Positive adaptation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salix eriostachya</Emphasis> to warming in the treeline ecotone,East Tibetan Plateau

Understanding of treeline ecotone ecophysiological adaptation to climate warming is still very limited. Furthermore, it is difficult to predict which plant species could dominate in the future. For this reason, a study was conducted in the treeline ecotone, East Tibetan Plateau to detcct the adaptation of the dwarf willow (Salix eriostachya) to experimental warming. Compared to ambient conditions, the experimental warming advanced the bud break by 12 days, delayed the leaf abscission by 20 days, and prolonged the growing period by 28 days. It also increased photosynthesis (47%), number of leaves (333%), leaf area (310%), and carbon sequestration of the dwarf willow. Experimental warming did not affect carbon use efficiency, but decreased water use efficiency significantly. Experimental warming enhanced the clonal ramets of Salix eriostachya (+ 3.7 shrubs m^-2). The frequent air temperature fluctuations had minor effect on Salix eriostachya. Based on these findings, we highlighted that Salix eriostachya could dominate in the community treeline ecotone of east Tibetan Plateau in the future climate warming scenario.     

Implications of tree species–environment relationships for the responsiveness of Himalayan krummholz treelines to climate change

Climate warming is expected to advance treelines to higher elevations. However, empirical studies in diverse mountain ranges give evidence of both advancing alpine treelines as well as rather insignificant responses. In this context, we aim at investigating the sensitivity and responsiveness of the near-natural treeline ecotone in Rolwaling Himal, Nepal, to climate warming. We analysed population densities of tree species along the treeline ecotone from closed forest stands via the krummholz belt to alpine dwarf shrub heaths (3700-4200 m) at 50 plots in 2013 and 2014. We quantified species - environment relationships, i.e. the change of environmental conditions (e.g., nutrient and thermal deficits, plant interactions) across the ecotone by means of redundancy analyses, variation partitioning and distance-based Moran's eigenvector maps. In particular, we focus on explaining the high competitiveness of Rhododendron campanulatum forming a dense krummholz belt and on the implications for the responsiveness of Himalayan krummholz treelines to climate change. Results indicate that treeline trees in the ecotone show species-specific responses to the influence of environmental parameters, and that juvenile and adult tree responses are modulated by environmental constraints in differing intensity. Moreover, the species - environment relationships suggest that the investigated krummholz belt will largely prevent the upward migration of other tree species and thus constrain the future response of Himalayan krummholz treelines to climate warming.     

Controls of seed quantity and quality on seedling recruitment of smith fir along altitudinal gradient in southeastern Tibetan Plateau

Alpine treeline ecotones are harsh environment for tree establishment due to low temperature.Tree establishment at treelines requires favorable climate,suitable microsites,and viable seeds.But most researches have been addressed treeline microclimate and its effects on tree regeneration,the knowledge of seed quantity and quality and its controls on seedling recruitment were limited.We measured seed rain,soil seed bank,seed germination rate and seedling recruitment in natural forests in combination with seed transplanting manipulation to evaluate the controls of seed quantity and quality on seedling recruitment of Abies georgei var.smithii(smith fir) along altitudinal gradient,withfocus on treeline ecotone in the Sygera Mountains,southeastern Tibetan Plateau.Both seed quantity and seed quality of smith fir decreased with increasing altitude and was thereby associated with decline in seed germination rate.Seed quantity and seedling recruitment were better in north-facing slope than in south slope.The treeline ecotone above 4200 m appeared as the threshold altitude to sharply decrease seed quality and seedling recruitment.The emergence and overwintering rates of transplanting seeds from 3600-3800 m also went down remarkably above 4200 m at north-facing slope.It also underpins the fact that treeline ecotone is the bottleneck of seedling recruitment.Our results suggest that seed quantity and quality are the principal limitation of treeline upward advance.This study also provides evidence tosupport stable treeline position in southeastern Tibetan Plateau.     

