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The Relative Contributions of Climate and Grazing on the Dynamics of Grassland NPP and PUE on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. REMOTE SENSING 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/rs13173424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Net primary productivity (NPP) and precipitation-use efficiency (PUE) are crucial indicators in understanding the responses of vegetation to global change. However, the relative contributions of climate change and human interference to the dynamics of NPP and PUE remain unclear. During the past few decades, the impacts of climate change and human activities on alpine grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) have been intensifying. The aims of the study were to investigate the spatiotemporal patterns of grassland NPP and PUE on the QTP during 2000–2017 and quantify how much of the variance in NPP and PUE can be attributed to the climatic factors (precipitation and temperature) and grazing intensity. The results showed that: (1) grassland NPP significantly increased with a rate of 0.6 g C m−2 year−1 over the past 18 years, mainly induced by the increased temperature and the enhanced precipitation. The temperature was the dominant factor for NPP interannual variation in mid-eastern QTP, and precipitation restrained vegetation growth most in the southwest and northeast. (2) The PUE was higher on the eastern and western parts of the plateau, but lower at the center. Regarding grassland types, the PUE of alpine steppe (0.19 g C m−2 mm−1) was significantly lower than those of alpine meadow (0.31 g C m−2 mm−1) and desert steppe (0.32 g C m−2 mm−1). (3) Precipitation was significantly and negatively correlated with PUE and contributed the most to the temporal variation of grassland PUE on the QTP (52.7%). (4) Furthermore, we found that the grazing activities had the lowest contributions to both NPP and PUE interannual variation, compared to temperature and precipitation. Thus, it is suggested that climate variability rather than grazing activities dominated vegetation changes on the QTP.
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Liu AN, Zhang Y, Hou ZF, Hui Lü G. Allometric scaling of biomass with nitrogen and phosphorus above- and below-ground in herbaceous plants varies along water-salinity gradients. AOB PLANTS 2021; 13:plab030. [PMID: 34646433 PMCID: PMC8500215 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plab030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Biomass allocation affects the ability of plants to acquire resources and nutrients; a limited allocation of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, affects ecological processes. However, little research has been conducted on how plant allocation patterns change and on the trade-offs involved in allocation strategies when microhabitat gradients exist. We selected a 3.6 km transect in the Ebinur Lake Wetland Natural Reserve of Xinjiang, China, to investigate the relationships between plant traits (biomass and N and P concentrations) of herbaceous plants and environmental factors (soil moisture, salinity and nutrient content), and to determine the allometric scaling of biomass and stoichiometric traits between the above- and below-ground plant parts. The results show that the biomass and stoichiometric traits of plants reflected both the change of micro-environment and the natural characteristics of plants. With a decrease of the soil water availability and salinity, above- and below-ground N and P concentrations decrease gradually; scaling relationships exist between above- and below-ground plant parts, for biomass and N and P concentrations. Biomass allocation is influenced by soil nutrient ratios, and the allocation strategy tended to be conserved for N and variable for P. Second, the scaling relationships also show interspecific differences; all scaling exponents of Suaeda prostrata are larger than for other species and indicate a 'tolerance' strategy, while other species tend to increase the below-ground biomass and N and P concentrations, i.e. a 'capture' strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- An Na Liu
- Institute of Arid Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Education Ministry, Urumqi 830046, China
- Institute of Resources and Environment Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 8300462, China
- College of Science, Shihezi University, Shehezi 832003, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Institute of Arid Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Education Ministry, Urumqi 830046, China
- Institute of Resources and Environment Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 8300462, China
| | - Zhu Feng Hou
- Institute of Arid Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Education Ministry, Urumqi 830046, China
- Institute of Resources and Environment Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 8300462, China
| | - Guang Hui Lü
- Institute of Arid Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Education Ministry, Urumqi 830046, China
- Institute of Resources and Environment Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 8300462, China
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Spatial Variation in Leaf Stable Carbon Isotope Composition of Three Caragana Species in Northern China. FORESTS 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/f9060297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Liu M, Wang Z, Li S, Lü X, Wang X, Han X. Changes in specific leaf area of dominant plants in temperate grasslands along a 2500-km transect in northern China. Sci Rep 2017; 7:10780. [PMID: 28883421 PMCID: PMC5589743 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-11133-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2017] [Accepted: 08/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Specific leaf area (SLA) is a key trait with great ecological importance as it correlates with whole plant growth. We aimed to investigate how SLA varies with environmental factors at a geographical scale in temperate grasslands. We measured SLA and mass-based leaf nitrogen content (N mass) of four dominant plant genera along a 2500 km climatic gradient in northern China grassland, and correlated SLA with mean annual precipitation (MAP), mean annual temperature (MAT), soil nitrogen concentration (soil N), soil C:N and N mass. Climate accounts much more for SLA variation than soil variables for Stipa, Cleistogens and Carex. SLA of Stipa is negatively associated with MAP and soil N, while positively with MAT, but Cleistogenes and Carex show the opposite. For Leymus, soil N promotes SLA and accounts for largest fraction of SLA variation. Overall, SLA was positively correlated with N mass in semi-arid regions, but not significant in arid regions. The genus-dependent responses of SLA may have consequences on ecosystem functioning, thus may help to predict the community composition and ecosystem functions under future climate scenario. The finding of SLA-N mass trade-off and its susceptibility to precipitation will advance our understanding on plant resource use strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengzhou Liu
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Zhengwen Wang
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China. .,Key Laboratory for Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China.
