Alpine grassland plants grow earlier and faster but biomass remains unchanged over 35 years of climate change

Snow Height Sensors Reveal Phenological Advance in Alpine Grasslands

Long-term phenological data in alpine regions are often limited to a few locations and thus, little is known about climate-change-induced plant phenological shifts above the treeline. Because plant growth initiation in seasonally snow-covered regions is largely driven by snowmelt timing and local temperature, it is essential to simultaneously track phenological shifts, snowmelt, and near-ground temperatures. In this study, we make use of ultrasonic snow height sensors installed at climate stations in the Swiss Alps to reveal the phenological advance of grassland ecosystems and relate them to climatic changes over 25 years (1998-2023). When snow is absent, these snow height sensors additionally provide information on plant growth at a uniquely fine temporal scale. We applied a two-step machine learning algorithm to separate snow- from plant-height measurements, allowing us to determine melt-out for 122 stations between 1560 and 2950 m a.s.l., and to extract seasonal plant growth signals for a subset of 40 stations used for phenological analyses. We identified the start of growth and calculated temperature trends, focusing particularly on thermal conditions between melt-out and growth initiation. We observed an advance of green-up by -2.4 days/decade coinciding with strong warming of up to +0.8°C/decade. Although the timing of snowmelt has not changed significantly over the study period in this focal region, phenological responses to early melt-out years varied due to differing influences of photoperiodic and thermal constraints, which were not equally important across elevations and communities. Phenological shifts of alpine grasslands are thus likely to become even more pronounced if snowmelt timing advances in the future as predicted. As climate change continues to reshape mountain ecosystems, understanding the interplay between phenological changes and species turnover will be essential for predicting future biodiversity patterns and informing conservation strategies in alpine regions.

Nutrient Additions Regulate Height Growth Rate but Not Biomass Growth Rate of Alpine Plants Through the Contrasting Effect of Total and Available Nitrogen

Plant growth, a fundamental biological process that underpins terrestrial ecosystem function, is susceptible to nutrient availability. Despite extensive research on lowland ecosystems, the responses of alpine plant growth to nutrient addition remain poorly understood, particularly given the heightened sensitivity of alpine ecosystems to global change. To investigate the effects of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) additions on the growth rates of alpine plants and the underlying mechanisms of how these nutrient additions influence plant growth rates, we conducted an experiment in an alpine grassland on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, targeting 14 common plant species. Growth rates were measured using biomass and height, with plant height and soil physicochemical properties recorded biweekly during the growing season. We assessed the effects of nitrogen and phosphorus additions on growth rates, their seasonal dynamics, and their relationships with soil physicochemical properties. Results showed that phosphorus addition and combined nitrogen-phosphorus additions significantly increased the relative growth rate based on height (RGRH). In contrast, nutrient additions had no significant effect on the relative growth rate based on biomass (RGRB). RGRH decreased from June and early July to August, exhibiting species-specific responses to nutrient additions. Additionally, RGRH was significantly influenced by the interaction of nitrogen and phosphorus additions, species, and seasonal dynamics (p < 0.05). Soil available N, available P, and moisture were significantly positively correlated with RGRH (p < 0.05), while soil temperature (ST), total nitrogen (TN), and soil organic carbon (SOC) exhibited significant negative correlations (p < 0.05). Nutrient additions altered the hierarchy, as well as the direct and indirect factors that influence RGRH, revealing the opposing regulatory effects of total and available nitrogen. These findings highlight the critical roles of nitrogen and phosphorus, suggesting phosphorus is a potential limiting factor for plant growth in this alpine region. This study offers a comprehensive analysis of how nitrogen and phosphorus additions affect alpine plant growth rates and clarifies the underlying mechanisms in these sensitive ecosystems.

Modeling the potential distribution of Hippophae rhamnoides in China under current and future climate scenarios using the biomod2 model

Introduction

Hippophae rhamnoides, a temperate species with a transcontinental distribution spanning Eurasia, demonstrates preferential establishment in water-limited ecosystems (arid/semi-arid zones), particularly occupying high-elevation niches with skeletal soils and high solar flux. This ecologically significant plant, prized for dual ecological provisioning and economic services, shows biogeographic concentration in China's northern desertification belts, northwestern Loess Plateau, and southwestern montane corridors. Studying the possible areas where H. rhamnoides may be found can offer a scientific foundation for the protection and sustainable management of its resources.

Methods

This study utilized the biomod2 software to assess an integrated model based on 312 distribution points and 23 environmental factors. Furthermore, a modeling analysis was conducted to examine how the geographical distribution of H. rhamnoides changes over time under the SSP245 scenario.

Results

The findings show that the distribution of H. rhamnoides is primarily affected by three factors: annual mean temperature, temperature seasonality and mean temperature of the coldest quarter. Currently, H. rhamnoides is predominantly distributed in the provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Hebei, Yunnan, Xinjiang, Tibet, Sichuan, Qinghai, and Ningxia. The suitable habitat covers an area of 212.89×10⁴ km², which represents 22.15% of China's total land area. Within this region, high, medium, and low suitability areas make up 23.15%, 22.66%, and 54.20% of the suitable habitat, respectively.

Discussion

In the future, the centroid of the suitable habitat for H. rhamnoides is expected to gradually shift northwest, with a trend of increasing suitability in the west and decreasing suitability in the east. This study aims to provide an in-depth exploration of the distribution of H. rhamnoides and the influence of environmental factors on it from a geographical perspective. These results are important for improving the conservation, management, cultivation, and propagation of H. rhamnoides, while also offering a scientific foundation for the research of other valuable plant species.

Trade-off between spring phenological sensitivities to temperature and precipitation across species and space in alpine grasslands over the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Elucidating climatic drivers of spring phenology in alpine grasslands is critical. However, current statistical estimates of spring phenological sensitivities to temperature and precipitation (βT and βP) might be biased and their variability across sites and species are not fully explained. We benchmarked species-level βT and βP statistically inferred from historical records with observations from a field manipulative experiment. We then analyzed landscape scale βT and βP estimated from the best statistical approach in the benchmark analysis across 57 alpine grassland sites in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Compared with manipulative experiment results, process-agnostic regression-based approaches underestimate βT by 2.36-3.87 d °C-1 (54-88%) while process-based phenology model fitting predicts comparable βT and βP. Process-based estimates of βT and βP are negatively correlated across species (R = -0.94, P < 0.01) and across sites (R = -0.45, P < 0.01). βT is positively correlated with mean annual temperature, and βP is negatively correlated with elevation at the regional scale. Using process-based model fitting can better estimate spring phenological sensitivities to climate. The trade-off between βT and βP contributes to species-level and site-level variabilities in phenological sensitivities in alpine grasslands, which needs to be incorporated in predicting future phenological changes.

Effects of warming and nitrogen deposition on species and functional diversity of plant communities in the alpine meadow of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Plant species and functional diversity play an important role in the stability and sustainability of grassland ecosystems. However, the changes and mechanisms of plant species and functional diversity under warming and nitrogen deposition are still unclear. In this study, we investigated the plant and soil characteristics of alpine meadows on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to explore the changes in species and functional diversity of plant communities under warming and nitrogen deposition, as well as their interrelationships and key determinants. The results showed that warming, nitrogen deposition, and their interactions had significant effects on plant species diversity (plant Shannon-Wiener index) and functional diversity (functional richness index, functional differentiation index, functional dispersion, and Rao's quadratic entropy index). With the increase of warming and nitrogen deposition, the Shannon-Wiener index of plants increased first and then decreased. The plant functional richness index, functional diversity index, functional dispersion index, and Rao's quadratic entropy index showed a decreasing trend. At the same time, with the increase in temperature and nitrogen deposition, the relationship between plant species diversity index and functional diversity index in the alpine meadow of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau gradually weakened. Redundancy analysis and structural equation modeling showed that both warming and nitrogen deposition had significant negative effects on the plant species diversity index and plant functional diversity index. Plant factors (Grasses importance value, leaf nitrogen weighted mean, specific leaf area-weighted mean, leaf area-weighted mean, and leaf weight weighted mean) and soil environmental factors (soil total nitrogen and soil carbon-nitrogen ratio) directly or indirectly affect plant community diversity under warming and nitrogen deposition.