Seasonal variations of organic carbon and nitrogen in the upper basins of Yangtze and Yellow Rivers

The profound impacts exerted by climate warming on the Tibetan Plateau have been documented extensively, but the biogeochemical responses remain poorly understood. This study was aimed at seasonal variations of total organic carbon (TOC) and total organic nitrogen (TON) in stream water at two gauging sections (TTH, ZMD) in the upper basin of Yangtze River (UBYA) and at four gauging sections (HHY, JM, JG, TNH) in the upper basin of Yellow River (UBYE) in 2013. Results showed that concentrations of TON exhibit higher values in spring and winter and lower values in summer. TOC exhibits higher concentrations in spring or early summer and lower concentrations in autumn or winter. Seasonal variations of TOC and TON fluxes are dominated by water flux. In total, the UBYE and UBYA delivers 55,435 tons C of organic carbon and 9,872 tons N of organic nitrogen to downstream ecosystems in 2013. Although the combined flux of TOC from UBYA and UBYE is far lower than those from large rivers, their combined yields is higher than, or comparable with, those from some large rivers (e.g. Nile, Orange, Columbia), implying that organic carbon from the Tibetan Plateau may exert a potentially influence on regional and/or global carbon cycles in future warming climate.     

Response of ecosystem respiration to experimental warming and clipping at daily time scale in an alpine meadow of tibet

The alpine meadow,as one of the typical vegetation types on the Tibetan Plateau,is one of the most sensitive terrestrial ecosystems to climate warming.However,how climate warming affects the carbon cycling of the alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau is not very clear.A field experiment under controlled experimental warming and clipping conditions was conducted in an alpine meadow on the Northern Tibetan Plateau since July 2008.Open top chambers(OTCs) were used to simulate climate warming.The main objective of this study was to examine the responses of ecosystem respiration(R eco) and its temperature sensitivity to experimental warming and clipping at daily time scale.Therefore,we measured R eco once or twice a month from July to September in 2010,from June to September in 2011 and from August to September in 2012.Air temperature dominated daily variation of Reco whether or not experimental warming and clipping were present.Air temperature was exponentially correlated with R eco and it could significantly explain 58～96% variation of R eco at daily time scale.Experimental warming and clipping decreased daily mean R eco by 5.8～37.7% and-11.9～23.0%,respectively,although not all these changes were significant.Experimental warming tended to decrease the temperature sensitivity of R eco,whereas clipping tended to increase the temperature sensitivity of R eco at daily time scale.Our findings suggest that R eco was mainly controlled by air temperature and may acclimate to climate warming due to its lower temperature sensitivity under experimental warming at daily time scale.     

Unusual hydrocarbon waxes detected in Salix oritrepha leaf from Nianbaoyeze Mountains,eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Plant biomarkers, such as hydrocarbon waxes, are frequently found in various sediments and could be adopted as paleovegetation and paleoclimate indicators. Nevertheless, scarce researches have focused on leaf waxes in higher plants of alpine region.Herein, hydrocarbon leaf wax components of Salix oritrepha, which flourish in Nianbaoyeze Mountains in eastern Tibetan Plateau were fully discussed. The n-alkane distribution in leaves ranges from n-C_(21) to nC_(29) with maxima at n-C_(25), which were entirely different with Salix taxa displayed in previous surveys in non-alpine regions. The unusual even carbon nalkenes from n-C_(22:1) to n-C_(30:1), which were thought to appear only in aquatic organisms, were firstly reported in an alpine plant. Additionally, iso-(2-methyl) alkanes, ranging from i-C_(23) to i-C_(29) with maxima at i-C_(25), which have been commonly reported in microorganisms, were also identified in an alpine plant for the first time. Unusual hydrocarbon distribution detected in Salix oritrepha leaf from Nianbaoyeze Mountains is most likely due to the extreme environment in such alpine region.     

全球温升1.5℃和2.0℃情景下中国降雨诱发地质灾害危险性和人口暴露度评估研究

气候变化情景下极端降水事件的频次和强度预估呈增加趋势,这会导致全球部分地区极端降雨诱发地质灾害风险的增加。本文基于中国降雨诱发地质灾害易发性模型和不同地貌分区的累积事件降雨量-降雨历时阈值曲线,采用最新的CMIP6全球气候模式多模式集合结果,基于全球温升目标情景的视角,从地质灾害空间易发性和发生频次两方面,探讨温升情景下中国地质灾害危险性的可能变化及其对暴露人口的潜在影响。结果表明,CMIP6多模式集合预估的多年平均降水在温升1.5℃和2.0℃情景下相比基准时期可能增加5.4%～9.5%,导致中等至极高地质灾害易发区范围预估增加0.33%～0.74%,由于预估的极端降水事件增加,地质灾害发生频次预估增加7.0%～11.2%,进一步综合未来人口空间分布,潜在地质灾害暴露人口可能增加6.20亿人次（18.90%）和4.26亿人次（12.97%）。各地貌分区未来情景下地质灾害危险性预估增加且存在显著的空间异质性,温升2.0℃情景下中等至极高易发性范围相比基准时期增加0.71%～1.28%,地质灾害发生频次预估增加1.2%～15.6%,其中,青藏高原区地质灾害危险性增加最明显。综合考虑未来人口...     

