Responses of aboveground biomass of alpine grasslands to climate changes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

doi:10.1007/s11442-019-1573-y

Abstract

Abstract:

Aboveground biomass in grasslands of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has displayed an overall increasing trend during 2003-2016, which is profoundly influenced by climate change. However, the responses of different biomes show large discrepancies, in both size and magnitude. By applying partial least squares regression, we calculated the correlation between peak aboveground biomass and mean monthly temperature and monthly total precipitation in the preceding 12 months for three different grassland types (alpine steppe, alpine meadow, and temperate steppe) on the central and eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The results showed that mean temperature in most preceding months was positively correlated with peak aboveground biomass of alpine meadow and alpine steppe, while mean temperature in the preceding October and February to June was significantly negatively correlated with peak aboveground biomass of temperate steppe. Precipitation in all months had a promoting effect on biomass of alpine meadow, but its correlations with biomass of alpine steppe and temperate steppe were inconsistent. It is worth noting that, in a warmer, wetter climate, peak aboveground biomass of alpine meadow would increase more than that of alpine steppe, while that of temperate steppe would decrease significantly, providing support for the hypothesis of conservative growth strategies by vegetation in stressed ecosystems.

Key words: grasslands, aboveground biomass, partial least squares, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, climate change

Li WANG, Haiying YU, Qiang ZHANG, Yunjia XU, Zexing TAO, Juha ALATALO, Junhu DAI. Responses of aboveground biomass of alpine grasslands to climate changes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau[J].Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2018, 28(12): 1953-1964.