Upward and Northwest Range Shifts for Four Endemic Lamiaceae Medicinal Herbs in the Third Pole

In response to climate warming, alpine plants are migrating to higher elevations and latitudes to track suitable habitats. In mountainous systems, the contraction of land area toward mountaintops is causing plant habitats to shrink as plants migrate upwards. The Tibetan Plateau (TP) and its adjacent Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains (HHMs) constitute the world's highest flora, known as the "Third Pole" To predict the responses to climate change of alpine plants in the Third Pole, we utilized four endemic Lamiaceae alpine herbs as an Ecological Niche Modeling (ENM) based on comprehensive data comprising 740 occurrence records and 26 environmental variables using Biomod2. The primary results revealed that climate-related factors, particularly temperature variability, shape the distribution patterns of the study species and drive them to migrate upward and northward in the future. The heterogeneous topography of the HHM and the TP leads to distinct distribution dynamics. The TP can provide substantial new potential distribution areas to mitigate habitat loss in the adjacent HHM under climate warming. Meanwhile, stable areas in the high-elevation regions within HHM can serve as refugia to ensure species survival under climate change.

Differences in adult survival drive divergent demographic responses to warming on the Tibetan Plateau

A central question in biodiversity conservation is whether species will maintain viable populations under climate warming. Assessing species viability under climate warming requires demographic studies integrating vital rate responses to long-term warming throughout species' life cycles. However, studies of this nature are rare. Our integral projection models (IPMs), parameterized with demographic data, show differing responses of two functionally similar co-occurring species, Elymus nutans Griseb. and Helictotrichon tibeticum (Roshev.) Holub, to 10 years of in situ active warming by 2°C. Our IPMs estimated that the life expectancy is higher in H. tibeticum (6.7 years) than that in E. nutans (4.5 years) under ambient conditions, and the difference is larger under warmed conditions. We found that while warming decreased individual-level growth in both species, H. tibeticum, which has a longer life expectancy, compensated with increased survival, and thereby increased projected population-level growth under warming. Contrastingly, E. nutans, which has a shorter life expectancy, is projected to have decreased population-level performance. Furthermore, our elasticity analyses show that survival is the most important vital rate for population viability in both species under both ambient and warmed conditions. Moreover, our retrospective life table response experiment (LTRE) analysis reveals that the contrasting fates of the two species under warming mainly arise from the different responses of adult survival, which is significantly promoted in H. tibeticum but slightly reduced in E. nutans. Individual shrinkage occurred 1.6 fold more frequently under warming than ambient conditions for both species and made considerable negative contributions to their population growth rates in warmed plots. However, such negative effects are offset in H. tibeticum (but not E. nutans) by the positive contribution to population growth rate of the associated increased survival. Our results illustrate that the responses to climate warming may vary considerably between similar co-occurring species, and species with a demographically compensatory strategy may avoid population collapse. Furthermore, our study demonstrates the potential of using life-history traits to predict species' viability when facing warming, so as to inform biodiversity conservation under climate change.

Diminishing warming effects on plant phenology over time

Plant phenology, the timing of recurrent biological events, shows key and complex response to climate warming, with consequences for ecosystem functions and services. A key challenge for predicting plant phenology under future climates is to determine whether the phenological changes will persist with more intensive and long-term warming. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of 103 experimental warming studies around the globe to investigate the responses of four phenophases - leaf-out, first flowering, last flowering, and leaf coloring. We showed that warming advanced leaf-out and flowering but delayed leaf coloring across herbaceous and woody plants. As the magnitude of warming increased, the response of most plant phenophases gradually leveled off for herbaceous plants, while phenology responded in proportion to warming in woody plants. We also found that the experimental effects of warming on plant phenology diminished over time across all phenophases. Specifically, the rate of changes in first flowering for herbaceous species, as well as leaf-out and leaf coloring for woody species, decreased as the experimental duration extended. Together, these results suggest that the real-world impact of global warming on plant phenology will diminish over time as temperatures continue to increase.

A high-resolution satellite-based solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence dataset for China from 2000 to 2022

Solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) serves as a valuable proxy for photosynthesis. The TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) aboard the Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission offers nearly global coverage with a fine spectral resolution for reliable SIF retrieval. However, the present satellite-derived SIF datasets are accessible only at coarse spatial resolutions, constraining its applications at fine scales. Here, we utilized a weighted stacking algorithm to generate a high spatial resolution SIF dataset (500 m, 8-day) in China (HCSIF) from 2000 to 2022 from the TROPOMI with a spatial resolution at a nadir of 3.5 km by 5.6-7 km. Our algorithm demonstrated high accuracy on validation datasets (R2 = 0.87, RMSE = 0.057 mW/m2/nm/sr). The HCSIF dataset was evaluated against OCO-2 SIF, GOME-2 SIF tower-based measurements of SIF, and gross primary productivity (GPP) from flux towers. We expect this dataset can potentially advance the understanding of fine-scale terrestrial ecological processes, allowing for monitoring of ecosystem biodiversity and precise assessment of crop health, productivity, and stress levels in the long term.

Resolving the Intricate Effects of Multiple Global Change Drivers on Root Litter Decomposition

Plant roots represent about a quarter of global plant biomass and constitute a primary source of soil organic carbon (C). Yet, considerable uncertainty persists regarding root litter decomposition and their responses to global change factors (GCFs). Much of this uncertainty stems from a limited understanding of the multifactorial effects of GCFs and it remains unclear how these effects are mediated by litter quality, soil conditions and microbial functionality. Using complementary field decomposition and laboratory incubation approaches, we assessed the relative controls of GCF-mediated changes in root litter traits and soil and microbial properties on fine-root decomposition under warming, nitrogen (N) enrichment, and precipitation alteration. We found that warming and N enrichment accelerated fine-root decomposition by over 10%, and their combination showed an additive effect, while precipitation reduction suppressed decomposition overall by 12%, with the suppressive effect being most significant under warming-alone and N enrichment-alone conditions. Significantly, changes in litter quality played a dominant role and accelerated fine-root decomposition by 15% ~ 18% under warming and N enrichment, while changes in soil and microbial properties were predominant and reduced decomposition by 7% ~ 10% under precipitation reduction and the combined warming and N enrichment. Examining only the decomposition environment or litter properties in isolation can distort global change effects on root decomposition, underestimating precipitation reduction impacts by 38% and overstating warming and N effects by up to 73%. These findings highlight that the net impact of GCFs on root litter decomposition hinges on the interplay between GCF-modulated root decomposability and decomposition environment, as well as on the synergistic or antagonistic relationships among GCFs themselves. Our study emphasizes that integrating the legacy effects of multiple GCFs on root traits, soil conditions and microbial functionality would improve our prediction of C and nutrient cycling under interactive global change scenarios.

Elevational and temporal patterns of pollination success in distylous and homostylous buckwheats (Fagopyrum) in the Hengduan Mountains

Reproductive strategies of sexually dimorphic plants vary in response to the environment. Here, we ask whether the sexual systems of Fagopyrum species (i.e., selfing homostylous and out-crossing distylous) represent distinct adaptive strategies to increase reproductive success in changing alpine environments. To answer this question, we determined how spatial and temporal factors (e.g., elevation and peak flowering time) affect reproductive success (i.e., stigmatic pollen load) in nine wild Fagopyrum species (seven distylous and two homostylous) among 28 populations along an elevation gradient of 1299-3315 m in the Hengduan Mountains, southwestern China. We also observed pollinators and conducted hundreds of hand pollinations to investigate inter/intra-morph compatibility, self-compatibility and pollen limitation in four Fagopyrum species (two distylous and two homostylous). We found that Fagopyrum species at higher elevation generally had bigger flowers and more stigmatic pollen loads; late-flowering individuals had smaller flowers and lower pollen deposition. Stigmatic pollen deposition was more variable in distylous species than in homostylous species. Although seed set was not pollen-limited in all species, we found that fruit set was much lower in distylous species, which rely on frequent pollinator visits, than in homostylous species capable of autonomous self-pollination. Our findings that pollination success increases at high elevations and decreases during the flowering season suggest that distylous and homostylous species have spatially and temporally distinct reproductive strategies related to environment-dependent pollinator activity.