Impacts of warming on root biomass allocation in alpine steppe on the north Tibetan Plateau

Biomass is an important component of global carbon cycling and is vulnerable to climate change. Previous studies have mainly focused on the responses of aboveground biomass and phenology to warming, while studies of root architecture and of root biomass allocation between coarse and fine roots have been scarcely reported in grassland ecosystems. We conducted an open-top-chamber warming experiment to investigate the effect of potential warming on root biomass and root allocation in alpine steppe on the north Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that Stipa purpurea had significantly higher total root length, root surface area and tips than Carex moocroftii. However,there were no differences in total root volume, mean diameter and forks for the two species. Warming significantly increased total root biomass(27.60%), root biomass at 0–10 cm depth(27.84%) and coarse root biomass(diameter 0.20 mm, 57.68%) in the growing season(August). However, warming had no significant influence on root biomass in the non-growing season(April). Root biomass showed clear seasonalvariations: total root biomass, root biomass at 0–10 cm depth and coarse root biomass significantly increased in the growing season. The increase in total root biomass was due to the enhancement of root biomass at 0–10 cm depth, to which the increase of coarse root biomass made a great contribution. This research is of significance for understanding biomass allocation, carbon cycling and biological adaptability in alpine grassland ecosystems under future climate change.     

Topographic controls on alpine treeline patterns on Changbai Mountain,China

The control mechanisms of topography on alpine treeline pattern are critical to understanding treeline dynamics and future changes. These mechanisms have not been understood quite well enough because of increasing human disturbance and low data resolution. In this study, the relationship between the treeline pattern and topography was analyzed based on high spatial resolution remote sensing data and a digital elevation model in an area in Changbai Mountain with little human disturbance. Future treeline patterns were also predicted. The results showed that(a) aspects with high solar radiation and low snow cover have a high coverage rate of trees,(b) the peak coverage rate of trees switches from low slopes(5°) to medium slopes(5°~25°) as the elevation rises because of the extreme environment,(c) the coverage rate of trees is a function that depends on environmental factors controlled by topography,(d) the future treeline pattern is controlled by new temperature mechanisms, new environmental factors and the reallocation effect of topography. Our research implies that topography controls the treeline pattern and changes in the treeline pattern associated with global warming, due to the effect of global warming on environmental factors. This study may well explain the causes of heterogeneous changes in the treeline pattern in the horizontal direction as well as differences in treeline response to climate warming.     

Clipping Alters the Response of Biomass Production to Experimental Warming: A Case Study in an Alpine Meadow on the Tibetan Plateau,China

Predicting how human activity will influence the response of alpine grasslands to future warming has many uncertainties.In this study, a field experiment with controlled warming and clipping was conducted in an alpine meadow at three elevations(4313 m, 4513 m and 4693 m) in Northern Tibet to test the hypothesis that clipping would alter warming effect on biomass production.Open top chambers(OTCs) were used to increase temperature since July,2008 and the OTCs increased air temperature by approximately 0.9o C ~ 1.8o C during the growing in2012.Clipping was conducted three times one year during growing season and the aboveground parts of all live plants were clipped to approximately 0.01 m in height using scissors since 2009.Gross primary production(GPP) was calculated from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer GPP algorithm and aboveground plant production was estimated using the surface-measured normalized difference vegetation index in 2012.Warming decreased the GPP, aboveground biomass(AGB) and aboveground net primary production(ANPP) at all three elevations when clipping was not applied.In contrast, warming increased AGB at all three elevations, GPP at the two lower elevations and ANPP at the two higher elevations when clipping was applied.These findings show that clipping reduced the negative effect of warming on GPP, AGB and ANPP, suggesting that clipping may reduce the effect of climate warming on GPP, AGB and ANPP in alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau, and therefore, may be a viable strategy for mitigating the effects of climate change on grazing and animal husbandry on the Tibetan Plateau.     

