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Zhou Y, Ma H, Lu Q, Ma J, Shen Y, Wang G. Different responses of leaf and root economics spectrum to grazing time at the community level in desert steppe, China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 909:168547. [PMID: 37981138 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
The plant economic spectrum can explain the trade-off strategies of vascular plants between resource acquisition and storage. Grazing can alter the plant functional characteristics of grassland ecosystems, resulting in a shift in plant resource acquisition strategies. Taking fenced grassland as a control, in this study we quantified six leaf traits and four root traits of 14 plant species (those that comprised >85 % of the species community abundance) of different grazing time grasslands in desert grasslands in Ningxia. We examined how grazing time shapes the functional structure of plant communities and the resource acquisition strategy. The results revealed an inverse pattern of the fast-slow economic spectrum of leaf and root traits; that is, as grazing time increased, the leaf traits shifted from an acquisitive type to a conservative type of resource acquisition strategy. In contrast, the root traits showed a shift from a conservative type to an acquisitive type of resource acquisition strategy. Grazing time leads to a whole plant economic spectrum, and plant functional traits may facilitate their response to environmental change, the study of which can hereby deepen our understanding of the plant economics spectrum. Our study provides new evidence that leaf and root resource acquisition and utilization are relatively independent under grazing pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Zhou
- College of Forestry and Prataculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China; Key Laboratory for Model Innovation in Forage Production Efficiency, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China; Grassland and Animal Husbandry Engineering Technology Research Center of Ningxia Province, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China; Breeding Base for State Key Laboratory of Land Degradation and Ecological Restoration of Northwest China, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
| | - Hongbin Ma
- College of Forestry and Prataculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China; Key Laboratory for Model Innovation in Forage Production Efficiency, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China; Grassland and Animal Husbandry Engineering Technology Research Center of Ningxia Province, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China; Breeding Base for State Key Laboratory of Land Degradation and Ecological Restoration of Northwest China, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China.
| | - Qi Lu
- College of Forestry and Prataculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China; Key Laboratory for Model Innovation in Forage Production Efficiency, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China; Grassland and Animal Husbandry Engineering Technology Research Center of Ningxia Province, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
| | - Jingli Ma
- College of Forestry and Prataculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China; Key Laboratory for Model Innovation in Forage Production Efficiency, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China; Grassland and Animal Husbandry Engineering Technology Research Center of Ningxia Province, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
| | - Yan Shen
- College of Forestry and Prataculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China; Key Laboratory for Model Innovation in Forage Production Efficiency, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China; Grassland and Animal Husbandry Engineering Technology Research Center of Ningxia Province, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China; Breeding Base for State Key Laboratory of Land Degradation and Ecological Restoration of Northwest China, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
| | - Guohui Wang
- College of Forestry and Prataculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China; Key Laboratory for Model Innovation in Forage Production Efficiency, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China; Grassland and Animal Husbandry Engineering Technology Research Center of Ningxia Province, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China; Breeding Base for State Key Laboratory of Land Degradation and Ecological Restoration of Northwest China, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
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Soheili F, Heydari M, Woodward S, Naji HR. Adaptive mechanism in Quercus brantii Lindl. leaves under climatic differentiation: morphological and anatomical traits. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3580. [PMID: 36869142 PMCID: PMC9984455 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30762-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Leaf traits, which vary across different climatic conditions, can reveal evolutionary changes within a species made to adapt to the environment. Leaf traits play major roles in a plant functions under varying climatic conditions. To examine adaptive modes and mechanisms applied by plants in different climates, we analyzed leaf morphology and anatomical structures in Quercus brantii in the Zagros forests, Western Iran. The plants adapted to the environmental differences with increased dry matter content in a Mediterranean climate, and increasing leaf length, specific leaf area, stomata length (SL), stomata width, stomatal density (SD), stomatal pore index (SPI), trichome length, and width in a sub-humid climate; trichome density was increased in a semi-arid climate. There were strong, positive correlations between SPI with SL and SD. Correlations for other leaf traits were weakly significant. Such morphological and anatomical plasticity probably leads to lower transpiration rates, control of internal temperature and water status, and improved photosynthetic capability under stressing conditions. These findings provide new insights into the adaptive strategies of plants to environmental changes at the morphological and anatomical levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Forough Soheili
- Department of Forest Sciences, Ilam University, Ilam, 69315-516, Iran
| | - Mehdi Heydari
- Department of Forest Sciences, Ilam University, Ilam, 69315-516, Iran
| | - Stephen Woodward
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU, UK
| | - Hamid Reza Naji
- Department of Forest Sciences, Ilam University, Ilam, 69315-516, Iran.