Figures/Tables 5

Table 1

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

References 54

[1]	Alatalo J M, Jägerbrand A K, Chen Set al., 2017. Responses of lichen communities to 18 years of natural and experimental warming.Annals of Botany, 120(1): 1-12. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcx055 pmid: 28873948
[2]	Angert A, Biraud S, Bonfils Cet al., 2005. Drier summers cancel out the CO2 uptake enhancement induced by warmer springs.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 102(31): 10823-10827. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0501647102
[3]	Bai M L, Hao R Q, Hou Qet al., 2011. Impact of climatic vacillation on potential evaporation on typical grassland. Transactions of Atmospheric Sciences, 34(3): 351-355. (in Chinese)
[4]	Bai Y F, Han X G, Wu J Get al., 2004. Ecosystem stability and compensatory effects in the Inner Mongolia grassland.Nature, 431(7005): 181-184. doi: 10.1038/nature02850 pmid: 202020202020202020202020
[5]	Briggs J M, Knapp A K, 1995. Interannual variability in primary production in tallgrass prairie: Climate, soil moisture, topographic position, and fire as determinants of aboveground biomass.American Journal of Botany, 82(8): 1024-1030. doi: 10.1002/j.1537-2197.1995.tb11567.x
[6]	Craine J M, Nippert J B, Elmore A Jet al., 2012. Timing of climate variability and grassland productivity.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109(9): 3401-3405. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1118438109 pmid: 22331914
[7]	Dai E F, Huang Y, Wu Zet al., 2016. Analysis of spatio-temporal features of a carbon source/sink and its relationship to climatic factors in the Inner Mongolia grassland ecosystem.Journal of Geographical Sciences, 26(3): 297-312. doi: 10.1007/s11442-016-1269-0
[8]	Dukes J S, Chiariello N R, Cleland E E, et al., 2005. Responses of grassland production to single and multiple global environmental changes.PloS Biology, 3(10): e319. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0030319 pmid: 1182693
[9]	Fan Y, Li X Y, Wu X Cet al., 2016. Divergent responses of vegetation aboveground net primary productivity to rainfall pulses in the Inner Mongolian Plateau, China.Journal of Arid Environments, 129: 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2016.02.002
[10]	Fang J Y, Chen A P, Peng C Het al., 2001. Changes in forest biomass carbon storage in China between 1949 and 1998.Science, 292(5525): 2320-2322. doi: 10.1126/science.1058629
[11]	Fang Y, Cheng W M, Zhang Y Cet al., 2016. Changes in inland lakes on the Tibetan Plateau over the past 40 year.Journal of Geographical Sciences, 26(4): 415-438. doi: 10.1007/s11442-016-1277-0
[12]	Gamon J A, Huemmrich K F, Stone R Set al., 2013. Spatial and temporal variation in primary productivity (NDVI) of coastal Alaskan tundra: Decreased vegetation growth following earlier snowmelt.Remote Sensing of Environment, 129(2): 144-153. doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2012.10.030
[13]	Grime J P, 1977. Evidence for the existence of three primary strategies in plants and its relevance to ecological and evolutionary theory.American Naturalist, 111(982): 1169-1194. doi: 10.1086/283244
[14]	Guo Q, Hu Z M, Li S Get al., 2012. Spatial variations in aboveground net primary productivity along a climate gradient in Eurasian temperate grassland: Effects of mean annual precipitation and its seasonal distribution.Global Change Biology, 18(12): 3624-3631. doi: 10.1111/gcb.12009
[15]	IPCC. 2013. Summary for Policymakers. Climate Change 2013. The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. UK: Cambridge University Press, 1-1535.
[16]	Hollister R D, Webber P J, Tweedie C E, 2005. The response of Alaskan arctic tundra to experimental warming: Differences between short- and long-term responses.Global Change Biology, 11(4): 525-536. doi: 10.1111/gcb.2005.11.issue-4
[17]	Hu Z, Yu G, Fan Jet al., 2010. Precipitation-use efficiency along a 4500-km grassland transect. Global Ecology & Biogeography, 19(6): 842-851. doi: 10.1111/j.1466-8238.2010.00564.x
[18]	Huxman T E, Smith M D, Fay P Aet al., 2004. Convergence across biomes to a common rain-use efficiency.Nature, 429(6992): 651-654. doi: 10.1038/nature02561
[19]	Iwasaki H, 2006. Impact of interannual variability of meteorological parameters on vegetation activity over Mongolia.Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan, 84(4): 745-762. doi: 10.2151/jmsj.84.745
[20]	Jiao C C, Yu G R, He N Pet al., 2017. Spatial pattern of grassland aboveground biomass and its environmental controls in the Eurasian steppe.Journal of Geographical Sciences, 27(1): 3-22. doi: 10.1007/s11442-017-1361-0
[21]	Jong S D, 1993. SIMPLS: An alternative approach to partial least squares regression.Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems, 18(3): 251-263. doi: 10.1016/0169-7439(93)85002-X
[22]	Kato T, Tang Y, Gu Set al., 2006. Temperature and biomass influences on interannual changes in CO2 exchange in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.Global Change Biology, 12(7): 1285-1298. doi: 10.1111/gcb.2006.12.issue-7
[23]	Knapp A K, Beier C, Briske D Det al., 2008. Consequences of more extreme precipitation regimes for terrestrial ecosystems.Bioscience, 58(9): 811-821. doi: 10.1641/B580908
[24]	Knapp A K, Briggs J M, Koelliker J K, 2001. Frequency and extent of water limitation to primary production in a mesic temperate grassland.Ecosystems, 4(1): 19-28. doi: 10.1007/s100210000057
[25]	Li G Y, Liu Y Z, Frelich L Eet al., 2011. Experimental warming induces degradation of a Tibetan alpine meadow through trophic interactions.Journal of Applied Ecology, 48(3): 659-667. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2011.01965.x
[26]	Liu B, Zhao W Z, Wen Z J, 2012. Photosynthetic response of two shrubs to rainfall pulses in desert regions of northwestern China.Photosynthetica, 50(1): 109-119. doi: 10.1007/s11099-012-0015-9
[27]	Luedeling E, Gassner A, 2012. Partial Least Squares Regression for analyzing walnut phenology in California.Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 158/159: 43-52. doi: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2011.10.020