Forecasting the future of Fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in India using ecological niche model

The Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda is the most notorious invasive pest species on maize, recently reported in India. The continuous spread of Fall armyworms to new ecological niches raises global concern. The current study is the first in India to forecast the suitability of a habitat for S. frugiperda using a maximum entropy algorithm. Predictions were made based on an analysis of the relationship between 109 occurrence records of S. frugiperda and pertinent historical, current, and predicted climatic data for the study area. The model indicated that S. frugiperda could thrive in different habitats under the current environmental circumstances, particularly in the west and south Indian states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. The model predicted that areas with higher latitudes, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, and some portions of Telangana, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh, as well as some tracts of northeastern states like Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, would have highly climate-suitable conditions for S. frugiperda to occur in the future. The average AUC value was 0.852, which indicates excellent accuracy of the prediction. A Jackknife test of variables indicated that isothermality with the highest gain value was determining the potential geographic distribution of S. frugiperda. Our results will be useful for serving as an early warning tool to guide decision-making and prevent further spread toward new areas in India.

More sensitive microbial responses to the interactive effects of warming and altered precipitation in subsoil than topsoil of an alpine grassland ecosystem

Subsoil is a large organic carbon reservoir, storing more than half of the total soil organic carbon (SOC) globally. Conventionally, subsoil is assumed to not be susceptible to climate change, but recent studies document that climate change could significantly alter subsoil carbon cycling. However, little is known about subsoil microbial responses to the interactive effects of climate warming and altered precipitation. Here, we investigated carbon cycling and associated microbial responses in both subsoil (30-40 cm) and topsoil (0-10 cm) in a Tibetan alpine grassland over 4 years of warming and altered precipitation. Compared to the unchanged topsoil carbon (β = .55, p = .587), subsoil carbon exhibited a stronger response to the interactive effect of warming and altered precipitation (β = 2.04, p = .021), that is, warming decreased subsoil carbon content by 28.20% under decreased precipitation while warming increased subsoil carbon content by 18.02% under increased precipitation.Furthermore, 512 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) were recovered, including representatives of phyla with poor genomic representation. Compared to only one changed topsoil MAG, 16 subsoil MAGs were significantly affected by altered precipitation, and 5 subsoil MAGs were significantly affected by the interactive effect of warming and precipitation. More than twice as many populations whose MAG abundances correlated significantly with the variations of carbon content, components and fluxes were observed in the subsoil than topsoil, suggesting their potential contribution in mediating subsoil carbon cycling. Collectively, our findings highlight the more sensitive responses of specific microbial lineages to the interactive effects of warming and altered precipitation in the subsoil than topsoil, and provide key information for predicting subsoil carbon cycling under future climate change scenarios.

Regional differences in the impact paths of climate on aboveground biomass in alpine grasslands across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Alpine grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) play an essential role in water conservation, biodiversity protection and climate feedback, with aboveground biomass (AGB) serving as a crucial indicator of grassland health and functionality. While previous studies have independently explored the phenological differences, cumulative effects, and spatial variability of climatic impacts on biomass/productivity in alpine grasslands, the cascading effects regarding climate and phenology on AGB still present knowledge gaps. Here, using peak AGB measurements, remote sensing and gridded climate data in the QTP alpine grasslands during 2002-2018, we systematically analyzed the impact paths of climatic variables (i.e., cumulative precipitation, CP; growing degree-days, GDD) and phenology-mediated paths (start and peak date of the growing season, SOS and POS) on AGB and their regional differences. During the preseason (pre60) or the growing season (sos-pos), climate primarily directly impacted variations in AGB across different climatic regions, although a phenology-mediated path by which climate indirectly affected AGB existed (i.e., GDDsos-pos → POS → AGB). Three general patterns were revealed: In the plateau temperate arid regions, an increase in CPpre60 significantly promoted AGB (path coefficients w = 0.61-0.71), whereas an increase in GDDpre60 inhibited AGB (w = -0.42 ~ -0.49); In the plateau sub-cold regions, increases in both CPsos-pos and GDDsos-pos significantly promoted AGB, respectively (w = 0.46-0.81 and w = 0.37-0.70); Similarly, in the plateau temperate arid or semi-arid regions, increases in CPsos-pos also significantly promoted the AGB (w = 0.56-0.73). This study highlights that the water and heat accumulation mainly exert direct impacts on alpine grassland AGB across various climatic regions and phenological stages, providing insights into the mechanism driving AGB by climate and phenology during spring and summer.

Long-term species-level observations indicate the critical role of soil moisture in regulating China's grassland productivity relative to phenological and climatic factors

As a sensitive indicator of climate change and a key variable in ecosystem surface-atmosphere interaction, vegetation phenology, and the growing season length, as well as climatic factors (i.e., temperature, precipitation, and sunshine duration) are widely recognized as key factors influencing vegetation productivity. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of soil moisture in regulating grassland productivity. However, the relative importance of phenology, climatic factors, and soil moisture to plant species-level productivity across China's grasslands remains poorly understood. Here, we use nearly four decades (1981 to 2018) of in situ species-level observations from 17 stations distributed across grasslands in China to examine the key mechanisms that control grassland productivity. The results reveal that soil moisture is the strongest determinant of the interannual variability in grassland productivity. In contrast, the spring/autumn phenology, the length of vegetation growing season, and climate factors have relatively minor impacts. Generally, annual aboveground biomass increases by 3.9 to 25.3 g∙m2 (dry weight) with a 1 % increase in growing season mean soil moisture across the stations. Specifically, the sensitivity of productivity to moisture in wetter and colder environments (e.g., alpine meadows) is significantly higher than that in drier and warmer environments (e.g., temperate desert steppes). In contrast, the sensitivity to the precipitation of the latter is greater than the former. The effect of soil moisture is the most pronounced during summer. Dominant herb productivity is more sensitive to soil moisture than the others. Moreover, multivariate regression analyses show that the primary climatic factors and their attributions to variations in soil moisture differ among the stations, indicating the interaction between climate and soil moisture is very complex. Our study highlights the interspecific difference in the soil moisture dependence of grassland productivity and provides guidance to climate change impact assessments in grassland ecosystems.

Impact of Preseason Climate Factors on Vegetation Photosynthetic Phenology in Mid-High Latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere

During the period preceding the vegetation growing season (GS), temperature emerges as the pivotal factor determining phenology in northern terrestrial ecosystems. Despite extensive research on the impact of daily mean temperature (Tmean) during the preseason period, the influence of diurnal temperature range (DTR) on vegetation photosynthetic phenology (i.e., the impact of the plant photosynthetic cycle on seasonal time scale) has largely been neglected. Using a long-term vegetation photosynthetic phenology dataset and historical climate data, we examine vegetation photosynthetic phenology dynamics and responses to climate change across the mid-high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere from 2001 to 2020. Our data reveal an advancing trend in the start of the GS (SOS) by -0.15 days per year (days yr-1), affecting 72.1% of the studied area. This is particularly pronounced in western Canada, Alaska, eastern Asia, and latitudes north of 60°N. Conversely, the end of the GS (EOS) displays a delaying trend of 0.17 days yr-1, impacting 62.4% of the studied area, especially northern North America and northern Eurasia. The collective influence of an earlier SOS and a delayed EOS has resulted in the notably prolonged length of the GS (LOS) by 0.32 days yr-1 in the last two decades, affecting 70.9% of the studied area, with Eurasia and western North America being particularly noteworthy. Partial correlation coefficients of the SOS with preseason Tmean, DTR, and accumulated precipitation exhibited negative values in 98.4%, 93.0%, and 39.2% of the study area, respectively. However, there were distinct regional variations in the influence of climate factors on the EOS. The partial correlation coefficients of the EOS with preseason Tmean, DTR, and precipitation were positive in 58.6%, 50.1%, and 36.3% of the region, respectively. Our findings unveil the intricate mechanisms influencing vegetation photosynthetic phenology, holding crucial significance in understanding the dynamics of carbon sequestration within terrestrial ecosystems amidst climate change.

Warming differentially affects above- and belowground ecosystem functioning of the semi-arid alpine grasslands

Rapid climate warming is altering multiple ecosystem functions of alpine grasslands. However, the responses of the above- and belowground ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) to climate warming might exhibit difference in semi-arid alpine grasslands. Based on manipulative field experiments at an alpine meadow and an alpine steppe, we explored warming effects on the functioning of alpine grassland ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau. Warming significantly decreased plant diversity and aboveground biomass, but tended to increase belowground biomass, soil carbon, and soil nutrient contents. Experimental warming generally had neutral effects on the EMF of both alpine grasslands. Nevertheless, warming differentially affects the above- and belowground ecosystem functioning of Tibetan semi-arid alpine grasslands, with the aboveground EMF (AEMF) deceased but the belowground EMF (BEMF) increased under warmer conditions. Our results further showed that the negative effect of experimental warming on AEMF was mainly regulated by the changes of plant and soil biodiversity. However, plant productivity had a pivotal role in propelling the positive effect of warming on BEMF. Our results emphasized the potential impacts of plant and soil biodiversity, productivity, and soil nutrients in maintaining the EMF of alpine grasslands, which could offer novel views for sustainable management of Tibetan semi-arid alpine ecosystems.

