Effect of altitude and climatic parameters on shrub-meadow community composition and diversity in the dry valley region of the eastern Hengduan Mountains, China

Zong, Hua; Sun, Jiarui; Zhou, Lu; Bao, Fang; Zheng, Xian-zhu

doi:10.1007/s11629-021-6990-1

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…Changes in climate factors caused by elevation played a key role in the formation of landscape patterns. As Zong et al [44] pointed out, almost all the climatic variables were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) related to elevation in the Hengduan Mountains, and elevation was considered a crucial factor affecting the cover and richness of the plant community. Feng et al [82] also suggested spatial differences in temperature, light, and water conservation capacity of the high mountains would enhance the constraints of terrain factors on land use.…”

Section: How Elevation Impacts LVI and Lhaimentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Ganzi Prefecture contains one city and 17 counties with a total area of 153,000 km 2 , accounting for more than one third of the area of Sichuan Province. A total of 120,000 km 2 is covered by mountains, or 78.4% of the total area of Ganzi Prefecture [44]. The territory of Ganzi Prefecture spans six latitudes from north to south with an average elevation of 3500 m. The highest peak, Mount Gongga, is 7556 m above sea level.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On average, there are 1900-2600 annual sunshine hours and 18-228 frost days per year [47]. Due to the harsh environment and difficult access, a large area of Ganzi Prefecture is uninhabitable [44]. The economic level of Ganzi Prefecture is much lower than that of other regions in Sichuan Province.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Landscape Pattern Vulnerability of the Eastern Hengduan Mountains, China and Response to Elevation and Artificial Disturbance

Sun

Zhou

Zong

2022

Land

Self Cite

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The eastern Hengduan Mountains are located in the transition zone between the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Sichuan Basin and are important for global biodiversity and water conservation in China. However, their landscape pattern vulnerability index (LVI) and its influencing factors have not been systematically studied. Therefore, the spatial distribution patterns, LVI, and the landscape artificial disturbance intensity (LHAI) of Ganzi Prefecture were analyzed using ArcGIS software based on landscape data and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) digital elevation data. Then, the LVI response to LHAI and elevation was discussed. The results showed that Ganzi Prefecture was dominated by low- and middle-LVI areas, together accounting for 56.45% of the total area. LVI values were highest in the northern regions, followed by the southern and eastern regions. Batang and Derong counties had the highest LVI values. Most areas in Ganzi Prefecture had very low- or low-LHAI values, accounting for 81.48% of the total area, whereas high-LHAI areas accounted for 2.32% of the total area. Both the LVI and LHAI of Ganzi Prefecture had clustered distributions. Spearman analysis indicated that when elevation exceeded 4500 m, it was the most important factor affecting LVI and LHAI. In the range of 4500–5400 m, the relationship between elevation and LVI shifted from a weak positive correlation to a negative correlation, whereas LHAI was positively correlated with elevation. In addition, LVI also responded significantly to LHAI. However, the relationship kept changing as elevation increased. Hence, the ecological vulnerability of high elevation areas above 4500 m deserves greater attention. In addition, pasture areas in the upstream reaches of the Yalong River in the northern region, the coastal area in the downstream reaches of the Jinsha River in the southern region, and the eastern mining area, should be prioritized for protection and restoration. This research provides a basis for appropriate environmental planning mechanisms and policy protections at the landscape level.

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Section: How Elevation Impacts LVI and Lhaimentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Landscape Pattern Vulnerability of the Eastern Hengduan Mountains, China and Response to Elevation and Artificial Disturbance

Sun

Zhou

Zong

2022

Land

Self Cite

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“…Vegetation is an integral part of the grassland ecosystem and the physical basis for material cycling and energy flow (Zong et al, 2022). The growth characteristics and species diversity of vegetation can indicate the structure and function of plant communities, and the species within each community respond differently to changes in the external environment (Guo et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Vegetation is an integral part of the grassland ecosystem and the physical basis for material cycling and energy flow (Zong et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of precipitation and grazing on recovery of plant vegetation in temperate grasslands

Lin,

Zhao,

Zhang

et al. 2023

Land Degrad Dev

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Grasslands support a rich diversity that plays a pivotal role in ecological balance, carbon sequestration, and climate regulation. Grassland ecosystems are facing a loss of biodiversity and a decline in soil function due to precipitation variations caused by climate change. However, variations in grassland species diversity are not clearly known, especially under the combined effects of precipitation and grazing. Based on a 5‐year split‐plot experiment with two grazing regimes (i.e., moderate grazing and grazing prohibition) along with three precipitation controls (ambient precipitation and ±50% precipitation) in Inner Mongolian grasslands, we researched the response of precipitation variability and grazing prohibition to vegetation diversity indices and investigated the response of vegetation community composition and biomass to these factors. Five years results showed that increasing precipitation resulted in a significant increase in the coverage of perennial forbs, annual and biennial plants, and Gramineae. Grazing prohibition and increased precipitation significantly increased biomass and species richness compared to all other treatment combinations. Interestingly, grazing exclusion significantly reduced the percentage of Amaryllidaceae, especially in the presence of altered precipitation. The vegetation community composition of a typical grassland was correlated with soil volumetric water content (VWC), bulk density (SBD) and pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), and total nitrogen (TN). VWC, SBD, and TN were found to be the most significant factors affecting vegetation diversity under grazing. Partial canonical ordination revealed that soil moisture, soil bulk density, and SOC had the most significant correlation with vegetation diversity under both grazing prohibition and increased precipitation treatment conditions. These results suggested that alterations in precipitation can change the species composition and ecosystem function of plant communities, leading to a close relationship between species diversity and soil properties. Our results underline the importance of species diversity for soil characteristics and environmental factors in a typical Eurasian steppe ecosystem.

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Alternating dominant effects of temperature and precipitation along elevational gradient on the alpine and subalpine vegetation activities in southwestern China

Sun,

Liu

et al. 2024

Forest Ecology and Management

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Effect of altitude and climatic parameters on shrub-meadow community composition and diversity in the dry valley region of the eastern Hengduan Mountains, China

Cited by 9 publications

References 72 publications

Landscape Pattern Vulnerability of the Eastern Hengduan Mountains, China and Response to Elevation and Artificial Disturbance

Landscape Pattern Vulnerability of the Eastern Hengduan Mountains, China and Response to Elevation and Artificial Disturbance

Impact of precipitation and grazing on recovery of plant vegetation in temperate grasslands

Alternating dominant effects of temperature and precipitation along elevational gradient on the alpine and subalpine vegetation activities in southwestern China

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