[28]	Ma W H, Yang Y H, He J Set al., 2008. Above and belowground biomass in relation to environmental factors in temperate grasslands, Inner Mongolia.Science in China Series C, 51(3): 263-270. doi: 10.1007/s11427-008-0029-5 pmid: 18246314
[29]	Miyazaki S, Yasunari T, Miyamoto Tet al., 2004. Agrometeorological conditions of grassland vegetation in central Mongolia and their impact for leaf area growth.Journal of Geophysical Research, 109(D22106): 1-14. doi: 10.1029/2004JD005179
[30]	Mokany K, Raison R J, Prokushkin A S, 2006. Critical analysis of root: Shoot ratios in terrestrial biomes.Global Change Biology, 12(1): 84-96. doi: 10.1111/gcb.2006.12.issue-1
[31]	Nandintsetseg B, Shinoda M, 2011. Seasonal change of soil moisture in Mongolia: Its climatology and modelling.International Journal of Climatology, 31(8): 1143-1152. doi: 10.1002/joc.2134
[32]	Paruelo J M, Lauenroth W K, Burke I Cet al., 1999. Grassland precipitation-use efficiency varies across a resource gradient.Ecosystems, 2(1): 64-68. doi: 10.1007/s100219900058
[33]	Qiu J, 2014. Double threat for Tibet.Nature, 512(7514): 240-241. doi: 10.1038/512240a
[34]	Richardson A D, Keenan T F, Migliavacca Met al., 2013. Climate change, phenology, and phenological control of vegetation feedbacks to the climate system.Agricultural & Forest Meteorology, 169(3): 156-173. doi: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2012.09.012
[35]	Sebastià M T, 2007. Plant guilds drive biomass response to global warming and water availability in subalpine grassland.Journal of Applied Ecology, 44(1): 158-167. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2006.01232.x
[36]	Sherry R A, Weng E, Arnone III J Aet al., 2008. Lagged effects of experimental warming and doubled precipitation on annual and seasonal aboveground biomass production in a tallgrass prairie.Global Change Biology, 14(12): 2923-2936. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01703.x
[37]	Shinoda M, Nandintsetseg B, 2011. Soil moisture and vegetation memories in a cold, arid climate.Global & Planetary Change, 79(1/2): 110-117. doi: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2011.08.005
[38]	Sun J, Cheng G W, Li W P, 2013. Meta-analysis of relationships between environmental factors and aboveground biomass in the alpine grassland on the Tibetan Plateau.Biogeosciences, 10(3): 1707-1715. doi: 10.5194/bg-10-1707-2013
[39]	Thomey M L, Collins S L, Vargas Ret al., 2015. Effect of precipitation variability on net primary production and soil respiration in a Chihuahuan Desert grassland.Global Change Biology, 17(4): 1505-1515. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2010.02363.x
[40]	Trenberth K E, Shea D J, 2005. Relationships between precipitation and surface temperature. Geophysical Research Letters, 32(14): 129-142. doi: 10.1029/2005GL022760
[41]	Wan S Q, Hui D F, Wallace Let al., 2005. Direct and indirect effects of experimental warming on ecosystem carbon processes in a tallgrass prairie.Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 19(2): 1-13. doi: 10.1029/2004GB002315
[42]	Wang G X, Bai W, Li Net al., 2011. Climate changes and its impact on tundra ecosystem in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China.Climatic Change, 106(3): 463-482. doi: 10.1007/s10584-010-9952-0
[43]	Wang L, Feng Z M, Yang Y Z, 2015. The change in population density from 2000 to 2010 and its influencing factors in China at the county scale.Journal of Geographical Sciences, 25(4): 485-496. doi: 10.1007/s11442-015-1181-z
[44]	Wang Q J, Yang F T, Shi S H, 1988. A preliminary study on formation of belowground biomass in a Kobresia Humilis meadow. In: Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (eds.). The Proceedings of the International Symposium of Alpine Meadow Ecosystem. Beijing: Science Press, 73-81.
[45]	Wei Y L, Ma X H, Song L M, 2009. Soil moisture dynamic of natural meadow and its impacts on forage biomass in Qinghai Lake region.Pratacultural Science, 26(5): 76-80. (in Chinese)
[46]	Wu Z T, Dijkstra P, Koch G Wet al., 2011. Responses of terrestrial ecosystems to temperature and precipitation change: A meta-analysis of experimental manipulation.Global Change Biology, 17(2): 927-942. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2010.02302.x
[47]	Xu J C, Grumbine R E, Shrestha Aet al., 2009. The melting Himalayas: Cascading effects of climate change on water, biodiversity, and livelihoods.Conservation Biology, 23(3): 520-530. doi: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01237.x pmid: 22748090
[48]	Xu M H, Liu M, Xue Xet al., 2016. Warming effects on plant biomass allocation and correlations with the soil environment in an alpine meadow, China.Journal of Arid Land, 8(5): 773-786. doi: 10.1007/s40333-016-0013-z
[49]	Yang H J, Wu M Y, Liu W Xet al., 2011. Community structure and composition in response to climate change in a temperate steppe.Global Change Biology, 17(1): 452-465. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2010.02253.x
[50]	Yang Y H, Fang J Y, Pan Y Det al., 2009. Aboveground biomass in Tibetan grasslands.Journal of Arid Environment. 73(1): 91-95. doi: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2008.09.027
[51]	Yu H Y, Xu J C, Okuto Eet al., 2012. Seasonal response of grasslands to climate change on the Tibetan Plateau.Plos One, 7(11): e49230. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049230 pmid: 3500274
[52]	Zavaleta E S, 2006. Shrub establishment under experimental global changes in a California grassland.Plant Ecology, 184(1): 53-63. doi: 10.1007/s11258-005-9051-x
[53]	Zhang X S, 2007. Vegetation Map of China Committee, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Vegetation map of China and its geographic pattern: Illustration of the vegetation map of the People’s Republic of China (1:1,000,000). Beijing: Geographical Publishing House. (in Chinese)
[54]	Zhu X H, Wang W Q, Fraedrich K, 2013. Future climate in the Tibetan Plateau from a statistical regional climate model.Journal of Climate, 26(24): 10125-10138. doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00187.1

