variance partitioning was used to explore the relative effects of stand age,climate and other factors on C storage.In addition,we compared the four C pools to other beech forests in Guizhou Province and worldwide.Important Findings The total C pools of beech forest ecosystems ranged from 190.5 to 504.3 Mg C ha^(–1),mainly attributed to biomass C(accounting for 33.7–73.9%)and soil C(accounting for 23.9–65.5%).No more than 4%of ecosystem C pools were stored in woody debris(0.05–3.1%)and litter(0.2–0.7%).Ecosystem C storage increased significantly with elevation,where both the biomass and woody debris C pools increased with elevation,while those of litter and soil exhibited no such trend.For the Guizhou beech forests,climate and stand age were found to be key drivers of the elevational patterns of ecosystem and biomass C storage,while for beech forests globally,stand age was the most important predictor.Compared to beech forests worldwide,beech forests in Guizhou Province displayed a relatively higher biomass C accumulation rate,which may be explained by a much higher precipitation in this area.The present study provides basic data for understanding the C budgets of Chinese beech forests and their possible roles in regional C cycling and emphasizes the general importance of stand age and climate on C accumulation.展开更多
Background:So far,macroecological studies in the Himalaya have mostly concentrated on spatial variation of overall species richness along the elevational gradient.Very few studies have attempted to document the difere...Background:So far,macroecological studies in the Himalaya have mostly concentrated on spatial variation of overall species richness along the elevational gradient.Very few studies have attempted to document the diference in elevational richness patterns of native and exotic species.In this study,this knowledge gap is addressed by integrating data on phylogeny and elevational distribution of species to identify the variation in species richness,phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic structure of exotic and native plant species along an elevational gradient in the Himalaya.Results:Species distribution patterns for exotic and native species difered;exotics tended to show maximum species richness at low elevations while natives tended to predominate at mid-elevations.Native species assemblages showed higher phylogenetic diversity than the exotic species assemblages over the entire elevational gradient in the Himalaya.In terms of phylogenetic structure,exotic species assemblages showed majorly phylogenetic clustering while native species assemblages were characterized by phylogenetic overdispersion over the entire gradient.Conclusions:The fndings of this study indicate that areas with high native species richness and phylogenetic diversity are less receptive to exotic species and vice versa in the Himalaya.Species assemblages with high native phylogenetic overdispersion are less receptive to exotic species than the phylogenetically clustered assemblages.Diferent ecological processes(ecological fltering in case of exotics and resource and niche competition in case of natives)may govern the distribution of exotic and native species along the elevational gradient in the Himalaya.展开更多
Grasslands in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau play an important role in preserving ecological security and high biodiversity in this region.However,the distribution of the composition and structure of plant community and t...Grasslands in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau play an important role in preserving ecological security and high biodiversity in this region.However,the distribution of the composition and structure of plant community and the mechanism by which it maintains itself in this region are still poorly understood.Here,we designed 195 grassland plots in 39 grassland sites along an approximately 1700 m elevation gradient on the Northeastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.We found that the grassland community height decreased significantly with increasing elevation,whereas community coverage did not significantly change.With increasing elevation,plant species richness(αdiversity)increased significantly,but the community variability(βdiversity)decreased significantly.The constrained clustering analysis suggested that theα-andβ-diversity in the grasslands transformed gradually with elevation,and that three discontinuous points(based on community structure)were observed at elevation of 3640,4252 and 4333 m.Structural equation modeling(SEM)indicated that the increase in precipitation and the decrease in temperature significantly positively influencedαdiversity,which was negatively correlated withβdiversity.These results demonstrate a quantitative-to-qualitative change in the community composition and structure along this elevational gradient on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.展开更多
