Ecotone Shift and Major Droughts During the Mid–late Holocene in the Central Tibetan Plateau

Shen, Caiming; Liu, Kam Biu; Morrill, C.; Overpeck, Jonathan T.; Peng, Jinlan; Tang, Lina

doi:10.1890/06-2016.1

Cited by 77 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 48 publications

(60 reference statements)

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“…Some researchers suggested that precipitation plays a more important role than temperature in arid or semi-arid regions like the Tibetan Plateau (Sun et al 2013b). For example, monsoon precipitation controls vegetation distribution in summer (Shen et al 2008). In addition, no significant correlation has been found among the maximum vegetation index in growing season and temperature and precipitation across the Tibetan Plateau (Shen et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The response of vegetation dynamics of the different alpine grassland types to temperature and precipitation on the Tibetan Plateau

Sun

Qin

Yang

2015

Environ Monit Assess

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The spatiotemporal variability of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) of three vegetation types (alpine steppe, alpine meadow, and alpine desert steppe) across the Tibetan Plateau was analyzed from 1982 to 2013. In addition, the annual mean temperature (MAT) and annual mean precipitation (MAP) trends were quantified to define the spatiotemporal climate patterns. Meanwhile, the relationships between climate factors and NDVI were analyzed in order to understand the impact of climate change on vegetation dynamics. The results indicate that the maximum of NDVI increased by 0.3 and 0.2 % per 10 years in the entire regions of alpine steppe and alpine meadow, respectively. However, no significant change in the NDVI of the alpine desert steppe has been observed since 1982. A negative relationship between NDVI and MAT was found in all these alpine grassland types, while MAP positively impacted the vegetation dynamics of all grasslands. Also, the effects of temperature and precipitation on different vegetation types differed, and the correlation coefficient for MAP and NDVI in alpine meadow is larger than that for other vegetation types. We also explored the percentages of precipitation and temperature influence on NDVI variation, using redundancy analysis at the observation point scale. The results show that precipitation is a primary limiting factor for alpine vegetation dynamic, rather than temperature. Most importantly, the results can serve as a tool for grassland ecosystem management.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The response of vegetation dynamics of the different alpine grassland types to temperature and precipitation on the Tibetan Plateau

Sun

Qin

Yang

2015

Environ Monit Assess

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“…Results of vegetation discriminant analysis showed that during 6~4.9, 4.4~3.9, and 2.8~1.6 ka BP, alpine steppe occupied the region caused by eastward shifts of the MSE, whereas alpine meadow became dominant when the MSE shifted westwards during 4.9~4.4, 3.9~2.8, and after 1.6 ka ( Fig. 3B) (Shen et al, 2008).…”

Section: Vegetation Changes Within An Eastewest Transectmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Consequently, Cyperaceae-dominated alpine meadow is vulnerable to changes in precipitation (effective moisture) (Shen, 2003;Shen et al, 2008), while Artemisia-dominated steppe is sensitive to changes in temperature in the region Li et al, 2011).…”

Section: Climatic Implications Of Modern Pollen Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The central TP is located close to the northern boundary of the modern Asian Summer Monsoon system (Ren et al, 1979; Chinese Academy of Sciences (1984); Yao et al, 2013), and is characterized by alpine vegetation types including alpine meadow, alpine steppe and temperate steppe (Hou, 2001). Vegetation changes in the region during the Holocene are attracting increasing attention due to the sensitivity of alpine vegetation to climate change Shen et al, 2008) and human activity (Miehe et al, 2006). Among numerous paleoenvironmental proxies, lacustrine pollen records with continuous sedimentation and high resolution have become one of the major archives for paleovegetation and paleoclimate reconstructions in the region (Sun et al, 1993;Shen, 2003;Herzschuh et al, 2006;Tang et al, 2009;Li et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, precipitation changes may have played a major role in the westward shifts of alpine meadow in Co Ngion area (Shen et al, 2008), and in the vegetation change from temperate steppe to alpine meadow in Koucha area (Herzschuh et al, 2009). However, temperature is also assumed to be responsible for vegetation transition between alpine meadow and forest (Zhao et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vegetation successions in response to Holocene climate changes in the central Tibetan Plateau

Lü

Shen

et al. 2016

Journal of Arid Environments

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a b s t r a c tAlpine vegetation in the central Tibetan Plateau is vulnerable to climate change. Nine lacustrine pollen records with well-constrained chronologies and high-resolution data were reviewed to document regional and local patterns of alpine vegetation succession in this region, and to understand the climatic driving forces for these changes. According to the relationship between modern pollen distribution and climate condition in the central Tibetan Plateau, Cyperaceae is a moisture-favored and cold-resistant component in both the vegetation and pollen assemblages in the region, while Artemisia is a droughttolerant and temperate component. Within an eastewest transect across contemporary alpine steppe zone and alpine meadow zone of the central Tibetan Plateau, Kobresia (Cyperaceae)-dominated alpine meadow expanded westwards to invade the alpine steppe (dominated by Artemisia and Poaceae), and to replace the Artemisia-rich temperate steppe on a regional scale during the mid-Holocene, probably driven by the enhanced precipitation. Vegetation within a southenorth transect, covered by alpine steppe and temperate steppe, underwent a turnover in steppe composition from a predominance of Artemisia during the first half of the Holocene to a predominance of Cyperaceae in the latter half on a regional scale, caused by a decline in the temperature. Furthermore, altitudinal vegetation belts in the central Tibetan Plateau shifted downwards in response to cooling climate since the early Holocene. Therefore, monsoonal precipitation and insolation-driven temperature changes may be the key climate driving forces for the Holocene vegetation successions in the central Tibetan Plateau.

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Quaternary climate change and habitat preference shaped the genetic differentiation and phylogeography of Rhodiola sect. Prainia in the southern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Wang

Meng

Rao

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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There are two long‐standing biogeographic hypotheses regarding the glacial survival of plant species in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP): the in situ survival hypothesis and the tabula rasa hypothesis. We tested these two hypotheses in a phylogeographic study of Rhodiola sect. Prainia , a monophyletic section with ecologically divergent lineages. Molecular data from the nuclear internal transcribed spacer, six plastid markers and 13 nuclear microsatellite loci were analyzed for 240 individuals from 19 populations of this section. Environmental data were used to analyze the niches of major phylogenetic lineages within this section and to model changes in their distributions since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). We found that Rhodiola sect. Prainia consists of three evolutionary lineages: all populations of R. stapfii , R. prainii populations at the southern edge of the QTP, and R. prainii populations in the interior part of the QTP. During the LGM, the survival of R. prainii in the interior part of the QTP corresponded with the in situ survival hypothesis, while R. stapfii most probably survived the LGM in a manner corresponding with the tabula rasa hypothesis. The evolutionary history of different lineages of this section was shaped by topography, climate change, and lineage‐specific habitat preferences.

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Ecotone Shift and Major Droughts During the Mid–late Holocene in the Central Tibetan Plateau

Cited by 77 publications

References 48 publications

The response of vegetation dynamics of the different alpine grassland types to temperature and precipitation on the Tibetan Plateau

The response of vegetation dynamics of the different alpine grassland types to temperature and precipitation on the Tibetan Plateau

Vegetation successions in response to Holocene climate changes in the central Tibetan Plateau

Quaternary climate change and habitat preference shaped the genetic differentiation and phylogeography of Rhodiola sect. Prainia in the southern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

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