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Liu L, Xia H, Quan X, Wang Y. Plant trait-based life strategies of overlapping species vary in different succession stages of subtropical forests, Eastern China. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1103937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Plants growing in forests at different succession stages in diverse habitats may adopt various life strategies from the perspective of plant functional traits. However, species composition differs with forest succession, and the effects of forest succession on traits have often been explored without considering the effects of species identity. We comprehensively investigated intraspecific variations in 12 traits of six overlapping species (two tree species and four understory shrub species) in three typical subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests at different succession stages in eastern China. We found that intraspecific variations differed among traits. Fine root specific length presented large intraspecific variation, leaf area, specific leaf area and fine root tissue density showed medium intraspecific variations, and other traits displayed small intraspecific variations. Trees and understory shrubs in the early-stage forest exhibited higher leaf thickness, dry matter contents and tissue densities of leaves, roots, twigs, and stems and lower leaf area and specific leaf area. Those in the medium- and late-stage forests displayed contrasting trait characteristics. From the perspective of plant functional traits, plants in the early-stage forest formed a series of trait combinations for a resource conservative strategy with a low growth rate to adapt to fragile habitats with poor soil nutrients and changeable soil temperature and humidity, and those in the medium- and late-stage forests (especially the former) formed converse trait combinations for a resource acquisitive strategy with a high growth rate to adapt to low light availability and strongly competitive habitats. Our study reveals that plants in forests at different succession stages adopt various life strategies and provides data to the TRY and China plant trait databases.
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Li J, Chen X, Wu P, Niklas KJ, Lu Y, Zhong Q, Hu D, Cheng L, Cheng D. The fern economics spectrum is unaffected by the environment. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2022; 45:3205-3218. [PMID: 36029253 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The plant economics spectrum describes the trade-off between plant resource acquisition and storage, and sheds light on plant responses to environmental changes. However, the data used to construct the plant economics spectrum comes mainly from seed plants, thereby neglecting vascular non-seed plant lineages such as the ferns. To address this omission, we evaluated whether a fern economics spectrum exists using leaf and root traits of 23 fern species living under three subtropical forest conditions differing in light intensity and nutrient gradients. The fern leaf and root traits were found to be highly correlated and formed a plant economics spectrum. Specific leaf mass and root tissue density were found to be on one side of the spectrum (conservative strategy), whereas photosynthesis rate, specific root area, and specific root length were on the other side of the spectrum (acquisitive strategy). Ferns had higher photosynthesis and respiration rates, and photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency under high light conditions and higher specific root area and lower root tissue density in high nutrient environments. However, environmental changes did not significantly affect their resource acquisition strategies. Thus, the plant economics spectrum can be broadened to include ferns, which expands its phylogenetic and ecological implications and utility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinlong Li
- Institute of Geography, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Xiaoping Chen
- Institute of Geography, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Ecology in Fujian Province, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Panpan Wu
- Institute of Geography, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Karl J Niklas
- Plant Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Yimiao Lu
- Institute of Geography, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Quanlin Zhong
- Institute of Geography, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Dandan Hu
- Institute of Geography, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Lin Cheng
- Jiangxi Wuyishan National Nature Reserve Administration Bureau, Wuyishan National Nature Reserve, Shangrao, Jiangxi, China
| | - Dongliang Cheng
- Institute of Geography, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Ecology in Fujian Province, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
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Fan B, Ma Z, Gao P, Lu J, Ding N, Sun K. Functional Traits of Male and Female Leaves of Hippophae tibetana on the Eastern Edge of the Tibetan Plateau and Their Altitudinal Variability. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:2484. [PMID: 36235349 PMCID: PMC9573225 DOI: 10.3390/plants11192484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
To date, there have been few studies of the functional traits of the dioecious Hippophae tibetana Schlecht leaves, either male or female, in response to ecological factors such as altitude. Elucidating these relationships will establish an important scientific basis for vegetation restoration and reconstruction of the Tibetan Plateau ecosystem. The natural populations of H. tibetana, distributed across three field sites, at 2868 m, 3012 m and 3244 m, in Tianzhu, Gansu, were studied by field survey sampling and laboratory analysis. In particular, the adaptions of leaf functional traits to elevation in these dioecious plants were analyzed. The results show that: (1) there is no “midday depression” of photosynthetic activity in either male or female plants. Over a one-day period, the net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and transpiration rate (Tr) of H. tibetana female plants were higher than those of male plants (p < 0.05). This correlated to the period of vigorous fruit growth in the female plant. The measured Pn and Tr were maximal at the intermediate altitude (3012 m). The light compensation point (LCP) of the leaves of male and female plants were 57.6 and 43.2 μmol·m−2·s−1, respectively, and the light saturation points (LSP) of the leaves were 1857.6 and 1596.8 μmol·m−2·s−1. (2) Altitude had a significant effect on plant and leaf functional traits of male and female H. tibetana (p < 0.05), and no significant difference was noted between plants at the same altitude. The values for leaf area (LA), specific leaf weight (LMA), leaf phosphorus content per unit mass (Pmass) and leaf phosphorus content per unit area (Parea) were also maximal at the intermediate altitude. Leaf nitrogen content per unit area (Narea) and leaf nitrogen content per unit mass (Nmass) increased with altitude. This indicated that the functional traits of male and female plants and leaves of H. tibetana showed a strong “trade-off relationship” with altitude. (3) Pearson correlation analysis showed that there were significant correlations among functional traits of H. tibetana leaves. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that soil water content (SWC), altitude (Alt) and soil organic carbon (SOC) had significant effects on the functional traits of H. tibetana leaves (p < 0.05).
