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Tan Z, Chen X, Wang Y, Wang S, Wang R, Yao B, Yang Y, Kong Y, Qu J. The impact of the Qinghai-Tibet highway on plant community and diversity. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1392924. [PMID: 39006959 PMCID: PMC11240119 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1392924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Roads are an increasingly prevalent form of human activity that drives the decrease in plant community functions and threatens global biodiversity. However, few studies have focused on the changes in the function and diversity of alpine meadows caused by road infrastructure in the Tibetan Plateau. In this study, the changes in species diversity, functional diversity, and community stability were examined at different distances from the Qinghai-Tibet highway. The results showed that the road intensified the degradation of vegetation, which significantly altered species diversity and community structure. This effect gradually decreased from near to far from the highway. Plant community cover and species diversity were highest at intermediate distances (50-100 m) from the roadway; species diversity and stability were lowest in the grassland most disturbed by the road (0 m), and species diversity and functional diversity tended to stabilize farther away from the road (250 m). Our findings indicate that changes in species diversity are synchronized with changes in functional diversity, which largely determines the outcome of degraded grassland community diversity and stability. Our results provide a reference point for restoring degraded alpine areas and mitigating the ecological impacts of roads.
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Affiliation(s)
- ZhaoXian Tan
- School of Life Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China
- Sanjiangyuan Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
- Academy of Plateau Science and Sustainability, People's Government of Qinghai Province & Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - XuePing Chen
- Research Center for Environment Protection and Water and Soil Conservation, China Academy of Transportation Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yun Wang
- Research Center for Environment Protection and Water and Soil Conservation, China Academy of Transportation Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Suqin Wang
- Sanjiangyuan Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
- Qinghai Province Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
| | - Rong Wang
- School of Life Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China
- Sanjiangyuan Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
- Academy of Plateau Science and Sustainability, People's Government of Qinghai Province & Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - BaoHui Yao
- Sanjiangyuan Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
- Qinghai Province Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
| | - YanGang Yang
- Research Center for Environment Protection and Water and Soil Conservation, China Academy of Transportation Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - YaPing Kong
- Research Center for Environment Protection and Water and Soil Conservation, China Academy of Transportation Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - JiaPeng Qu
- School of Life Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China
- Sanjiangyuan Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
- Academy of Plateau Science and Sustainability, People's Government of Qinghai Province & Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Qinghai Province Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
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Li H, Luo P, Yang H, Luo C, Xie W, Jia H, Cheng Y, Huang Y. Assessing the effect of roads on mountain plant diversity beyond species richness. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:985673. [PMID: 36226279 PMCID: PMC9549253 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.985673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
A comprehensive understanding of the effects of mountain roads on plant diversity is critical to finding the most effective solutions for managing this particular driver. Little is known, however, about the simultaneous effects that road have on the multiple facets of biodiversity, although roads are considered to be one of the major disturbances in the Qionglai mountain range. In this study, we analyzed the impact of roads on the multiple facets of plant diversity (taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity) in the study area using Hill numbers by comparing plant diversity between roadside and interior plots at the landscape scale, then, we used linear mixed models to analyze the effect of mountain roads on the multiple facets of plant diversity along an elevational gradient. The results showed that the roadside plots lacked 29.45% of the total number of species with particular functional traits (such as a relatively high specific leaf area (SLA), a relatively low leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and relatively old clades) and exclusively contained 14.62% of the total number of species. Compared with the interior community, the taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of roadside community decreased by no more than 26.78%, 24.90% and 16.62%, respectively. Taxonomic and functional diversity of dominant and common species showed greater changes to road disturbances, while rare species showed the greatest change in phylogenetic diversity. Taxonomic homogenization of roadside communities was accompanied by functional and phylogenetic homogenization. Additionally, the impact of roads on these three facets of plant diversity showed the characteristics of peak clipping along the elevation gradient. Our findings highlight the negative impact of roads on the taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of the Qionglai mountain range, as roads promote communities that are more similar in taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic composition, and to a greater extent contributed to compositional evenness. These effects tend to be functionally and phylogenetically non-random, and species in some clades or with some functional traits are at higher risk of loss. Our results are important for the conservation and management of nature reserves, especially for local governments aiming to create new infrastructure to connect natural mountainous areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Honglin Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Peng Luo