| | - Shanshan Li
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaotao Lü
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Xiaobo Wang
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Xingguo Han
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China.,State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
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Li S, Wu J. Community assembly and functional leaf traits mediate precipitation use efficiency of alpine grasslands along environmental gradients on the Tibetan Plateau. PeerJ 2016; 4:e2680. [PMID: 27843716 PMCID: PMC5103816 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2016] [Accepted: 10/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau are sensitive and vulnerable to climate change. However, it is still unknown how precipitation use efficiency (PUE), the ratio of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) to precipitation, is related to community assembly of plant species, functional groups or traits for the Tibetan alpine grasslands along actual environmental gradients. We conducted a multi-site field survey at grazing-excluded pastures across meadow, steppe and desert-steppe to measure aboveground biomass (AGB) in August, 2010. We used species richness (SR), the Shannon diversity index, and cover-weighted functional group composition (FGC) of 1-xerophytes, 2-mesophytes, and 3-hygrophytes to describe community assembly at the species level; and chose community-level leaf area index (LAIc), specific leaf area (SLAc), and species-mixed foliar δ13C to quantify community assembly at the functional trait level. Our results showed that PUE decreased with increasing accumulated active temperatures (AccT) when daily temperature average is higher than 5 °C, but increased with increasing climatic moisture index (CMI), which was demined as the ratio of growing season precipitation (GSP) to AccT. We also found that PUE increased with increasing SR, the Shannon diversity index, FGC and LAIc, decreased with increasing foliar δ13C, and had no relation with SLAc at the regional scale. Neither soil total nitrogen (STN) nor organic carbon has no influence on PUE at the regional scale. The community assembly of the Shannon index, LAIc and SLAc together accounted for 46.3% of variance in PUE, whilst CMI accounted for 47.9% of variance in PUE at the regional scale. This implies that community structural properties and plant functional traits can mediate the sensitivity of alpine grassland productivity in response to climate change. Thus, a long-term observation on community structural and functional changes is recommended for better understanding the response of alpine ecosystems to regional climate change on the Tibetan Plateau.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaowei Li
- Lhasa National Ecological Research Station, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modelling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China
| | - Jianshuang Wu
- Lhasa National Ecological Research Station, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modelling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Functional Biodiversity, Dahlem Center of Plant Sciences, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Wei H, Luo T, Wu B. Optimal balance of water use efficiency and leaf construction cost with a link to the drought threshold of the desert steppe ecotone in northern China. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2016; 118:541-53. [PMID: 27443298 PMCID: PMC4998985 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcw127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2016] [Revised: 03/17/2016] [Accepted: 05/12/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS In arid environments, a high nitrogen content per leaf area (Narea) induced by drought can enhance water use efficiency (WUE) of photosynthesis, but may also lead to high leaf construction cost (CC). Our aim was to investigate how maximizing Narea could balance WUE and CC in an arid-adapted, widespread species along a rainfall gradient, and how such a process may be related to the drought threshold of the desert-steppe ecotone in northern China. METHODS Along rainfall gradients with a moisture index (MI) of 0·17-0·41 in northern China and the northern Tibetan Plateau, we measured leaf traits and stand variables including specific leaf area (SLA), nitrogen content relative to leaf mass and area (Nmass, Narea) and construction cost (CCmass, CCarea), δ(13)C (indicator of WUE), leaf area index (LAI) and foliage N-pool across populations of Artemisia ordosica KEY RESULTS In samples from northern China, a continuous increase of Narea with decreasing MI was achieved by a higher Nmass and constant SLA (reduced LAI and constant N-pool) in high-rainfall areas (MI > 0·29), but by a lower SLA and Nmass (reduced LAI and N-pool) in low-rainfall areas (MI ≤ 0·29). While δ(13)C, CCmass and CCarea continuously increased with decreasing MI, the low-rainfall group had higher Narea and δ(13)C at a given CCarea, compared with the high-rainfall group. Similar patterns were also found in additional data for the same species in the northern Tibetan Plateau. The observed drought threshold where MI = 0·29 corresponded well to the zonal boundary between typical and desert steppes in northern China. CONCLUSIONS Our data indicated that below a climatic drought threshold, drought-resistant plants tend to maximize their intrinsic WUE through increased Narea at a given CCarea, which suggests a linkage between leaf functional traits and arid vegetation zonation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haixia Wei
- Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Tianxiang Luo
- Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Bo Wu
- Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