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Weigelt A, Mommer L, Andraczek K, Iversen CM, Bergmann J, Bruelheide H, Fan Y, Freschet GT, Guerrero-Ramírez NR, Kattge J, Kuyper TW, Laughlin DC, Meier IC, van der Plas F, Poorter H, Roumet C, van Ruijven J, Sabatini FM, Semchenko M, Sweeney CJ, Valverde-Barrantes OJ, York LM, McCormack ML. An integrated framework of plant form and function: the belowground perspective. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 232:42-59. [PMID: 34197626 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Plant trait variation drives plant function, community composition and ecosystem processes. However, our current understanding of trait variation disproportionately relies on aboveground observations. Here we integrate root traits into the global framework of plant form and function. We developed and tested an overarching conceptual framework that integrates two recently identified root trait gradients with a well-established aboveground plant trait framework. We confronted our novel framework with published relationships between above- and belowground trait analogues and with multivariate analyses of above- and belowground traits of 2510 species. Our traits represent the leaf and root conservation gradients (specific leaf area, leaf and root nitrogen concentration, and root tissue density), the root collaboration gradient (root diameter and specific root length) and the plant size gradient (plant height and rooting depth). We found that an integrated, whole-plant trait space required as much as four axes. The two main axes represented the fast-slow 'conservation' gradient on which leaf and fine-root traits were well aligned, and the 'collaboration' gradient in roots. The two additional axes were separate, orthogonal plant size axes for height and rooting depth. This perspective on the multidimensional nature of plant trait variation better encompasses plant function and influence on the surrounding environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Weigelt
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Liesje Mommer
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, Wageningen, 6700 AA, the Netherlands
| | - Karl Andraczek
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Colleen M Iversen
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Climate Change Science Institute and Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Joana Bergmann
- Sustainable Grassland Systems, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Paulinenaue, 14641, Germany
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, 06108, Germany
| | - Ying Fan
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Grégoire T Freschet
- Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station (SETE), National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), Moulis, 09200, France
| | - Nathaly R Guerrero-Ramírez
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Jens Kattge
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Functional Biogeography, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, 07745, Germany
| | - Thom W Kuyper
- Soil Biology Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, Wageningen, 6700 AA, the Netherlands
| | - Daniel C Laughlin
- Department of Botany, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA
| | - Ina C Meier
- Functional Forest Ecology, Department of Biology, Universität Hamburg, Barsbüttel-Willinghusen, 22885, Germany
| | - Fons van der Plas
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, Wageningen, 6700 AA, the Netherlands
| | - Hendrik Poorter
- Plant Sciences (IBG-2), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, 52425, Germany
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Catherine Roumet
- CEFE, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, University Montpellier, Montpellier, 34293, France
| | - Jasper van Ruijven
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, Wageningen, 6700 AA, the Netherlands
| | - Francesco Maria Sabatini
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, 06108, Germany
| | - Marina Semchenko
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, 51005, Estonia
| | - Christopher J Sweeney
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Oscar J Valverde-Barrantes
- Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Larry M York
- Noble Research Institute, LLC, Ardmore, OK, 73401, USA
| | - M Luke McCormack
- The Root Lab, Center for Tree Science, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL, 60515, USA
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Li S, Wang H, Gou W, White JF, Kingsley KL, Wu G, Su P. Leaf functional traits of dominant desert plants in the Hexi Corridor, Northwestern China: Trade-off relationships and adversity strategies. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
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Liu C, Li Y, Xu L, Chen Z, He N. Variation in leaf morphological, stomatal, and anatomical traits and their relationships in temperate and subtropical forests. Sci Rep 2019; 9:5803. [PMID: 30967600 PMCID: PMC6456615 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42335-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Leaf functional traits have attracted the attention of ecologists for several decades, but few studies have systematically assessed leaf morphological traits (termed "economic traits"), stomatal (termed "hydraulic"), and anatomical traits of entire forest communities, thus it is unclear whether their relationships are consistent among trees, shrubs, and herbs, and which anatomical traits should be assigned to economical or hydraulic traits. In this study, we collected leaf samples of 106 plant species in temperate forests and 164 plant species in subtropical forests and determined nine key functional traits. We found that functional traits differed between temperate and subtropical forests. Leaf traits also differed between different plant functional groups, irrespective of forest type; dry matter content, stomatal density, and cell tense ratio followed the order trees > shrubs > herbs, whereas specific leaf area and sponginess ratio showed the opposite pattern. The correlations of leaf traits were not consistent among trees, shrubs, and herbs, which may reflect different adaptive strategies. Principal component analysis indicated that leaf economics and hydraulic traits were uncoupled in temperate and subtropical forests, and correlations of anatomical traits and economic and hydraulic traits were weak, indicating anatomical traits should be emphasized in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Congcong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Ying Li
- The Key Laboratory for Forest Resources& Ecosystem Processes of Beijing, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Li Xu
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
| | - Zhi Chen
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Nianpeng He
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
- Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University and Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Changchun, 130024, China
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