The Himalayan high-altitude eco-regions exhibit higher plant species diversity, and several environmental factors play a crucial role in shaping species distribution and diversity. The aim of the present study is to i...The Himalayan high-altitude eco-regions exhibit higher plant species diversity, and several environmental factors play a crucial role in shaping species distribution and diversity. The aim of the present study is to investigate the floristic composition, distribution of endemic, threatened and native taxa across the elevation zones and the effect of various environmental factors on species richness pattern along the elevation gradient in Pangi, a remote highaltitude region of Himalaya. We conducted extensive field surveys covering 31 localities and established elevational transects for assessing species distribution and the factors affecting thereof. Additionally, information on nativity, endemism, and IUCN red-list categories of threatened species were compiled from published and online resources. Data were analysed using regression model and Non-Metric MultiDimensional Scaling(NMDS). In the present study, we recorded a total of 771 plant species across the region. In regression model, the elevation and anthropogenic variables and their interaction showed significant negative effects on the species richness. Species richness was found to decrease with the increasing elevation, showing a humped shaped pattern, with maximum richness observed in the mid-elevations(2,400m to 3,300m above sea level). The pattern of distribution of native and non-native species along the elevation gradient showed opposite trends, and proportion of native species increased towards the higher elevations. Further, NMDS ordination suggests that zone-Ⅰ(2,100-2,500m asl) and zone-Ⅴ(4,001-4,500m asl) had highest differences in species composition, while zone-Ⅰ, zone-Ⅱ(2,501-3,000m asl), and zone-Ⅲ(3,001-3,500m asl) showed higher affinity with respect to their species composition. Thus, the present study revealed that remote and hitherto un-explored Pangi eco-region is rich in floristic diversity and provides pertinent information on the species distribution and composition, and various underlying factors influencing the richness patterns, which is necessary for framing suitable conservation strategies, management plans and futuristic population studies.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(3157044531570601+2 种基金31500509 and31570605)Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China(2013M540714 and 2014T70880)Collaborative Innovation Center of Ecological Security in the Upper Reaches of Yangze River
文摘Temperature and freeze-thaw events are two key factors controlling litter decomposition in cold biomes.Predicted global warming and changes in freeze-thaw cycles therefore may directly or indirectly impact litter decomposition in those ecosystems. Here, we conducted a2-year-long litter decomposition experiment along an elevational gradient from 3000 to 3600 m to determine the potential effects of litter quality, climate warming and freeze-thaw on the mass losses of three litter types [dragon spruce（Picea asperata Mast.）, red birch（Betula albosinensis Burk.）, and minjiang fir（Abies faxoniana Rehd. et Wild）]. Marked differences in mass loss were observed among the litter types and sampling dates. Decay constant（k） values of red birch were significantly higher than those of the needle litters. However, mass losses between elevations did not differ significantly for any litter type.During the winter, lost mass contributed 18.3-28.8 % of the net loss rates of the first year. Statistical analysis showed that the relationships between mass loss and litter chemistry or their ratios varied with decomposition periods. Our results indicated that short-term field incubations could overestimate the k value of litter decomposition.Considerable mass was lost from subalpine forest litters during the wintertime. Potential future warming may not affect the litter decomposition in the subalpine forest ecosystems of eastern Tibetan Plateau.
基金funded by the Korea Green Promotion Agency, Korea Forest Service
文摘Recently, a phylogenetic diversity and community structure analysis as complementary to species-centric approaches in biodiversity studies provides new insights into the processes of community assembly. In this study, we analyzed species and phylogenetic diversity and community structures for woody and herbaceous plants along two elevational transects on Mt. Baekhwa, South Korea. The species richness and phylogenetic diversity of woody plants showed monotonic declining patterns with increasing elevation along all transects, whereas herbaceous plants showed different patterns, such as no relationship and a reversed unimodal pattern, between the study transects. The main drivers of these patterns were climate and habitat variables for woody and herbaceous plants, respectively. In addition, the phylogenetic community structure primarily showed phylogenetic clustering regulated by deterministic processes, especially environmental filtering, such as climate or habitat factors, along the two transects, although herbaceous plants along a transect depicted phylogenetic randomness as a result of a neutral process. Our findings suggest that deterministic and neutral processes may simultaneously control the community structures along small-scale elevational gradients such as local transects, although the deterministic process may be the predominant type.
