Elevation‐dependent effects of climate change on vegetation greenness in the high mountains of southwest China during 1982–2013

Tao, Jian; Xu, Tao; Jie, Dong; Yu, Xiuqin; Jiang, Yanbin; Zhang, Yangjian; Huang, Ke; Zhu, Juntao; Dong, Jie; Xu, Youqiang; Wang, Shusheng

doi:10.1002/joc.5314

Cited by 85 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…Simulation and field experiments show that elevation affect the VFC of alpine vegetation, and with the change of elevation, the relationship between the VFC and temperature has different characteristics [66,67,68]. In the higher elevation areas in the northwest, the degree of human disturbance was relatively low, and climate was the main factors controlling of vegetation growth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation Change and Its Relationship with Climate Factors and Elevation on the Tibetan Plateau

Zhang

et al. 2019

IJERPH

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As the “roof of the world”, the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is a unique geographical unit on Earth. In recent years, vegetation has gradually become a key factor reflecting the ecosystem since it is sensitive to ecological changes especially in arid and semi-arid areas. Based on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) dataset of TP from 2000 to 2015, this study analyzed the characteristics of vegetation variation and the correlation between vegetation change and climatic factors at different time scales, based on a Mann–Kendall trend analyses, the Hurst exponent, and the Pettitt change-point test. The results showed that the vegetation fractional coverage (VFC) generally increased in the past 16 years, with 60.3% of the TP experiencing an increase, of which significant (p < 0.05) increases accounted for 28.79% and were mainly distributed in the north of the TP. Temperature had the largest response with the VFC on the seasonal scale. During the growing season, the correlation between precipitation and sunshine duration with VFC was high (p < 0.05). The change-points of the VFC were mainly distributed in the north of the TP during 2007–2009. Slope and elevation had an impact on the VFC; the areas with large vegetation change are mainly distributed in slopes <20° and elevation of 3000–5000 m. For elevation above 3000–4000 m, the response of the VFC to precipitation and temperature was the strongest. This study provided important information for ecological environment protection and ecosystem degradation on the Tibetan Plateau.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation Change and Its Relationship with Climate Factors and Elevation on the Tibetan Plateau

Zhang

et al. 2019

IJERPH

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“…At many places, vegetation growth and greenness have been found to change progressively with elevation as a result of differences in climate or in nutrient availability 6 (relative to an optimum). Spatially, progressively changing vegetation activity along elevational gradients have been reported for many temperate and boreal regions 7 , with some cases also observed for the tropics 8,9 . This progressive vegetation activity change creates fascinating natural beauties that have been subjects of admirations in poems and proses for many generations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Divergent changes in the elevational gradient of vegetation activities over the last 30 years

et al. 2019

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The reported progressive change of vegetation activity along elevational gradients has important aesthetic and conservation values. With climate change, cooler locations are suggested to warm faster than warmer ones, raising concerns of a more homogenized landscape along the elevation. Here, we use global satellite data to investigate the spatio-temporal dynamics of the elevational gradient (EG) in vegetation greenness (NDVI max3 ), spring (SOS) and autumn phenology (EOS) during 1982–2015. Although we find clear geographical patterns of the EG in NDVI max3 and SOS, there are no prevalent trends of vegetation homogenization or phenology synchronization along elevational gradients. Possible mechanisms, including spatially heterogeneous temperature lapse rate changes, different vegetation sensitivities to climate change, and human disturbances, may play diverse roles across different regions. Our finding of mixed EG trends and no general rules controlling EG dynamics poses challenges for mitigating possible adverse impacts of climate change on mountainous biological diversity and ecosystem services.

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“…Elevation-dependent patterns of vegetation greenness and phenology have been reported in the high mountains of southwest China, on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and even on a global scale, but the vegetation-elevation relationship and their dynamics have regional differences, due to climate heterogeneities, different vegetation sensitivities to climate change and human activities (Gao et al, 2019;Tao et al, 2015;Tao et al, 2018). Studying elevational differences in the climatic sensitivity of NPP among ecosystem types over the QLMs should improve the understanding of vegetation responses to climate change in dryland mountain ranges and help to mitigate the adverse impact of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem services.…”

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confidence: 99%

Elevational differences in the net primary productivity response to climate constraints in a dryland mountain ecosystem of northwestern China

Wang

2020

Land Degrad Dev

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Dryland mountain ecosystems regulate global terrestrial carbon cycling and show high sensitivity to climate variability. The Qilian Mountains (QLMs) typify dryland mountain ranges in northern temperate belts and offer fundamental ecosystem services including forage production and water conservation. However, dominant controls on the interannual trend and variability of net primary productivity (NPP) in this region are unknown. Thus, we examined magnitude and direction of the NPP trend and quantified NPP sensitivity to temperature and precipitation under different biomes and altitudes using ground and remote sensing data. Our results showed that 12% of the QLMs had a reversed NPP trend from increasing to decreasing from 2000 to 2016, particularly in the western and southern parts, where NPP reductions were related to precipitation deficits. About 34% of the QLMs showed accelerated or persistent increasing NPP trends, mainly from the mid‐altitude between 3,100 and 4,300 m. The growth rate of NPP was higher in deserts and grasslands than in forests and increased in deserts but decreased in forests and grasslands with increasing elevation. Precipitation showed a stronger effect on the interannual variability in NPP than temperature did. The temperature sensitivity of NPP was similar along elevation gradients in forest steppes but decreased with increasing elevation in alpine deserts. The precipitation sensitivity of NPP reached highest in shrubby meadows when compared with coniferous forests and alpine deserts. This research provides new insights into climate controls of the NPP over the QLMs and to present drought as a growing threat to shrubby meadows and alpine deserts.

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Elevation‐dependent effects of climate change on vegetation greenness in the high mountains of southwest China during 1982–2013

Cited by 85 publications

References 78 publications

Vegetation Change and Its Relationship with Climate Factors and Elevation on the Tibetan Plateau

Vegetation Change and Its Relationship with Climate Factors and Elevation on the Tibetan Plateau

Divergent changes in the elevational gradient of vegetation activities over the last 30 years

Elevational differences in the net primary productivity response to climate constraints in a dryland mountain ecosystem of northwestern China

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