Changes in leaf vein traits among vein types of alpine grassland plants on the Tibetan Plateau

Vein traits influence photosynthesis and drought resistance and are sensitive to climate change.It is unclear whether vein traits, similar to other leaf traits, have obvious regional characteristics and covariance with other leaf traits, especially in Tibetan Plateau grasslands. We collected 66 species from 37 sites in late July of 2012 and early August of 2013 to investigate leaf vein traits and their relationships with other leaf traits in comparison with the available global database data and to elucidate vein investment of plants with different vein types. The average vein length per area(VLA) of plants in the Tibetan Plateau was within the range of the global dataset, and the relationships among vein traits and other leaf traits of alpine plants were consistent with the global models.The VLAs of parallel-veined grasses and pinnateveined forbs were significantly lower and higher than the global mean value, respectively. The leaf mass perarea and total nitrogen content of parallel-veined grasses were significantly lower and higher,respectively, than the global mean values; the opposite was observed in pinnate-veined forbs. The parallel-veined grasses exhibited almost a four-fold higher vein biomass investment(i.e., vein mass per leaf mass) than pinnate-veined forbs in the same region. The average VLA and its relationships with other leaf traits of the alpine grassland plants on the Tibetan Plateau had no regional characteristics,suggesting a convergence in plant leaf functioning.Plants with different leaf types differ in their adaptation strategies to plateau environments, and this may relate to biomass investment into leaf veins.Our study fills the gap with regard to vein density in alpine grassland species and provides a new perspective for understanding plant physiology and ecology by calculating and comparing the proportion of vein investment among different vein types.     

A review of modern treeline migration,the factors controlling it and the implications for carbon storage

Numerous studies have reported that treelines are moving to higher elevations and higher latitudes.Most treelines are temperature limited and warmer climate expands the area in which trees are capable of growing.Hence,climate change has been assumed to be the main driver behind this treeline movement.The latest review of treeline studies was published in 2009 by Harsch et al.Since then,a plethora of papers have been published studying local treeline migration.Here we bring together this knowledge through a review of 142 treeline related publications,including 477 study locations.We summarize the information known about factors limiting tree-growth at and near treelines.Treeline migration is not only dependent on favorable growing conditions but also requires seedling establishment and survival above the current treeline.These conditions appear to have become favorable at many locations,particularly so in recent years.The review revealed that at 66%of these treeline sites forest cover had increased in elevational or latitudinal extent.The physical form of treelines influences how likely they are to migrate and can be used as an indicator when predicting future treeline movements.Our analysis also revealed that while a greater percentage of elevational treelines are moving,the latitudinal treelines are capable of moving at greater horizontal speed.This can potentially have substantial impacts on ecosystem carbon storage.To conclude the review,we present the three main hypotheses as to whether ecosystem carbon budgets will be reduced,increased or remain the same due to treeline migration.While the answer still remains under debate,we believe that all three hypotheses are likely to apply depending on the encroached ecosystem.Concerningly,evidence is emerging on how treeline migration may turn tundra landscapes from net sinks to net sources of carbon dioxide in the future.     

Effects of experimental warming on soil microbial communities in two contrasting subalpine forest ecosystems,eastern Tibetan Plateau,China

Soil microbial communities are primarily regulated by environmental temperature. Our study investigated the effects of global warming on soil microbial community composition as measured via phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis and soil chemical characteristics in relation to soil depth in a dragon spruce plantation and a spruce-fir-dominated natural forestin the Eastern Tibetan Plateau. Open-top chambers were utilized to increase the soil and air temperature. Soil samples were collected from the 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, and 20-30 cm layers after a 4-year warming. Our results showed that the soil microbial community and the contents of TC (Total carbon), TN (Total nitrogen), NO ₃ ^- , and NH ₄ ⁺ responded differently to warming in the two contrasting forests, especially at the 0-10 cm soil depth. Warming increased soil microbial biomass at the 0-20 cm depth of soil in natural forest but reduced it at the 0-10 cm depth ofsoil in the plantation. In contrast, the TC and TN contents were reduced in most soil layers of a natural forest but increased in all of the soil layers of the plantation under warming conditions. This result suggested that the effects of warming on soil microbial community and soil C and N pools would differ according to soil depth and forest types; thus, the two contrasting forests would under go differing changes following the future climate warming in this region.     