基金supported by the CAS/SAFEA International Partnership Program for Creative Research Teams (KZZD-EW-TZ-06)
文摘Understanding the vertical distribution patterns of soil microbial community and its driving factors in alpine grasslands in the humid regions of the Tibet Plateau might be of great significance for predicting the soil microbial community of this type of vegetation in response to environmental change. Using phospholipid fatty acids （PLFA）, we investigated soil microbial community composition along an elevational gradient （3094-4131 m above sea level） on Mount Yajiageng, and we explored the impact of plant functional groups and soil chemistry on the soil microbial community. Except for Arbuscular Mycorrhizal fungi （AM fungi） biomarker 18：2ω6,9 increasing significantly, other biomarkers did not show a consistent trend with the elevational gradient. Microbial biomass quantified by total PLFAs did not show the elevational trend and had mean values ranging from 1.64 to 4.09 ktmol per g organic carbon （OC）, which had the maximum value at the highest site. Bacterial PLFAs exhibited a similar trend with total PLFAs, and its mean values ranged from 0.82 to 1.81 μmol （g OC）-1. The bacterial to fungal biomass ratios had the minimum value at the highest site, which might be related to temperature and soil total nitrogen （TN）. The ratios of Gram-negative to Gram-positive bacteria had a significantly negative correlation with soil TN and had the maximum value at the highest site. Leguminous plant coverage and soil TN explained 58% of the total variation in the soil microbial community and could achieve the same interpretation as the whole model. Other factors may influence the soil microbial community through interaction with leguminous plant coverage and soil TN. Soil chemistry and plant functional group composition in substantial amounts explained different parts of the variation within the soil microbial community, and the interaction between them had no impact on the soil microbial community maybe beeause long-term grazing greatly reduces litter. In sum, although there were obvious differences in soil microbial communities along the elevation gradient, there were no clear elevational trends found in general. Plant functional groups and soil chemistry respectively affect the different aspects of soil microbial community. Leguminous plant coverage and soil TN had important effects in shaping soil microbial community.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31770568,32071544)Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai(20ZR1418100)“Light of West China”Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences。
文摘Mountain systems harbor an evolutionarily unique and exceptionally rich biodiversity,especially for amphibians.However,the associated elevational gradients and underlying mechanisms of amphibian diversity in most mountain systems remain poorly understood.Here,we explored amphibian phylogenetic and functional diversity along a 2600 m elevational gradient on Mount Emei on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in southwestern China.We also assessed the relative importance of spatial(area)and environmental factors(temperature,precipitation,solar radiation,normalized difference vegetation index,and potential evapotranspiration)in shaping amphibian distribution and community structure.Results showed that the phylogenetic and functional diversities were unimodal with elevation,while the standardized effect size of phylogenetic and functional diversity increased linearly with elevation.Phylogenetic net relatedness,nearest taxon index,and functional net relatedness index all showed a positive to negative trend with elevation,indicating a shift from clustering to overdispersion and suggesting a potential change in key processes from environmental filtering to competitive exclusion.Overall,our results illustrate the importance of deterministic processes in structuring amphibian communities in subtropical mountains,with the dominant role potentially switching with elevation.This study provides insights into the underlying assembly mechanisms of mountain amphibians,integrating multidimensional diversity.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41271126)the National Basic Research Program of China (2009CB825105)
文摘Mountainous ecosystems are considered highly sensitive and vulnerable to natural disasters and cli- rnatic changes. Therefore, quantifying the effects of elevation on grassland productivity to understand ecosys- tem-climate interactions is vital for mountainous ecosystems. Water-use efficiency （WUE） provides a useful index for understanding the metabolism of terrestrial ecosystems as well as for evaluating the degradation of grasslands. This paper explored net primary productivity （NPP） and WUE in grasslands along an elevational gradient ranging from 400 to 3,400 m asl in the northern Tianshan Mountains-southern Junggar Basin （TMJB）, Xinjiang of China, using the Biome-BGC model. The results showed that： 1 ） the NPP increased by 0.05 g C/（m2-a） with every increase of 1-m elevation, reached the maximum at the mid-high elevation （1,600 m asl）, and then decreased by 0.06 g C/（m2.a） per 1-m increase in elevation; 2） the grassland NPP was positively correlated with temperature in alpine meadow （AM, 2,700-3,500 m asl）, mid-mountain forest meadow （MMFM, 1,650-2,700 m asl） and low-mountain dry grassland （LMDG, 650-1,650 m asl）, while positive correlations were found between NPP and annual precipitation in plain desert grassland （PDG, lower than 650 m asl）; 3） an increase （from 0.08 to 1.09 g C/（m2.a）） in mean NPP for the grassland in TMJB under a real climate change scenario was observed from 1959 to 2009; and 4） remarkable differences in WUE were found among different elevations, in general, WUE increased with decreasing elevation, because water availability is lower at lower elevations; however, at elevations lower than 540 m asl, we did observe a decreasing trend of WUE with decreasing elevation, which may be due to the sharp changes in canopy cover over this gradient. Our research suggests that the NPP simulated by Biome-BGC is consistent with field data, and the modeling provides an opportunity to further evaluate interactions between environmental factors and ecosystem productivity.