Drier August and colder September slow down the delaying trend of leaf senescence in herbaceous plants on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Plant phenological shifts on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) have gained considerable attention over the last few decades. However, temporal changes in plant autumn phenology and the main driving factors remain uncertain. Most previous studies used satellite-derived phenological transition dates and climatic statistics during the preseason, which have relatively large uncertainties and may mask some important climate change characteristics at the intra-annual scale, thus affecting exploration of the underlying phenological change causes. This study collected 1685 phenological records at 27 ground stations on the QTP during 1983-2017. Temporal change trends and break points in leaf senescence date (LSD) of 23 herbaceous species were assessed using least squares regression, a meta-analysis procedure, and the Pettitt test. The main drivers and causes were investigated through correlation analysis and contribution calculation based on LSD observations and monthly climatic data. Results showed that, LSD of QTP herbaceous plants was significantly delayed at a rate of 4.45 days/decade during 1983-2017. Break points were concentrated during 1999-2003, with an overall mean in 2001. After 2001, the delay trend in LSD decreased, falling from 5.26 days/decade to 2.54 days/decade. Air temperature and precipitation were the most important climatic factors that showed closer and more extensive correlations with LSD and greater contributions to the inter-annual variations in LSD. August and September were the most critical period during which climatic factors had higher contributions to the LSD shifts. However, August was drier, with precipitation significantly decreasing and temperature increasing, and September was colder after 2001. Therefore, the declining trend in LSD may be attributed to the drier August and colder September. This study has not only provided reliable field evidence on temporal changes in autumn phenology on the QTP, but has also provided valuable insights into autumn phenological modelling and regional carbon cycling in alpine regions.

Differences in background environment and fertilization method mediate plant response to nitrogen fertilization in alpine grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Grassland degradation threatens ecosystem function and livestock production, partly induced by soil nutrient deficiency due to the lack of nutrient return to soils, which is largely ascribed to the intense grazing activities. Therefore, nitrogen (N) fertilization has been widely adopted to restore degraded Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) grasslands. Despite numerous field manipulation studies investigating its effects on alpine grasslands, the patterns and thresholds of plant response to N fertilization remain unclear, thus hindering the prediction of its influences on the regional scale. Here, we established a random forest model to predict N fertilization effects on plant productivity based on a meta-analysis synthesizing 88 publications in QTP grasslands. Our results showed that N fertilization increased the aboveground biomass (AGB) by 46.51 %, varying wildly among plant functional groups. The positive fertilization effects intensified when the N fertilization rate increased to 272 kg ha-1 yr-1, and decreased after three years of continuous fertilization. These effects were more substantial when applying ammonium nitrate compared to urea. Further, a machine learning model was used to predict plant productivity response to N fertilization. The total explained variance and mean squared residuals ranged from 49.41 to 75.13 % and 0.011-0.058, respectively, both being the highest for grasses. The crucial predictors were identified as climatic and geographic factors, background AGB without N fertilization, and fertilization methods (i.e., rate, form, and duration). These predictors with easy access contributed 62.47 % of the prediction power of grasses' response, thus enhancing the generalizability and replicability of our model. Notably, if 30 % of yak dung is returned to soils on the QTP, the grassland productivity and plant carbon pool are predicted to increase by 5.90-6.51 % and 9.35-10.31 g C m-2 yr -1, respectively. Overall, the predictions of this study based on literature synthesis enhance our understanding of plant responses to N fertilization in QTP grasslands, thereby providing helpful information for grassland management policies. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Crucial roles of the optimal time-scale of water condition on grassland biomass estimation on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The effect of the time-scale of water conditions on vegetation productivity has been widely studied by the academic community. However, the relationship between the time-scale of water conditions and the vegetation growth rhythm and the effect of this relationship on vegetation biomass estimation have rarely been discussed. Here, we analyzed the occurrence times of major phenological events on alpine grasslands using the widely distributed "site-dominant species" dataset and set a series of time-scales for accumulated precipitation and standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index based on phenological information. Then, we combined large-scale aboveground/belowground biomass datasets to evaluate the role of the optimal time-scale for water conditions in aboveground/belowground biomass estimation. The results showed that (1) the optimal time-scale for water conditions with the greatest effects on aboveground biomass was on the month before the end of flowering or the onset of fruit maturity. The optimal time-scale for water condition effects on belowground biomass was earlier and longer than that for the aboveground biomass. The optimal time-scales for accumulated precipitation and standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index effects on belowground biomass were at five months before the end of flowering or the beginning of fruit ripening and the three months before the first flowering, respectively. (2) The aboveground and belowground biomass were underestimated by 11 % and 9 %, respectively, when the water conditions at the optimal time-scales were ignored. (3) The interannual variability in aboveground/belowground biomass was more effectively captured by considering the optimal time-scales of water conditions, especially in water-restricted areas. Overall, this study indicated that terrestrial carbon cycle models should incorporate information on the lag-effects of the water conditions in previous periods. In the future, increasing the number of belowground biomass observations and conducting monthly belowground biomass monitoring sooner will be key to revealing the mechanisms of the belowground biomass response to climate change.

Growing-season carbon budget of alpine meadow ecosystem in the Qinghai Lake Basin: a continued carbon sink through this century according to the Biome-BGC model

BACKGROUND

The alpine meadow is one of the most important ecosystems in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), and critically sensitive to climate change and human activities. Thus, it is crucial to precisely reveal the current state and predict future trends in the carbon budget of the alpine meadow ecosystem. The objective of this study was to explore the applicability of the Biome-BGC model (BBGC) in the Qinghai Lake Basin (QLB), identify the key parameters affecting the variation of net ecosystem exchange (NEE), and further predict the future trends in carbon budget in the QLB.

RESULTS

The alpine meadow mainly acted as carbon sink during the growing season. For the eco-physiological factors, the YEL (Yearday to end litterfall), YSNG (Yearday to start new growth), CLEC (Canopy light extinction coefficient), FRC:LC (New fine root C: new leaf C), SLA (Canopy average specific leaf area), C:Nleaf (C:N of leaves), and FLNR (Fraction of leaf N in Rubisco) were confirmed to be the top seven parameters affecting carbon budget of the alpine meadow. For the meteorological factors, the sensitivity of NEE to precipitation was greater than that to vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and it was greater to radiation than to air temperature. Moreover, the combined effect of two different meteorological factors on NEE was higher than the individual effect of each one. In the future, warming and wetting would enhance the carbon sink capacity of the alpine meadow during the growing season, but extreme warming (over 3.84 ℃) would reduce NEE (about 2.9%) in the SSP5-8.5 scenario.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the alpine meadow ecosystem in the QLB generally performs as a carbon sink at present and in the future. It is of great significance for the achievement of the goal of carbon neutrality and the management of alpine ecosystems.

Dryness limits vegetation pace to cope with temperature change in warm regions

Climate change leads to increasing temperature and more extreme hot and drought events. Ecosystem capability to cope with climate warming depends on vegetation's adjusting pace with temperature change. How environmental stresses impair such a vegetation pace has not been carefully investigated. Here we show that dryness substantially dampens vegetation pace in warm regions to adjust the optimal temperature of gross primary production (GPP) (T opt GPP ) in response to change in temperature over space and time.T opt GPP spatially converges to an increase of 1.01°C (95% CI: 0.97, 1.05) per 1°C increase in the yearly maximum temperature (Tmax ) across humid or cold sites worldwide (37o S-79o N) but only 0.59°C (95% CI: 0.46, 0.74) per 1°C increase in Tmax across dry and warm sites.T opt GPP temporally changes by 0.81°C (95% CI: 0.75, 0.87) per 1°C interannual variation in Tmax at humid or cold sites and 0.42°C (95% CI: 0.17, 0.66) at dry and warm sites. Regardless of the water limitation, the maximum GPP (GPPmax ) similarly increases by 0.23 g C m-2 day-1 per 1°C increase inT opt GPP in either humid or dry areas. Our results indicate that the future climate warming likely stimulates vegetation productivity more substantially in humid than water-limited regions.