Contrasting changes in above- and below-ground biomass allocation across treeline ecotones in southeast Tibet

Under conditions of a warmer climate, the advance of the alpine treeline into alpine tundra has implications for carbon dynamics in mountain ecosystems. However, the above- and below-ground live biomass allocations among different vegetation types within the treeline ecotones are not well investigated. To determine the altitudinal patterns of above-/below-ground carbon allocation, we measured the root biomass and estimated the above-ground biomass (AGB) in a subalpine forest, treeline forest, alpine shrub, and alpine grassland along two elevational transects towards the alpine tundra in southeast Tibet. The AGB strongly declined with increasing elevation, which was associated with a decrease in the leaf area index and a consequent reduction in carbon gain. The fine root biomass (FRB) increased significantly more in the alpine shrub and grassland than in the treeline forest, whereas the coarse root biomass changed little with increasing altitudes, which led to a stable below-ground biomass (BGB) value across altitudes. Warm and infertile soil conditions might explain the large amount of FRB in alpine shrub and grassland. Consequently, the root to shoot biomass ratio increased sharply with altitude, which suggested a remarkable shift of biomass allocation to root systems near the alpine tundra. Our findings demonstrate contrasting changes in AGB and BGB allocations across treeline ecotones, which should be considered when estimating carbon dynamics with shifting treelines.     

Contribution of Mass Elevation Effect to the Altitudinal Distribution of Global Treelines

Alpine treeline, as a prominent ecological boundary between forested mountain slopes and alpine meadow/shrub, is highly complex in altitudinal distribution and sensitive to warming climate. Great efforts have been made to explore their distribution patterns and ecological mechanisms that determine these patterns for more than 100 years, and quite a number of geographical and ecophysiological models have been developed to correlate treeline altitude with latitude or a latitude related temperature. However,on a global scale, all of these models have great difficulties to accurately predict treeline elevation due to the extreme diversity of treeline site conditions.One of the major reasons is that "mass elevation effect"(MEE) has not been quantified globally and related with global treeline elevations although it has been observed and its effect on treeline elevations in the Eurasian continent and Northern Hemisphere recognized. In this study, we collected and compiled a total of 594 treeline sites all over the world from literatures, and explored how MEE affects globaltreeline elevation by developing a ternary linear regression model with intra-mountain base elevation(IMBE, as a proxy of MEE), latitude and continentality as independent variables. The results indicated that IMBE, latitude and continentality together could explain 92% of global treeline elevation variability, and that IMBE contributes the most(52.2%), latitude the second(40%) and continentality the least(7.8%) to the altitudinal distribution of global treelines. In the Northern Hemisphere, the three factors’ contributions amount to 50.4%, 45.9% and 3.7% respectively; in the south hemisphere, their contributions are 38.3%, 53%, and 8.7%, respectively. This indicates that MEE, virtually the heating effect of macro-landforms, is actually the most significant factor for the altitudinal distribution of treelines across the globe, and that latitude is relatively more significant for treeline elevation in the Southern Hemisphere probably due to fewer macro-landforms there.     

Degradation induces changes in the soil C:N:P stoichiometry of alpine steppe on the Tibetan Plateau

Due to the Tibetan Plateau's unique high altitude and low temperature climate conditions,the region's alpine steppe ecosystem is highly fragile and is suffering from severe degradation under the stress of increasing population,overgrazing,and climate change.The soil stoichiometry,a crucial part of ecological stoichiometry,provides a fundamental approach for understanding ecosystem processes by examining the relative proportions and balance of the three elements.Understanding the impact of degradation on the soil stoichiometry is vital for conservation and management in the alpine steppe on the Tibetan Plateau.This study aims to examine the response of soil stoichiometry to degradation and explore the underlying biotic and abiotic mechanisms in the alpine steppe.We conducted a field survey in a sequent degraded alpine steppe with seven levels inNorthern Tibet.The plant species,aboveground biomass,and physical and chemical soil properties such as the moisture content,temperature,pH,compactness,total carbon(C),total nitrogen(N),and total phosphorus(P)were measured and recorded.The results showed that the contents of soil C/N,C/P,and N/P consistently decreased along intensifying degradation gradients.Using regression analysis and a structural equation model(SEM),we found that the C/N,C/P,and N/P ratios were positively affected by the soil compactness,soil moisture content and species richness of graminoids but negatively affected by soil pH and the proportion of aboveground biomass of forbs.The soil temperature had a negative effect on the C/N ratio but showed positive effect on the C/P and N/P ratios.The current study shows that degradation-induced changes in abiotic and biotic conditions such as soil warming and drying,which accelerated the soil organic carbon mineralization,as well as the increase in the proportion of forbs,whichwere difficult to decompose and input less organic carbon into soil,resulted in the decreases in soil C/N,C/P,and N/P contents to a great extent.Our results provide a sound basis for sustainable conservation and management of the alpine steppe.     