基金supported by the National Key Basic Research Program of China (2014CB954100)Yunnan Provincial Foundation of Science and Technology (2014GA003)the QueenslandChinese Academy of Sciences Biotechnology Fund(GJHZ1130)
文摘Soil seed banks are a vital part of ecosystems and influence community dynamics and regeneration.Although soil seed banks in different habitats have been reported, how soil seed banks vary with elevational gradients in different climatic zones is still unknown. This paper investigates seed density,species composition and nonconstituent species of forest soil seed banks in Yunnan Province, southwest China. Similarity between the soil seed bank and standing vegetation was also examined. We collected soil samples from sites spanning 12 elevations in tropical rain forests, subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests and subalpine coniferous forests, and transported them to a glasshouse for germination trials for species identification. The soil seed banks of tropical and subtropical forests had much higher seed densities and species richness than those of subalpine forests. Seeds of woody species dominated the soil seed banks of tropical and subtropical forests, while herbs dominated those of subalpine forests.The nonconstituent species in the soil seed banks were all herbs and were most abundant in tropical forests, followed by subtropical forests but were completely absent from subalpine forests.
基金funded by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project no.17-04-00315)
文摘In mountain ecosystems,plants are sensitive to climate changes,and an entire range of species distribution can be observed in a small area.Therefore,mountains are of great interest for climate–growth relationship analysis.In this study,the Siberian spruce’s(Picea obovata Ledeb.)radial growth and its climatic response were investigated in the Western Sayan Mountains,near the SayanoShushenskoe Reservoir.Sampling was performed at three sites along an elevational gradient:at the lower border of the species range,in the middle,and at the treeline.Divergence of growth trends between individual trees was observed at each site,with microsite landscape-soil conditions as the most probable driver of this phenomenon.Cluster analysis of individual tree-ring width series based on inter-serial correlation was carried out,resulting in two sub-set chronologies being developed for each site.These chronologies appear to have substantial differences in their climatic responses,mainly during the cold season.This response was not constant due to regional climatic change and the local influence of the nearby Sayano-Shushenskoe Reservoir.The main response of spruce to growing season conditions has a typical elevational pattern expected in mountains:impact of temperature shifts with elevation from positive to negative,and impact of precipitation shifts in the opposite direction.Chronologies of trees,growing under more severe micro-conditions,are very sensitive to temperature during September–April and to precipitation during October–December,and they record both inter-annual and long-term climatic variation.Consequently,it would be interesting to test if they indicate the Siberian High anticyclone,which is the main driver of these climatic factors.
基金Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador-Herbario QCA project“Fortalecimiento de la colección del Herbario QCA mediante inventarios botánicos enáreas de vacío de información florística,código K13-056”Siempre Verde Cloud Forest Reserve+1 种基金Columbus State Universitythe Lovett School for financial and logistic support。
文摘The Andean forests of northern Ecuador are known for their high levels of plant diversity relative to the area they occupy.Typically,these forests grow on steep slopes that lead to dramatic habitat gradients across short distances.These extreme habitat gradients make the Andean forest ecosystem an excellent natural laboratory for understanding the effect of elevation on forest community diversity,structure and composition.We established 31 plots(50 m×5 m)which are divided between two elevational transects in the cloud forest of the Siempre Verde Reserve in the western foothills of the Andes Mountains of northern Ecuador.All trees and tree ferns with a diameter at breast height(dbh)≥5 cm were measured and identified.We examined changes in community composition,structure,and diversity along and between the elevational transects and three elevational zones:low(2437–2700 m),middle(2756–3052 m),and high(3163–3334 m).We found four main trends associated with the elevational gradients at this site:(1)community composition differed between the two transects and among the three elevational zones according to N-MDS,ANOSIM,and percentage of shared species,with some species having limited distributions,(2)metrics of community structure showed opposite relationships with elevation,depending on the transect,with the only significant relationship(negative)found between basal area and elevation in the open trail transect,(3)alpha diversity,in general,peaked at mid-elevations,and(4)beta diversity consistently increased with distance between plots along elevation.The complexity of changes in community composition,structure,and alpha diversity along elevation may be related to the heterogeneity of the environment on a local scale,such as topography,soil composition,and even human impact,or to dispersal limitation and should be investigated further.These changes in community composition and the relatively high beta diversity found at this site exemplify the biological complexity of montane forest,reinforcing arguments from other studies on the importance of their conservation.