Whole-soil-profile warming does not change microbial carbon use efficiency in surface and deep soils

The paucity of investigations of carbon (C) dynamics through the soil profile with warming makes it challenging to evaluate the terrestrial C feedback to climate change. Soil microbes are important engines driving terrestrial biogeochemical cycles; their carbon use efficiency (CUE), defined as the proportion of metabolized organic C allocated to microbial biomass, is a key regulator controlling the fate of soil C. It has been theorized that microbial CUE should decline with warming; however, empirical evidence for this response is scarce, and data from deeper soils are particularly scarce. Here, based on soil samples from a whole-soil-profile warming experiment (0 to 1 m, +4 °C) and 18O tracing approach, we examined the vertical variation of microbial CUE and its response to ~3.3-y experimental warming in an alpine grassland on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Microbial CUE decreased with soil depth, a trend that was primarily controlled by soil C availability. However, warming had limited effects on microbial CUE regardless of soil depth. Similarly, warming had no significant effect on soil C availability, as characterized by extractable organic C, enzyme-based lignocellulose index, and lignin phenol-based ratios of vanillyls, syringyls, and cinnamyls. Collectively, our work suggests that short-term warming does not alter microbial CUE in either surface or deep soils, and emphasizes the regulatory role of soil C availability on microbial CUE.

Uncertainties in the adaptation of alpine pastures to climate change based on remote sensing products and modelling

Over the last century, the management of pastoral systems has undergone major changes to meet the livelihood needs of alpine communities. Faced with the changes induced by recent global warming, the ecological status of many pastoral systems has seriously deteriorated in the western alpine region. We assessed changes in pasture dynamics by integrating information from remote-sensing products and two process-based models, i.e. the grassland-specific, biogeochemical growth model PaSim and the generic crop-growth model DayCent. Meteorological observations and satellite-derived Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) trajectories of three pasture macro-types (high, medium and low productivity classes) in two study areas - Parc National des Écrins (PNE) in France and Parco Nazionale Gran Paradiso (PNGP) in Italy - were used as a basis for the model calibration work. The performance of the models was satisfactory in reproducing pasture production dynamics (R² = 0.52 to 0.83). Projected changes in alpine pastures due to climate-change impacts and adaptation strategies indicate that: i) the length of the growing season is expected to increase between 15 and 40 days, resulting in changes in the timing and amount of biomass production, ii) summer water stress could limit pasture productivity; iii) earlier onset of grazing could enhance pasture productivity; iv) higher livestock densities could increase the rate of biomass regrowth, but major uncertainties in modelling processes need to be considered; and v) the carbon sequestration potential of pastures could decrease under limited water availability and warming.

Experimental warming causes mismatches in alpine plant-microbe-fauna phenology

Long-term observations have shown that many plants and aboveground animals have changed their phenology patterns due to warmer temperatures over the past decades. However, empirical evidence for phenological shifts in alpine organisms, particularly belowground organisms, is scarce. Here, we investigate how the activities and phenology of plants, soil microbes, and soil fauna will respond to warming in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau, and whether their potential phenological changes will be synchronized. We experimentally simulate an increase in soil temperature by 2-4 °C according to future projections for this region. We find that warming promotes plant growth, soil microbial respiration, and soil fauna feeding by 8%, 57%, and 20%, respectively, but causes dissimilar changes in their phenology during the growing season. Specifically, warming advances soil faunal feeding activity in spring and delays it in autumn, while their peak activity does not change; whereas warming increases the peak activity of plant growth and soil microbial respiration but with only minor shifts in their phenology. Such phenological asynchrony in alpine organisms may alter ecosystem functioning and stability.

Niches of three sympatric montane ground-dwelling squirrels: Relative importance of climate, topography, and landcover

Species with different ecological niches will likely exhibit distinct responses to a changing environment. Differences in the magnitude of niche specialization may also indicate which species may be more vulnerable to environmental change, as many life-history characteristics are known to affect climate change vulnerability. We characterized the niche space of three sympatric high-elevation ground-dwelling squirrels, yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventer), Belding's ground squirrel (Urocitellus beldingi), and golden-mantled ground squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis), in the alpine and upper subalpine regions of the Sierra Nevada in California. We used 5879 observations of individual squirrels, collected from 4 years (2009-2012) of transect survey data, to quantify which ecogeographical variable types (climate, topography, or landcover) were most important in defining the niche of each species. We conducted Ecological Niche Factor Analysis to quantify the niche and generate indices of "marginality" (magnitude of selection) and "specialization" (narrowness of niche space). All three species demonstrated differential use of niche space when compared to the available niche space. Moreover, the relative importance of the variables shaping the niche differed among these species. For example, the presence of meadows was important in defining the niche for U. beldingi and M. flaviventer, but the presence of conifers was important to C. lateralis. Precipitation was important in defining the niche for all three species, positively so for U. beldingi, and negatively for the other two species. The niche breadth of these three species was also positively associated with geographic range size. Mammals in high-elevation mountain systems often are perceived as vulnerable to climate shifts, but our results underscore the importance of also including non-climate-based factors in defining the niche. The overall magnitude of niche selection for all three species was driven by a combination of topographic, climatic, and landcover factors; thus, efforts to forecast areas where these species can persist in the future need to evaluate from more than just a climatic perspective.

Dynamic Response and Adaptation of Grassland Ecosystems in the Three-River Headwaters Region under Changing Environment: A Review

The Three-River Headwaters Region (TRHR) is crucial to the sustainable development of China and Southeast Asia. The sustainability of grassland ecosystems in the region has been seriously challenged in recent years. This paper reviewed the changes in the grasslands of the TRHR and their responses to climate change and human activities. The review showed that accurate monitoring of grassland ecological information is the basis for effective management. Although alpine grassland coverage and the above-ground biomass of the alpine grassland have generally increased in the region over the past 30 years, the degradation has not been fundamentally curbed. Grassland degradation substantially reduced topsoil nutrients and affected their distribution, deteriorated soil moisture conditions, and aggravated soil erosion. Grassland degradation led to loss of productivity and species diversity, and this is already harming the well-being of pastoralists. The "warm and wet" trend of the climate promoted the restoration of alpine grasslands, but widespread overgrazing is considered as one of the main reasons for grassland degradation, and related differences still exist. Since 2000, the grassland restoration policy has achieved fruitful results, but the formulation of the policy still needs to integrate market logic effectively and strengthen the understanding of the relationship between ecological protection and cultural protection. In addition, appropriate human intervention mechanisms are urgently needed due to the uncertainty of future climate change. For mildly and moderately degraded grassland, traditional methods are applicable. However, the severely degraded "black soil beach" needs to be restored by artificial seeding, and the stability of the plant-soil system needs to be emphasized to establish a relatively stable community to prevent secondary degradation.

Response of the common reed (Phragmites australis) to nutrient enrichment depends on the growth stage and degree of enrichment: A mesocosm experiment

Human-induced nutrient enrichment is a major stressor in aquatic ecosystems that has resulted in the alteration of ecosystem structures and functions. However, to date, relatively few studies have explored the temporal dynamics of reed biomass and morphological and biochemical traits under different nutrient levels, as well as the phenological pattern. Based on a mesocosm experiment, we monitored the aboveground and underground biomass of reed at the different plant growth stages, along with plant height, ramet and leaf number, leaf length and width, and carbohydrate and nutrient contents in different organs. We found that the significantly different ratio of aboveground to underground biomass was only observed at the late flowering stage between the slight enrichment (S-E) and heavy enrichment (H-E) groups. The start of the fast-growth phase of the aboveground part and underground part was delayed in the higher nutrient enrichment groups. The length of the fast-growth phase of the aboveground part was the same in the medium enrichment (M-E) and H-E groups and longer than that in the S-E group. For the underground part, the longest fast-growth phase was found in the S-E group (105 days), followed by the H-E and M-E groups (46 and 41 days, respectively). As the nutrient level increased, both increased and decreased values were observed for the 29 monitored morphological and biochemical traits, and the magnitude changed with the different growth stages. Moreover, different degrees of nutrient enrichment could differentially enhance or weaken the relationships among the groups between total biomass and the integrated morphological trait, between structural carbohydrate (SC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents, between total organic carbon (TOC) and TN, between total phosphorus (TP) contents, between TOC and SC contents. Our findings highlight a crucial contribution of ambient nutrient supply to temporal variation in plant biomass and phenological, morphological and biochemical traits.