Sites	Latitude (°N)	Longitude (°E)	Elevation	MAT	MAP	Vegetation type
Sites	Latitude (°N)	Longitude (°E)	(m)	(°C)	(mm)	Vegetation type
Banma	100.74	32.93	3530.00	3.63	670.34	Alpine meadow
Dari	99.65	33.76	3967.50	0.23	584.90	Alpine meadow
Gande	99.89	33.96	4050.00	-1.44	554.14	Alpine meadow
Gangcha	100.14	37.33	3301.50	0.68	427.72	Temperate steppe
Haiyan	100.86	36.96	3140.00	1.51	431.21	Alpine meadow
Henan	101.60	34.73	3500.00	0.56	595.44	Alpine meadow
Jiuzhi	101.48	33.43	3628.50	1.83	757.34	Alpine meadow
Maduo	98.23	34.92	4272.30	-2.48	358.49	Alpine meadow
Maqin	100.24	34.48	3719.00	0.77	538.17	Alpine meadow
Nangqian	96.47	32.20	3643.70	5.39	568.79	Alpine meadow
Qilian	100.24	38.18	2787.40	2.02	443.79	Alpine meadow
Qingshuihe	97.13	33.80	4415.40	-3.35	555.90	Alpine meadow
Qumalai	95.80	34.12	4175.00	-0.76	455.44	Alpine meadow
Tianjun	99.02	37.30	3417.10	0.28	394.39	Alpine steppe
Tongde	100.60	35.24	3080.00	3.68	475.91	Alpine steppe
Tuole	98.42	38.81	3367.00	-1.59	340.48	Alpine steppe
Tuotuohe	92.44	34.22	4533.10	-2.71	332.98	Alpine steppe
Xinghai	99.98	35.59	3323.20	2.05	407.68	Temperate steppe
Zaduo	95.29	32.89	4066.40	1.83	546.60	Alpine meadow
Zeku	101.47	35.04	3662.80	-0.59	538.04	Alpine meadow