基金funded by the National Science and Technology Major Project(2018ZX10101004)the Key Collaborative Research Program of the Alliance of International Science Organizations(ANSO-CR-KP-2020-04)Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDA19050202)。
文摘The avifauna in Tajikistan has been widely studied for the last century,but specific work on species richness pattern along elevation gradients in Tajikistan is rarely investigated.Here,we reported the first study of bird species richness(BSR)in the high-altitude mountain systems(Tien Shan and Pamir-Alay)of Tajikistan which are very sensitive to the recent climate changes.We aim to explore the relationship of BSR pattern with elevation gradient and to determine the potential drivers underlying the patterns.We collected occurrence data from field surveys,published articles,and open access websites to compile a list of bird species along elevational gradients across the whole country.The BSR was counted by 100 m elevational bands ranging from 294 m to 5146 m.The patterns of BSR were calculated separately for five groups:all breeding birds,Passeriformes,Non-Passeriformes,large elevational range species,and small elevational range species.We calculated ecological and climatic factors of planimetric area,mid-domain effect(MDE),habitat heterogeneity(HH),mean annual temperature(MAT),temperature annual range(TAR),annual precipitation(AP),normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI),human influence index(HII),and human disturbance(HD)in each elevational band.A combination of polynomial regression,Pearson’s correlation,and general least squares model analyses were used to test the effects of these factors on the BSR.A unimodal distribution pattern with a peak at 750-1950 m was observed for all breeding birds.The similar pattern was explored for Passeriformes and Non-Passeriformes,while species with different elevational range sizes had different shapes and peak elevations.For all the breeding birds and Passeriformes,BSR was significantly related to spatial,climate and human influence factors,while BSR of Non-Passeriformes positively correlated with all the given factors.First,second and fourth range classes of birds were significantly correlated with human influence factors.Moreover,large-ranged species had positive correlations with the middomain effect and weakly with habitat heterogeneity.We found that area,MAT and AP were the main factors to explain the richness pattern of birds,and the species richness increases with these three factors increasing.Multiple factors such as area and climate explain 84%of the variation in richness.Bivariate and multiple regression analyses revealed a consistent influence of spatial and climate factors in shaping the richness pattern for nearly all bird groups.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32130013)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFC2601601)+2 种基金the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research(STEP)program(2019QZKK05010112,2019QZKK0304-02)Dynamic Monitoring of Distribution,Quantity and Activity of Typical Large and Medium-sized Mammals in the Yarlung Tsangpo River Basin(54000022T000000071200)the Institute of Zoology,Chinese Academy of Sciences(2023IOZ0104)
文摘Background Identifying the processes that govern community assembly along elevational gradients has been a central theme in ecology,especially in montane ecosystems where abundant species and strong turnover are present.However,our understanding of how the relative importance of deterministic and stochastic processes varies along elevational gradients remains limited.Here,we compiled a rigorously curated dataset of elevational distributions of 734 breeding bird species across the Hengduan Mountains in China to assess the dominant underlying mechanisms of bird community assembly at both intra-community and inter-community scales across four elevation zones:low,middle,subalpine,and alpine.Results At the intra-community scale,homogeneous dispersal played a pivotal role in driving community assembly of breeding birds across the Hengduan Mountains.Deterministic processes became more influential with increasing elevation,whereas stochastic processes prevailed in low,middle,and subalpine zones.At inter-community scale,assemblages from different elevation zones were more differentiated by dispersal limitation.Non-Passeriformes experienced more obvious influence of homogeneous dispersal but were less subject to dispersal limitation compared to Passeriformes.Conclusions Our findings highlight the role of stochastic processes in shaping biotic communities in montane ecosystems,but this effect is scale-dependent.The transition from stochastic to deterministic processes along elevational gradients suggests that environmental factors become more influential at higher elevations.Species dispersal ability may affect the relative importance of these two processes shaping community assembly.
基金supported by the University Grants Commission(UGC),Government of India,New Delhi in the form of Senior Research Fellowships to Abhishek Kumar[507/(OBC)(CSIR-UGC NET DEC.2016)]Meenu Patil[492/(CSIR-UGC NET JUNE 2017)]Pardeep Kumar[443/(CSIR-UGC NET DEC.2017)].
