dc.contributor.author
Li, Meng
dc.contributor.author
Zhang, Xianzhou
dc.contributor.author
Niu, Ben
dc.contributor.author
He, Yongtao
dc.contributor.author
Wang, Xiangtao
dc.contributor.author
Wu, Jianshuang
dc.date.accessioned
2020-05-28T12:05:26Z
dc.date.available
2020-05-28T12:05:26Z
dc.identifier.uri
https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/27554
dc.identifier.uri
http://dx.doi.org/10.17169/refubium-27309
dc.description.abstract
Species richness is the core of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) research. Nevertheless, it is difficult to accurately predict changes in plant species richness under different climate scenarios, especially in alpine biomes. In this study, we surveyed plant species richness from 2009 to 2017 in 75 alpine meadows (AM), 199 alpine steppes (AS), and 71 desert steppes (DS) in the Tibetan Autonomous Region, China. Along with 20 environmental factors relevant to species settlement, development, and survival, we first simulated the spatial pattern of plant species richness under current climate conditions using random forest modelling. Our results showed that simulated species richness matched well with observed values in the field, showing an evident decrease from meadows to steppes and then to deserts. Summer precipitation, which ranked first among the 20 environmental factors, was further confirmed to be the most critical driver of species richness distribution. Next, we simulated and compared species richness patterns under four different precipitation scenarios, increasing and decreasing summer precipitation by 20% and 10%, relative to the current species richness pattern. Our findings showed that species richness in response to altered precipitation was grassland-type specific, with meadows being sensitive to decreasing precipitation, steppes being sensitive to increasing precipitation, and deserts remaining resistant. In addition, species richness at low elevations was more sensitive to decreasing precipitation than to increasing precipitation, implying that droughts might have stronger influences than wetting on species composition. In contrast, species richness at high elevations (also in deserts) changed slightly under different precipitation scenarios, likely due to harsh physical conditions and small species pools for plant recruitment and survival. Finally, we suggest that policymakers and herdsmen pay more attention to alpine grasslands in central Tibet and at low elevations where species richness is sensitive to precipitation changes.
en
dc.rights.uri
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/
dc.subject
Climate change
en
dc.subject
Drying and wetting
en
dc.subject
Elevation gradient
en
dc.subject
Random forest modelling
en
dc.subject
Tibetan plateau
en
dc.subject.ddc
500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik::550 Geowissenschaften, Geologie::550 Geowissenschaften
dc.title
Changes in plant species richness distribution in Tibetan alpine grasslands under different precipitation scenarios
dc.type
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.articlenumber
e00848
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.doi
10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00848
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.journaltitle
Global Ecology and Conservation
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.volume
21
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00848
refubium.affiliation
Biologie, Chemie, Pharmazie
refubium.affiliation.other
Institut für Biologie
refubium.resourceType.isindependentpub
no
dcterms.accessRights.openaire
open access
dcterms.isPartOf.eissn
2351-9894
dcterms.isPartOf.zdb
2814786-8