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hao Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Chuan Luo
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenwen Xie
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Honghong Jia
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yue Cheng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Pei X, Ren X, Hu J, Onditi KO, Xu Y, Zhang M, Chang W, Chen Z. Human Disturbance and Geometric Constraints Drive Small Mammal Diversity and Community Structure along an Elevational Gradient in Eastern China. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:1915. [PMID: 35953902 PMCID: PMC9367490 DOI: 10.3390/ani12151915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms influencing patterns and processes of biological diversity is critical to protecting biodiversity, particularly in species-rich ecosystems such as mountains. Even so, there is limited knowledge of biodiversity patterns and processes in the mountains of eastern China, especially about small mammals. In this study, we examined the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of small mammal distribution and community structure along the elevational gradient of Qingliang Mountain, eastern China. We then evaluated how they are influenced by space (area and mid-domain effect (MDE)), environment (temperature, precipitation, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)), and human disturbance. The results showed hump-shaped patterns of taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity along elevation gradients, peaking at 1000 m, unlike functional diversity, which peaked at lower elevations (600 m). The mean pairwise distance and mean nearest taxon distance of functional and phylogenetic variance (MFD and MPD, respectively) were also incongruent. The MFD and MPD showed hump-shaped patterns along elevations; however, unlike MFD, which peaked at lower elevations (600 m), MPD peaked at higher elevations (1200 m). The mean nearest functional taxon distance (MNFD) decreased, while the mean nearest phylogenetic taxon distance (MNTD) increased along the elevation gradient. The higher elevations were functionally more clustered, while the lower elevations were phylogenetically more clustered, suggesting that environmental filtering for traits was stronger at higher elevations. In comparison, phylogenetic conservatism of ecological niches had a stronger influence at lower elevations. The diversity and community structure indices were inconsistently explained, with human disturbance and MDE accounting for the biggest proportions of the model-explained variances. Overall, the results confirm that environmental filtering and human disturbance significantly influence small mammals' diversity and community structure. These findings also emphasize the need for increased conservation efforts in the middle and lower elevation regions of Qingliang Mountain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxin Pei
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Recovery and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Wanjiang Basin Co-Founded by Anhui Province and Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China; (X.P.); (X.R.); (J.H.); (Y.X.); (M.Z.); (W.C.)
| | - Xueyang Ren
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Recovery and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Wanjiang Basin Co-Founded by Anhui Province and Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China; (X.P.); (X.R.); (J.H.); (Y.X.); (M.Z.); (W.C.)
| | - Jiangxiao Hu
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Recovery and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Wanjiang Basin Co-Founded by Anhui Province and Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China; (X.P.); (X.R.); (J.H.); (Y.X.); (M.Z.); (W.C.)
| | - Kenneth Otieno Onditi
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China;
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
| | - Yifan Xu
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Recovery and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Wanjiang Basin Co-Founded by Anhui Province and Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China; (X.P.); (X.R.); (J.H.); (Y.X.); (M.Z.); (W.C.)
| | - Min Zhang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Recovery and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Wanjiang Basin Co-Founded by Anhui Province and Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China; (X.P.); (X.R.); (J.H.); (Y.X.); (M.Z.); (W.C.)
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China;
| | - Wenqing Chang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Recovery and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Wanjiang Basin Co-Founded by Anhui Province and Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China; (X.P.); (X.R.); (J.H.); (Y.X.); (M.Z.); (W.C.)
| | - Zhongzheng Chen
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Recovery and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Wanjiang Basin Co-Founded by Anhui Province and Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China; (X.P.); (X.R.); (J.H.); (Y.X.); (M.Z.); (W.C.)
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Yakimov BN, Gerasimova AS, Zhang S, Ma K, Zhang Y. Phylogenetic α- and β-diversity elevational gradients reveal consistent patterns of temperate forest community structure. ACTA OECOLOGICA 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2020.103657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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