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Wang N, Gao J, Zhang SQ, Wang GX. Variations in leaf and root stoichiometry of Nitraria tangutorum along aridity gradients in the Hexi Corridor, northwest China. CONTEMP PROBL ECOL+ 2014. [DOI: 10.1134/s1995425514030123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Schrodt F, Domingues TF, Feldpausch TR, Saiz G, Quesada CA, Schwarz M, Ishida FY, Compaore H, Diallo A, Djagbletey G, Hien F, Sonké B, Toedoumg H, Zapfack L, Hiernaux P, Mougin E, Bird MI, Grace J, Lewis SL, Veenendaal EM, Lloyd J. Foliar trait contrasts between African forest and savanna trees: genetic versus environmental effects. FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY : FPB 2014; 42:63-83. [PMID: 32480654 DOI: 10.1071/fp14040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2014] [Accepted: 07/09/2014] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Variations in leaf mass per unit area (Ma) and foliar concentrations of N, P, C, K, Mg and Ca were determined for 365 trees growing in 23 plots along a West African precipitation gradient ranging from 0.29 to 1.62m a-1. Contrary to previous studies, no marked increase in Ma with declining precipitation was observed, but savanna tree foliar [N] tended to be higher at the drier sites (mass basis). Generally, Ma was slightly higher and [N] slightly lower for forest vs savanna trees with most of this difference attributable to differences in soil chemistry. No systematic variations in [P], [Mg] and [Ca] with precipitation or between trees of forest vs savanna stands were observed. We did, however, find a marked increase in foliar [K] of savanna trees as precipitation declined, with savanna trees also having a significantly lower [K] than those of nearby forest. These differences were not related to differences in soil nutrient status and were accompanied by systematic changes in [C] of opposite sign. We suggest an important but as yet unidentified role for K in the adaption of savanna species to periods of limited water availability; with foliar [K] being also an important factor differentiating tree species adapted to forest vs savanna soils within the 'zone of transition' of Western Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tomas F Domingues
- School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, EH8 9XP-, Scotland, UK
| | | | - Gustavo Saiz
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, 82467, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
| | - Carlos Alberto Quesada
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia, Manaus, Cx Postal 2223 - CEP 69080-971, Brazil
| | | | - F Yoko Ishida
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia, Manaus, Cx Postal 2223 - CEP 69080-971, Brazil
| | - Halidou Compaore
- Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles, 04 BP 8645, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Adamo Diallo
- Centre National des Semences Forestières, BP 2682, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Gloria Djagbletey
- Ecosystem and Climate Change Division, Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, PO Box UP 63 KNUST Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Fidele Hien
- Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles, 04 BP 8645, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Bonaventure Sonké
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde, PO Box 047, Yaounde Cameroon
| | - Herman Toedoumg
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde, PO Box 047, Yaounde Cameroon
| | - Loius Zapfack
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde, PO Box 047, Yaounde Cameroon
| | - Pierre Hiernaux
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, 14, avenue Edouard Belin - 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Eric Mougin
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, 14, avenue Edouard Belin - 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Michael I Bird
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Centre for Terrestrial Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia
| | - John Grace
- School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, EH8 9XP-, Scotland, UK
| | - Simon L Lewis
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Elmar M Veenendaal
- Centre for Ecosystem Studies, University of Wageningen, PO Box 47, 6700AA, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Jon Lloyd
- School of Tropical and Marine Sciences and Centre for Terrestrial Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia
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Wang N, Xu SS, Jia X, Gao J, Zhang WP, Qiu YP, Wang GX. Variations in foliar stable carbon isotopes among functional groups and along environmental gradients in China - a meta-analysis. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2013; 15:144-51. [PMID: 22672784 DOI: 10.1111/j.1438-8677.2012.00605.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Variations in foliar stable carbon isotope signatures (δ(13)C) of different plant functional groups (PFGs) and their relationships with environmental factors in China were investigated in this meta-analysis. There were some significant, but small differences in δ(13)C among PFGs categorised by life form (<1‰). Trees (-26.78‰) and shrubs (-26.89‰) had similar mean δ(13)C that were significantly higher than those of herbs (-27.49‰). Evergreen shrubs (-25.82‰) had significantly higher mean δ(13)C than deciduous shrubs (-26.92‰). Perennial herbs (-26.83‰) had significantly higher mean δ(13) C than annual herbs (-27.10‰). Grasses (-26.46‰) had significantly higher mean δ(13)C than forbs (-26.96‰). For pooled data, δ(13)C was significantly and negatively correlated with mean annual precipitation (MAP) and mean annual temperature (MAT), while it was significantly and positively correlated with latitude and altitude. There was a threshold value of MAP along the gradients, and δ(13)C did not change significantly with higher rainfall. The δ(13) C of PFGs changed with altitude, suggesting that increases in δ(13)C with altitude cannot be generalised. Differences in δ(13)C between PFGs were generally much <1‰ and therefore insignificant. In contrast, MAP and MAT had relatively large effects on δ(13) C (more than 4‰ between extremes). The δ(13)C of some PFGs responded to environmental gradients in the same manner, while their 'rates' of change were significantly different in some cases. This information could help predict potential changes in the distribution of PFGs in response to future climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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Variations in leaf functional traits of Stipa purpurea along a rainfall gradient in Xi-zang, China. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.3724/sp.j.1258.2012.00136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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