文摘Background Understanding the patterns and processes of species distributions has long remained a central focus of biogeographical and ecological research.While the evidence for elevational patterns in species richness is widespread,our understanding of underlying causes and mechanisms remains limited.Therefore,this study aimed to entangle the infuence of environmental variables on plant species richness along elevational gradients in the Western Himalayas.Methods We compiled elevational distribution for about 1150 vascular plants using the published literature and available database.The species richness was estimated in 100-m elevational bands using the range interpolation method.We used the generalised linear model and structural equation modelling(SEM)framework to identify the direct and indirect efects of climatic factors on species richness.Results Our results indicated that primary environmental correlates of species richness varied with elevational gradients.Climatic variables combined with energy and water availability were more important than the topographic heterogeneity.Further,the direct and interaction efects of climatic variables were more substantial than their indirect efects.The indirect efects of climate are more strongly mediated by water–energy dynamics than the energy alone.Conclusions Overall,our fndings emphasise the importance of considering direct efects and interactions among environmental variables while studying the underlying mechanisms governing elevational biodiversity gradients.Species richness appeared to be shaped by climatic tolerances rather than habitat heterogeneity at regional scales.This information can have implications for biodiversity dynamics under environmental change.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(grant number 31901109)Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(grant number 2021A1515110744).
文摘Understanding how and why assemblage dissimilarity changes along spatial gradient is a great challenge in ecology,because answers to these questions depend on the analytical types,dimensions,and components of beta diversity we concerned.To obtain a comprehensive understanding of assemblage dissimilarity and its implications for biodiversity conservation in the Himalayas,we explored the elevational patterns and determinants of beta diversity and its turnover and nestedness components of pairwise and multiple types and taxonomic and phylogenetic dimensions simultaneously.Patterns of beta diversity and their components of different types and dimensions were calculated based on 96 sampling quadrats along an 1800-5400 m elevational gradient.We examined whether and how these patterns differed from random expectations using null models.Furthermore,we used random forest methods to quantify the role of environmental variables representing climate,topography,and human disturbance in determining these patterns.We found that beta diversity and its turnover component,regardless of its types and dimensions,shown a hump-shaped elevational patterns.Both pairwise and multiple phylogenetic beta diversity were remarkably lower than their taxonomic counterpart.These patterns were significantly less than random expectation and were mostly associated with climate variables.In summary,our results suggested that assemblage dissimilarity of seed plants was mostly originate from the replacement of closely related species determined by climate-driven environmental filtering.Accordingly,conservation efforts should better cover elevations with different climate types to maximalize biodiversity conservation,rather than only focus on elevations with highest species richness.Our study demonstrated that comparisons of beta diversity of different types,dimensions,and components could be conductive to consensus on the origin and mechanism of assemblage dissimilarity.
基金National Science Foundation of China(No.30370256&30670313)Chinese National Public-Benefit Program(No.200804006/rhh and 200704005/wb02)to Nanjing Forestry University
基金supported by the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Major Scientific and Technological Special Project Research and Demonstration on the Development Model of Ecological Agriculture and Efficient Utilization of Soil and Water Resources in Modern Irrigation Areas(2023A02002-1).
文摘Climate change in High Mountain Asia(HMA)is characterized by elevation dependence,which results in vertical zoning of vegetation distribution.However,few studies have been conducted on the distribution patterns of vegetation,the response of vegetation to climate change,and the key climatic control factors of vegetation along the elevation gradient in this region.In this study,based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation index(NDVI),we investigated the evolution pattern of vegetation in HMA during 2001-2020 using linear trend and Bayesian Estimator of Abrupt change,Seasonality,and Trend(BEAST)methods.Pearson correlation analysis and partial correlation analysis were used to explore the response relationship between vegetation and climatic factors along the elevation gradient.Path analysis was employed to quantitatively reveal the dominant climatic factors affecting vegetation distribution along the elevation gradient.The results showed that NDVI in HMA increased at a rate of 0.011/10a from 2001 to 2020,and the rate of increase abruptly slowed down after 2017.NDVI showed a fluctuating increase at elevation zones 1-2(<2500 m)and then decreased at elevation zones 3-9(2500-6000 m)with the increase of elevation.NDVI was most sensitive to precipitation and temperature at a 1-month lag.With the increase of elevation,the positive response relationship of NDVI with precipitation gradually weakened,while that of NDVI with temperature was the opposite.The total effect coefficient of precipitation(0.95)on vegetation was larger than that of temperature(0.87),indicating that precipitation is the dominant control factor affecting vegetation growth.Spacially,vegetation growth is jointly influenced by precipitation and temperature,but the influence of precipitation on vegetation growth is dominant at each elevation zone.The results of this study contribute to understanding how the elevation gradient effect influences the response of vegetation to climate change in alpine ecosystems.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41771293,41630751,31670503)Chinese Academy of Sciences(XXH13503-03-106,XDB15010303)+1 种基金Open Fund of Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology CAS(KLCAS-2017-3,KLCAS-2016-03)China Biodiversity Observation Networks(Sino BON).