Growth of alpine grassland will start and stop earlier under climate warming

Alpine plants have evolved a tight seasonal cycle of growth and senescence to cope with a short growing season. The potential growing season length (GSL) is increasing because of climate warming, possibly prolonging plant growth above- and belowground. We tested whether growth dynamics in typical alpine grassland are altered when the natural GSL (2-3 months) is experimentally advanced and thus, prolonged by 2-4 months. Additional summer months did not extend the growing period, as canopy browning started 34-41 days after the start of the season, even when GSL was more than doubled. Less than 10% of roots were produced during the added months, suggesting that root growth was as conservative as leaf growth. Few species showed a weak second greening under prolonged GSL, but not the dominant sedge. A longer growing season under future climate may therefore not extend growth in this widespread alpine community, but will foster species that follow a less strict phenology.

Exploring the relative contribution of flood regimes and climatic factors to Carex phenology in a Yangtze River-connected floodplain wetland

Hydrological regimes can combine with climatic factors to affect plant phenology; however, few studies have attempted to quantify their complex influences on plant phenology in floodplain wetlands. We obtained phenological information on Carex vegetation through MODIS normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data during 2001-2020, and monthly field investigation during 2011-2020. We then explored how these data were correlated with climatic factors and flood regimes in a Yangtze River-connected floodplain wetland (Dongting Lake, China). Our results showed that warmer temperature tended to advance the start of the pre-flooding growing season (SOS1), with a relative contribution of 76.1 %. Flood rising time strongly contributed to controlling the end of the pre-flooding growing season. Flood recession time and inundation duration were dominant factors determining the start of the post-flooding growing season (SOS2). Earlier flood recession time and shortened inundation duration tended to advance the SOS2. Shortened inundation duration, earlier flood recession time, and lower solar radiation tended to advance the end of the post-flooding growing season. The phenology of Carex distributed at high-elevation areas was more affected by hydrology than that of Carex distributed at low-elevation areas. Thus, climatic factors strongly affect the phenology of Carex during the pre-flooding growing season, whereas flood regimes play a dominant role in determining the phenology in the post-flooding growing season. The different responses of Carex phenology to climatic and flooding factors may provide insights for the conservation and management of floodplain wetlands in Yangtze River because Carex are primary food source and habitat for herbivorous waterfowls.

Air or soil temperature matters the responses of alpine plants in biomass accumulation to climate warming

Climate change has substantially affected plant phenology and growth on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), while it remains unclear how plant phenology and growth impact the plant biomass under climate change. We used long-term data (from 1997 to 2017) for four plants, Stipa purpurea, Artemisia scoparia, Kobresia humilis and Astragalus laxmannii in the alpine meadow to examine the relationships among multiple climate factors, vegetative growth, reproductive growth, intrinsic growth rate and biomass. The order of returning to green determines the growth strategies of different plants, the earliest plants to green (p < 0.05) (e.g., Stipa purpurea and Artemisia scoparia) would choose the strategy of vegetative growth (p < 0.05); the earlier plants (p < 0.05) (e.g., Kobresia humilis) would be regulated by both vegetative growth and reproductive growth (p < 0.05); while the latest plant to green (p < 0.05) such as Astragalus laxmannii, would choose intrinsic growth rate rather than growing season (P < 0.05). Temperature was the most important drivers for key phenological phases and growth patterns of four species, different factors play a role in different stages of the growth period, i.e., in the early and late stage is the soil temperature, while in the middle stage is the average temperature or the maximum temperature, and all the optimum thresholds were >30 day. These findings provide the in-situ evidences of long-term changes in phenology and its associated growth on the biomass of alpine plants on the QTP in the era of climate change.

Warming and spring precipitation addition change plant growth pattern but have minor effects on growing season mean gross ecosystem productivity in an alpine meadow

Gross ecosystem productivity (GEP) plays an important role in global carbon cycling. However, how plant phenology and growth rate regulate GEP under climate change is unclear. Based on an in situ manipulative experiment using open top chambers from 2015 to 2018, we measured whole year warming and spring precipitation addition effects on plant phenology, plant growth rate and GEP. Our results showed that warming delayed plant green up (4 days) and withering (5 days), while spring precipitation addition advanced green up 13 days and did not change withering. Warming delayed the timing of the fast-growing phase 7 days, shortened length of the fast-growing phase 7 days and marginally increased the growth rate. Spring precipitation addition advanced the timing of the fast-growing phase 6 days, but did not change the length of the fast-growing phase or the growth rate. Both whole year warming and spring precipitation addition have not significantly affected growing season mean GEP. GEP is positively correlated with plant growth rate and negatively correlated with the length of the fast-growing phase. We provide an evidence that although warming did not change growing season mean productivity, it delayed plant fast-growing phase. Our findings suggest that management approaches for increasing water availability before the fast-growing phase should be intensified to increase ecosystem carbon uptake and grass supply for animal husbandry in spring.

Climate warming leads to advanced fruit development period of temperate woody species but divergent changes in its length

Climate warming has significantly altered the phenology of plants in recent decades. However, in contrast to the widely reported warming-induced extension of vegetative growing season, the response of fruit development period (FDP) from flowering to fruiting remains largely unexplored, particularly for woody plants. Analyzing >560,000 in situ observations of both flowering and fruiting dates for six temperate woody species across 2958 European phenological observations sites during 1980-2013, we found that in all species both flowering and fruiting phenology, that is, the FDP, advanced with climate warming. However, the advancing rates of the two events were not necessarily equal for any given species, resulting in divergent changes in the length of FDP among species with climate warming. During 1980-2013, not only the temperature during FDP but also the forcing requirement for fruit development increased, both affecting the length of FDP. The shortened FDP was mainly due to elevated temperature, thus accelerating the accumulation of forcing, whereas the prolonged FDP was primarily caused by the substantial increase of the forcing requirement of fruiting, which could be fulfilled only in a longer time and thus slowed down the advance of fruiting. This study provides large-scale empirical evidence of warming-induced advances of FDP but divergent changes in its length in temperate woody species. Our findings demonstrate the contrasting reproductive phenological strategies among temperate woody species under the pressure of warming climate, contrary to the lengthening of vegetative growing season, which is by and largely similar with different woody species.

Distribution of Breeding Population and Predicting Future Habitat under Climate Change of Black-Necked Crane (Grus nigricollis Przevalski, 1876) in Shaluli Mountains

Climate change is affecting biodiversity by altering the geographical distribution range of species, and this effect is amplified in climate-sensitive areas. Studying the geographic distribution of flagship species in response to climate change is important for the long-term conservation of species and the maintenance of regional biodiversity. Therefore, we collected field survey records from 2016 to 2020 and conducted field surveys of black-necked cranes in the Shaluli Mountains (SLLMs) in May–June and August–October 2021; 103 breeding records were acquired totally, and the geographical distribution range under the current and four future climate scenarios was modeled with the MaxEnt model to predict the impact of climate change on its distribution and habitat quality. The results showed that 152 black-necked cranes were surveyed in seven counties of SLLMs in total; the estimated number of black-necked cranes in the entire SLLMs was about 200. The currently suitable habitat area is 27,122 km2, mainly distributed in gentle meadows and wetland habitats along the lake where the Annual Mean Temperature is −1 °C and the Mean Diurnal Range (16 °C) and Precipitation Seasonality (105) are comparatively large. Furthermore, the breeding range would expand to varying degrees under future climate scenarios and showed a migration trend toward the northwest and higher elevation. Besides, as time goes by, the habitat for black-necked cranes in SLLMs would become more homogeneous and more suitable. The conservation effectiveness of the existing reserve network would keep stable with climate change, although there are large conservation gaps between protected areas, and these gaps will gradually expand over time. Overall, this study provides a preliminary understanding of the population and distribution and predicts the future distribution of black-necked cranes in the SLLMs. It also demonstrates the importance of SLLMs for protecting the central population of black-necked cranes and maintaining regional biodiversity. Therefore, we recommend long-term monitoring and conservation of the black-necked crane population and wetland resources in the region.