青藏高原城镇化格局的时空分异特征及影响因素

研究青藏高原城镇化格局的时空分异及其影响因素,有利于推动青藏高原现代人类活动时空过程的认知,对青藏高原就地就近城镇化及可持续发展具有参考意义。根据历次人口普查数据,本研究构建青藏高原县市尺度城镇化空间数据集,参考城镇化发展阶段,采用LISA空间类型划分法和空间计量回归模型,系统分析1990-2010年青藏高原内部城镇化格局的时空分异特征及影响因素。主要结论包括：① 青藏高原整体城镇化水平偏低,2017年底,青藏高原主体部分青海省和西藏自治区的常住人口城镇化水平分别为53.07%和30.8%,低于全国同期水平的58.52%,但青藏高原内不乏高水平城镇化地区,而且各地区间城镇化水平的空间差异缩小;② 青海西部柴达木盆地是高水平城镇化集聚区,羌塘地区是低水平城镇化集聚区,地级行政中心所在县市多呈现自身高、周边低的城镇化格局;③ 与内地相似,第二、三产业从业机会是推动青藏高原城镇化发展重要因素,社会公共服务资源对城镇化拉动作用开始凸显。研究结果可以为青藏高原人类活动研究和青藏高原就地就近城镇化可持续发展政策提供参考。     

大陆岩石圈的增厚及对流剥离对青藏高原隆升的影响

伴随着印度板块对欧亚板块南缘的碰撞、挤压,青藏高原地壳及下伏地幔岩石圈的厚度增加了１倍。增厚岩石圈热结构的变化可导致高原海拨下降约１５００ｍ。其对流剥离并被较热的软流圈物质替代可用以解释青藏高原自８百万年或３百万年前开始的快速隆升。大陆岩石圈的增厚及热结构变化和对流剥离可能是青藏高原自９百万年前开始的夷平—快速隆升过程的主导控制因素。     

Topography and human disturbances are major controlling factors in treeline pattern at Barun and Manang area in the Nepal Himalaya

The alpine treeline ecotone is an important component of mountain ecosystems of the Nepal Himalaya; it plays a vital role in the livelihood of indigenous people, and provides ecosystem services. However, the region faces a problem of paucity of data on treeline characteristics at the regional and landscape scales. Therefore, we used Remote Sensing (RS), and Geographic Information Science (GIS) approaches to investigate cross-scale interactions in the treeline ecotone. Additionally, European Space Agency land cover map, International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) land cover map, ecological map of Nepal, and United States Geological Survey Shuttle Radar Topography Mission-Digital Elevation Model were used to analyze treeline pattern at the regional scale. Digital Globe high-resolution satellite imagery of Barun (eastern Nepal) and Manang (central Nepal) were used to study treeline patterns at the landscape scale. Treeline elevation ranges from 3300-4300 m above sea level. Abies spectabilis, Betula utilis, and Pinus wallichiana are the main treeline-forming species in the Nepal Himalaya. There is an east to west treeline elevation gradient at the regional scale. No slope exposure is observed at the regional scale; however, at the landscape scale, slope exposure is present only in a disturbed area (Manang). Topography and human disturbance are the main treeline controlling factor in Barun and Manang respectively.     

Effect of climate change on seasonal water use efficiency in subalpine Abies fabri

Abies fabri is a typical subalpine dark coniferous forest in southwestern China. Air temperature increases more at high elevation areas than that at low elevation areas in mountainous regions,and climate change ratio is also uneven in different seasons. Carbon gain and the response of water use efficiency(WUE) to annual and seasonal increases in temperature with or without CO_2 fertilization were simulated in Abies fabri using the atmospheric-vegetation interaction model(AVIM2). Four future climate scenarios(RCP2.6,RCP4.5,RCP6.0 and RCP8.5) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5(CMIP5) were selectively investigated. The results showed that warmer temperatures have negative effects on gross primary production(GPP) and net primary production(NPP) in growing seasons and positive effects in dormant seasons due to the variation in the leaf area index. Warmer temperatures tend to generate lower canopy WUE and higher ecosystem WUE in Abies fabri. However,warmer temperature together with rising CO_2 concentrations significantlyincrease the GPP and NPP in both growing and dormant seasons and enhance WUE in annual and dormant seasons because of the higher leaf area index(LAI) and soil temperature. The comparison of the simulated results with and without CO_2 fertilization shows that CO_2 has the potential to partially alleviate the adverse effects of climate warming on carbon gain and WUE in subalpine coniferous forests.