文摘Mountain systems are unique for studying the responses of species distribution and diversity to environmental changes along elevational gradients.It is well known that free-living diazotrophic microorganisms are important to nitrogen cycling in mountain systems.However,the elevational patterns of free-living diazotrophs and the underlying ecological processes in controlling their turnover along broader gradients are less well documented.Here,we investigated the pattern of diazotrophic diversity along the elevational gradient(1800 m-4100 m)in Mount Gongga of China.The results showed that the α-diversity of diazotrophs did not change with the elevation from 1800 m to 2800 m,but decreased at elevations above 3000 m.Such diversity pattern was driven mainly by soil total carbon,nitrogen,and plant richness.Various diazotrophic taxa showed differential abundance-elevation relationships.Ecological processes determining diazotrophic community assemblage shift along the elevations.Deterministic processes were relatively stronger at both low and high elevations,whereas stochastic processes were stronger at the middle elevation.This study also suggested a strong relationship among aboveground plants and diazotrophs,highlighting their potential interactions,even for free-living diazotrophs.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31870602,32071745,32001165,and 32271849)the Program of Sichuan Applied Basic Research Foundation(2022NSFSC0083,2022NSFSC0997,2022NSFC1753,2021YJ0340).
文摘Background Soil fauna is an important driver of carbon(C)and nitrogen(N)release from decomposing litter in forest ecosystems.However,its role in C and N cycling concerning climate and litter traits remains less known.In a 4-year field experiment,we evaluated the effects of soil fauna on litter C and N release across an elevation gradient(453,945,3023,and 3582 m)and litter traits(coniferous vs.broadleaf)in southwestern China.Results Our results showed that N was retained by–0.4%to 31.5%,but C was immediately released during the early stage(156–516 days)of decomposition for most litter species.Soil fauna significantly increased the peak N content and N retention across litter species,but reduced the C/N ratio for certain species(i.e.,Juniperus saltuaria,Betula albosinensis,Quercus acutissima,and Pinus massoniana litter),leading to more C and N being released from decomposing litter across the elevation gradient.Contributions of soil fauna to C and N release were 3.87–9.90%and 1.10–8.71%,respectively,across litter species after 4 years of decomposition.Soil environment and initial litter quality factors caused by elevation directly affected litter C and N release.Changes in soil fauna resulting from elevation and fauna exclusion factors had a direct or indirect impact on C and N release during litter decomposition.Conclusions Our findings suggest that soil fauna promote C and N release from decomposing litter in different magnitudes,mainly controlled by environmental conditions(i.e.,temperature and moisture),litter quality(i.e.,lignin and cellulose content,and lignin/cellulose),and its diversity across the elevation gradient.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(grant no.2017YFA0605101)Ministry of Science and Technology of China(grant no.2015FY210200)National Natural Science Foundation of China(grant nos.31700374,31621091).
文摘Aims There are different components of carbon(C)pools in a natural forest ecosystem:biomass,soil,litter and woody debris.We asked how these pools changed with elevation in one of China’s ecologically important forest ecosystem,i.e.beech(Fagus L.,Fagaceae)forests,and what were the underlying driving factors of such variation.Methods The four C pools in nine beech forests were investigated along an elevational gradient(1095–1930 m)on Mt.Fanjingshan in Guizhou Province,Southwest China.Variance partitioning was used to explore the relative effects of stand age,climate and other factors on C storage.In addition,we compared the four C pools to other beech forests in Guizhou Province and worldwide.Important Findings The total C pools of beech forest ecosystems ranged from 190.5 to 504.3 Mg C ha^(–1),mainly attributed to biomass C(accounting for 33.7–73.9%)and soil C(accounting for 23.9–65.5%).No more than 4%of ecosystem C pools were stored in woody debris(0.05–3.1%)and litter(0.2–0.7%).Ecosystem C storage increased significantly with elevation,where both the biomass and woody debris C pools increased with elevation,while those of litter and soil exhibited no such trend.For the Guizhou beech forests,climate and stand age were found to be key drivers of the elevational patterns of ecosystem and biomass C storage,while for beech forests globally,stand age was the most important predictor.Compared to beech forests worldwide,beech forests in Guizhou Province displayed a relatively higher biomass C accumulation rate,which may be explained by a much higher precipitation in this area.The present study provides basic data for understanding the C budgets of Chinese beech forests and their possible roles in regional C cycling and emphasizes the general importance of stand age and climate on C accumulation.