The effects of grazer exclosure duration on soil microbial communities on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

While determining the response of soil microbes to grazer exclosure duration is critical to understanding ecosystem restoration processes, few studies have focused on this issue. With seasonal grazing as a control, microbes of alpine grassland soils under 5, 13, 22, and 39 years of grazer exclosure situated in the eastern part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, were examined. Microbial diversity was determined through Illumina high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and an internal transcription spacer (ITS). We found that soil bacterial α-diversity showed insignificant differences between seasonal grazing and grazer exclosure and among the grazer exclosures of different durations, while fungal α-diversity under the 5-year grazer exclosure was significantly different from those under the other treatments. Soil microbial community profiles under the 13-, 22-, and 39-year grazer exclosures were significantly different compared to those under the seasonal grazing or 5-year grazer exclosure. Briefly, longer exclosure durations led to a higher relative abundance of multiple copiotrophic microbial lineages (e.g., β-Proteobacteria, Rhizobiales, and Frankiales), whereas several oligotrophic microbial lineages (e.g., Chloroflexi, Leotiomycetes, and Xylariales) gradually and significantly decreased. Functional predictions suggest that as grazer exclosure duration was extended, the relative abundance of nitrogen fixers increased, while the proportions of plant pathogenic fungi decreased. This indicates that long-term grazer exclosure duration may contribute to enhanced soil nitrogen fixation and grassland health by maintaining plant growth and decreasing the risk of plant disease. However, this may have a resource cost as plant productivity and soil organic carbon both decreased with the extension of grazer exclosure duration. Therefore, the agroecology effect of grazer exclosure duration on the diversity and abundance of soil nitrogen fixing bacteria and plant pathogen fungi, should be given more attention in the cold and humid portion of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Regional and Phased Vegetation Responses to Climate Change Are Different in Southwest China

Southwestern China (SW) is simultaneously affected by the East Asian monsoon, South Asian monsoon and westerly winds, forming a complex and diverse distribution pattern of climate types, resulting in a low interpretation rate of vegetation changes by climate factors in the region. This study explored the response characteristics of vegetation to climatic factors in the whole SW and the core area of typical climate type and the phased changes in response, adopting the form of “top-down”, using linear trend method, moving average method and correlation coefficient, and based on the climate data of CRU TS v. 4.02 for the period 1982–2017 and the annual maximum, 3/4 quantile, median, 1/4 quantile, minimum and average (abbreviated as P100, P75, P50, P25, P5 and Mean) of GIMMS NDVI, which were to characterize vegetation growth conditions. Coupling with the trend and variability of climate change, we identified four major types of climate change in the SW, including the significant increase in both temperature and precipitation (T+*-P+*), the only significant increase in temperature and decrease (T+*-P−) or increase (T+*-P+) of precipitation and no significant change (NSC). We then screened out nine typical areas of climate change types (i.e., core areas (CAs)), followed by one T+*-P+* area, which was located in the center of the lake basin of the Qiangtang Plateau. The response of vegetation to climatic factors in T+*-P+* area/T+*-P+ areas and T+*-P− areas/NSC areas were mainly manifested in an increase and a significant decrease, which makes the response characteristics of vegetation to climatic factors in the whole SW have different directionality at different growth stages. Our results may provide new ideas for clearly showing the complexity and heterogeneity of the vegetation response to climate change in the region under the background of global warming.

Assessment of the Morphological Pattern of the Lebanon Cedar under Changing Climate: The Mediterranean Case

The effects of climate change on species can influence the delicate balance in ecosystems. For this reason, conservation planning needs to take account of connectivity and the related ecological processes within the framework of climate change. In this study, we focus on the change in the ecological connectivity of the Lebanon cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich.), which is widely distributed in the Mediterranean, particularly in the Amanus and Taurus Mountains. To this end, we evaluated the changes in spatial units providing connectivity in the potential and future distributions of the species through ecological niche modelling, morphological spatial pattern analysis, and landscape metrics. The results suggest that the species is moving to the northeast. According to the future projections, we predict that the potential habitat suitability of the species will shrink significantly and that, in the case of pessimistic scenarios, the extent of the suitable habitats will decrease, particularly in the western and central Taurus Mountain chains. A comparison of potential and future cores indicates that there will be a slight increase under the RCP 4.5 2050 scenario, whereas core areas will decrease in the RCP 4.5 2070, RCP 8.5 2050, and RCP 8.5 2070 scenarios. In addition, it is predicted that bridges would increase in the RCP 4.5 2070 and RCP 8.5 2050 scenarios but decrease in other scenarios.

An earlier start of the thermal growing season enhances tree growth in cold humid areas but not in dry areas

Climatic warming alters the onset, duration and cessation of the vegetative season. While previous studies have shown a tight link between thermal conditions and leaf phenology, less is known about the impacts of phenological changes on tree growth. Here, we assessed the relationships between the start of the thermal growing season and tree growth across the extratropical Northern Hemisphere using 3,451 tree-ring chronologies and daily climatic data for 1948-2014. An earlier start of the thermal growing season promoted growth in regions with high ratios of precipitation to temperature but limited growth in cold-dry regions. Path analyses indicated that an earlier start of the thermal growing season enhanced growth primarily by alleviating thermal limitations on wood formation in boreal forests and by lengthening the period of growth in temperate and Mediterranean forests. Semi-arid and dry subalpine forests, however, did not benefit from an earlier onset of growth and a longer growing season, presumably due to associated water loss and/or more frequent early spring frosts. These emergent patterns of how climatic impacts on wood phenology affect tree growth at regional to hemispheric scales hint at how future phenological changes may affect the carbon sequestration capacity of extratropical forest ecosystems.

Increasing Interspecific Difference of Alpine Herb Phenology on the Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The phenology of alpine grassland on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is critical to regional climate change through climate-vegetation feedback. Although many studies have examined QTP vegetation dynamics and their climate sensitivities, the interspecific difference in the phenology response to climate change between alpine species is poorly understood. Here, we used a 30-year (1989-2018) record of in situ phenological observation for five typical alpine herbs (Elymus nutans, Kobresia pygmaea, Plantago asiatica, Puccinellia tenuiflora, and Scirpus distigmaticus) and associated climatic records at Henan Station in the eastern QTP to examine the species-level difference in spring and autumn phenology and then quantify their climate sensitivities. Our results show that with significantly warming, the green-up dates of herbs were insignificantly shifted, while the brown-off dates in four out of the five herbs were significantly delayed. Meanwhile, the interspecific difference in brown-off dates significantly increased at a rate of 0.62 days/annual from 1989 to 2016, which was three times larger than that in green-up dates (0.20 days/annual). These diverse rates were attributed to the different climate controls on spring and autumn phenology. In particular, green-up dates in most herbs were sensitive to mean surface temperature, while brown-off dates were sensitive to the night surface temperature. Furthermore, brown-off dates are less sensitive to the warming in high ecological niche (with higher herb height and aboveground biomass) herbs than low niche herbs (with lower herb height and aboveground biomass). The increased phenology interspecific difference highlights the complex responses of herbs to future climate change even under the same alpine environment and indicates a potential alternation in the plants community of alpine QTP, which may further influence the regional climate-vegetation feedback.

Warming has a minor effect on surface soil organic carbon in alpine meadow ecosystems on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The alpine meadow ecosystem on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) is very sensitive to warming and plays a key role in regulating global carbon (C) cycling. However, how warming affects the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool and related C inputs and outputs in alpine meadow ecosystems on the QTP remains unclear. Here, we combined two field experiments and a meta-analysis on field experiments to synthesize the responses of the SOC pool and related C cycling processes to warming in alpine meadow ecosystems on the QTP. We found that the SOC content of surface soil (0-10 cm) showed a minor response to warming, but plant respiration was accelerated by warming. In addition, the warming effect on SOC was not correlated with experimental and environmental variables, such as the method, magnitude and duration of warming, initial SOC content, mean annual temperature, and mean annual precipitation. We conclude that the surface SOC content is resistant to climate warming in alpine meadow ecosystems on the QTP.

Precipitation Dominates the Relative Contributions of Climate Factors to Grasslands Spring Phenology on the Tibetan Plateau

Temperature and precipitation are the primary regulators of vegetation phenology in temperate zones. However, the relative contributions of each factor and their underlying combined effect on vegetation phenology are much less clear, especially for the grassland of the Tibetan Plateau To quantify the contribution of each factor and the potential interactions, we conducted redundancy analysis for grasslands spring phenology on the Tibetan Plateau during 2000–2017. Generally, the individual contribution of temperature and precipitation to grasslands spring phenology (the start of growing season (SOS)) was lower, despite a higher correlation coefficient, which further implied that these factors interact to affect the SOS. The contributions of temperature and precipitation to the grasslands spring phenology varied across space on the Tibetan Plateau, and these spatial heterogeneities can be mainly explained by the spatial gradient of long-term average precipitation during spring over 2000–2017. Specifically, the SOS for meadow was dominated by the mean temperature in spring (Tspring) in the eastern wetter ecoregion, with an individual contribution of 24.16% (p < 0.05), while it was strongly negatively correlated with the accumulated precipitation in spring (Pspring) in the western drier ecoregion. Spatially, a 10 mm increase in long-term average precipitation in spring resulted in an increase in the contribution of Tspring of 2.0% (p < 0.1) for meadow, while it caused a decrease in the contribution of Pspring of −0.3% (p < 0.05). Similarly, a higher contribution of Pspring for steppe was found in drier ecoregions. A spatial decrease in precipitation of 10 mm increased the contribution of Pspring of 1.4% (p < 0.05). Considering these impacts of precipitation on the relative contribution of warming and precipitation to the SOS, projected climate change would have a stronger impact on advancing SOS in a relatively moist environment compared to that of drier areas. Hence, these quantitative interactions and contributions must be included in current ecosystem models, mostly driven by indicators with the direct and the overall effect in response to projected climate warming.

Biochemical responses of hairgrass (Deschampsia caespitosa) to hydrological change

Plant growth and development are closely related to water availability. Water deficit and water excess are detrimental to plants, causing a series of damage to plant morphology, physiological and biochemical processes. In the long evolutionary process, plants have evolved an array of complex mechanisms to combat against stressful conditions. In the present study, the duration-dependent changes in ascorbate (AsA) and glutathione (GSH) contents and activities of enzymes involved in the AsA-GSH cycle in hairgrass (Deschampsia caespitosa) in response to water stress was investigated in a pot trial using a complete random block design. The treatments were as follows: (1) heavily waterlogging, (2) moderate waterlogging, (3) light waterlogging, (4) light drought, (5) moderate drought, (6) heavily drought, and (7) a control (CK) with plant be maintained at optimum water availability. The hairgrass plants were subjected to waterlogging or drought for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days and data were measured following treatment. Results revealed that hairgrass subjected to water stress can stimulate enzymatic activities of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glutathione reductase (GR), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR) and L-galactono-1, 4-lactone dehydrogenase (GalLDH), switched on the ascorbate-glutathione (AsA-GSH) cycle and the L-galactose synthesis, up-regulated the contents of AsA and GSH, and maintained higher ratios of ascorbate to dehydroascorbate (AsA/DHA) and reduced glutathione to oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) to alleviate potential oxidative damage. However, the light waterlogging did not induce hairgrass under stress to switch on the AsA-GSH pathway. In general, the critic substances and enzyme activities in AsA-GSH metabolic pathway increased as the increase of water stress intensity. As the increase of exposure duration, the critic antioxidant substances content and enzyme activities increased first and then maintained a relatively stable higher level. Our findings provide comprehensive information on biochemical responses of hairgrass to hydrological change, which would be a major step for accelerating ecological restoration of degradation alpine marshes in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Aeroallergens and Climate Change in Tulsa, Oklahoma: Long-Term Trends in the South Central United States

Climate change is having a significant effect on many allergenic plants resulting in increased pollen production and shifts in plant phenology. Although these effects have been well-studied in some areas of the world, few studies have focused on long-term changes in allergenic pollen in the South Central United States. This study examined airborne pollen, temperature, and precipitation in Tulsa, Oklahoma over 25 to 34 years. Pollen was monitored with a Hirst-type spore trap on the roof of a building at the University of Tulsa and meteorology data were obtained from the National Weather Service. Changes in total pollen intensity were examined along with detailed analyses of the eight most abundant pollen types in the Tulsa atmosphere. In addition to pollen intensity, changes in pollen season start date, end date, peak date and season duration were also analyzed. Results show a trend to increasing temperatures with a significant increase in annual maximum temperature. There was a non-significant trend toward increasing total pollen and a significant increase in tree pollen over time. Several individual taxa showed significant increases in pollen intensity over the study period including spring Cupressaceae and Quercus pollen, while Ambrosia pollen showed a significant decrease. Data from the current study also indicated that the pollen season started earlier for spring pollinating trees and Poaceae. Significant correlations with preseason temperature may explain the earlier pollen season start dates along with a trend toward increasing March temperatures. More research is needed to understand the global impact of climate change on allergenic species, especially from other regions that have not been studied.

Contrasting effects of mammal grazing on foliar fungal diseases: patterns and potential mechanisms

Plant pathogens and their hosts often coexist with mammal grazers. However, the direction and strength of grazing effects on foliar fungal diseases can be idiosyncratic, varying among host plant species and pathogen types. We combined a 6 yr yak-grazing experiment, a clipping experiment simulating different mammal consumption patterns (leaf damage vs whole-leaf removal), and a meta-analysis of 63 comparisons to evaluate how grazing impacts foliar fungal diseases across plant growth types (grass vs forb) and pathogen life histories (biotroph vs necrotroph). In the yak-grazing experiment, grazing had no significant effect on disease severity, and grasses experienced a higher disease severity than forbs; there was a significant interaction between pathogen type and grazing. In both the yak-grazing experiment and meta-analysis, grazing decreased biotrophic pathogens (mainly rusts and powdery mildew), but did not affect necrotrophic pathogens (mainly leaf spots). The clipping experiment suggested that grazers might promote infection by necrotrophic pathogens by producing wounds on leaves, but inhibit biotrophic pathogens via leaf removal. In conclusion, our three-part approach revealed that intrinsic properties of both plants and pathogens shape patterns of disease in natural ecosystems, greatly improving our ability to predict disease severity under mammal grazing.

Functional diversity outperforms taxonomic diversity in revealing short-term trampling effects

Alpine grasslands harbor diverse groups of flora and fauna, provide important ecosystem functions, and yield essential ecosystem goods and services, especially for the development of nature-based tourism. However, they are experiencing increasing anthropogenic perturbations such as tourist trampling. Although negative effects of tourist trampling on alpine vegetation have been frequently reported, previous studies have focused mainly on changes in taxonomic diversity after trampling, and rarely provide a mechanistic elucidation of trampling effects from a trait-based perspective. The present study evaluates the impacts of simulated trampling on taxonomic and functional diversity of a typical alpine grassland community in Shangri-La, China using a standardized protocol. The results showed that although taxonomic diversity was not statistically significantly affected by trampling, some functional attributes responded rapidly to trampling disturbance. Specifically, functional divergence decreased with an increase in trampling intensity, and characteristics of community-weighted mean trait values changed towards shorter species with reduced leaf area and lower leaf dry matter content. Such strong shifts in functional attributes may further affect ecosystem goods and services provided by alpine grasslands. Our inclusion of functional diversity in the analysis thus adds an important caution to previous studies predominantly focusing on taxonomic diversity, and it is urgent to keep alpine grasslands well managed and ecologically coherent so that their valuable functions and services can be safeguarded.

Ethylene-regulated leaf lifespan explains divergent responses of plant productivity to warming among three hydrologically different growing seasons

Leaf senescence is known to be regulated by the plant hormone ethylene, but how leaf lifespan responds to global environmental change and links to ecosystem-level responses remains largely unexplored. Here we investigated the effects of climate warming and nitrogen addition on plant functional traits, plant hormone ethylene and net primary production in a 13-year field experiment in a desert steppe. Across the last 3 years of the experiment (2016-2018), plant productivity increased under warming only in 2016, when there was above normal precipitation, but consistently increased with nitrogen addition. Warming enhanced net photosynthesis, leaf nitrogen and ethylene production and reduced leaf lifespan in 2016 (a wet year), but not in 2017 (a drought year); the effect of warming in 2018 (a year with normal precipitation) was opposite to 2016, likely due to the below-normal precipitation in the mid-growing season in 2018. Nitrogen addition led to increases in leaf nitrogen, ethylene production and net photosynthesis, and declines in leaf lifespan in 2016 and 2018, but not in 2017. The ethylene-regulated lifespan was further evidenced by the addition of CoCl₂ (an ethylene biosynthesis inhibitor) that reduced ethylene production and prolonged lifespan. Structural equation modeling showed that leaf lifespan had a negative effect on plant productivity, both directly and indirectly via its negative effect on net photosynthesis, across all 3 years. Our results demonstrate the divergent responses of leaf lifespan and, in turn, plant productivity to warming under inter-annual and intra-annual precipitation variation, thus linking plant hormone production, functional traits and ecosystem functioning in the face of global environmental change.