文摘Background:So far,macroecological studies in the Himalaya have mostly concentrated on spatial variation of overall species richness along the elevational gradient.Very few studies have attempted to document the diference in elevational richness patterns of native and exotic species.In this study,this knowledge gap is addressed by integrating data on phylogeny and elevational distribution of species to identify the variation in species richness,phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic structure of exotic and native plant species along an elevational gradient in the Himalaya.Results:Species distribution patterns for exotic and native species difered;exotics tended to show maximum species richness at low elevations while natives tended to predominate at mid-elevations.Native species assemblages showed higher phylogenetic diversity than the exotic species assemblages over the entire elevational gradient in the Himalaya.In terms of phylogenetic structure,exotic species assemblages showed majorly phylogenetic clustering while native species assemblages were characterized by phylogenetic overdispersion over the entire gradient.Conclusions:The fndings of this study indicate that areas with high native species richness and phylogenetic diversity are less receptive to exotic species and vice versa in the Himalaya.Species assemblages with high native phylogenetic overdispersion are less receptive to exotic species than the phylogenetically clustered assemblages.Diferent ecological processes(ecological fltering in case of exotics and resource and niche competition in case of natives)may govern the distribution of exotic and native species along the elevational gradient in the Himalaya.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(31901172)Science and Technology Project of Qinghai Provincial Department of Transportation(2019-07).
文摘Grasslands in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau play an important role in preserving ecological security and high biodiversity in this region.However,the distribution of the composition and structure of plant community and the mechanism by which it maintains itself in this region are still poorly understood.Here,we designed 195 grassland plots in 39 grassland sites along an approximately 1700 m elevation gradient on the Northeastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.We found that the grassland community height decreased significantly with increasing elevation,whereas community coverage did not significantly change.With increasing elevation,plant species richness(αdiversity)increased significantly,but the community variability(βdiversity)decreased significantly.The constrained clustering analysis suggested that theα-andβ-diversity in the grasslands transformed gradually with elevation,and that three discontinuous points(based on community structure)were observed at elevation of 3640,4252 and 4333 m.Structural equation modeling(SEM)indicated that the increase in precipitation and the decrease in temperature significantly positively influencedαdiversity,which was negatively correlated withβdiversity.These results demonstrate a quantitative-to-qualitative change in the community composition and structure along this elevational gradient on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.
基金supported by financial grants from Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India, in the form of projects entitled “Conservation and sustainable resource generation of high altitude bioresources at CSIR-Centre for High Altitude Biology (MLP-0145)”, “Conservation of threatened species of India (MLP-0172)” and In-house project MLP-0205Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for providing financial support as Senior Research Fellow (SRF) scholarship
文摘The Himalayan high-altitude eco-regions exhibit higher plant species diversity, and several environmental factors play a crucial role in shaping species distribution and diversity. The aim of the present study is to investigate the floristic composition, distribution of endemic, threatened and native taxa across the elevation zones and the effect of various environmental factors on species richness pattern along the elevation gradient in Pangi, a remote highaltitude region of Himalaya. We conducted extensive field surveys covering 31 localities and established elevational transects for assessing species distribution and the factors affecting thereof. Additionally, information on nativity, endemism, and IUCN red-list categories of threatened species were compiled from published and online resources. Data were analysed using regression model and Non-Metric MultiDimensional Scaling(NMDS). In the present study, we recorded a total of 771 plant species across the region. In regression model, the elevation and anthropogenic variables and their interaction showed significant negative effects on the species richness. Species richness was found to decrease with the increasing elevation, showing a humped shaped pattern, with maximum richness observed in the mid-elevations(2,400m to 3,300m above sea level). The pattern of distribution of native and non-native species along the elevation gradient showed opposite trends, and proportion of native species increased towards the higher elevations. Further, NMDS ordination suggests that zone-Ⅰ(2,100-2,500m asl) and zone-Ⅴ(4,001-4,500m asl) had highest differences in species composition, while zone-Ⅰ, zone-Ⅱ(2,501-3,000m asl), and zone-Ⅲ(3,001-3,500m asl) showed higher affinity with respect to their species composition. Thus, the present study revealed that remote and hitherto un-explored Pangi eco-region is rich in floristic diversity and provides pertinent information on the species distribution and composition, and various underlying factors influencing the richness patterns, which is necessary for framing suitable conservation strategies, management plans and futuristic population studies.
