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.     

Soil physicochemical properties and vegetation structure along an elevation gradient and implications for the response of alpine plant development to climate change on the northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains

Elevation is one of key factors to affect changes in the environment, particularly changes in conditions of light, water and heat. Studying the soil physicochemical properties and vegetation structure along an elevation gradient is important for understanding the responses of alpine plants andtheir growing environment to climate change. In this study, we studied plant coverage, plant height, species richness, soil water-holding capacity, soil organic carbon(SOC) and total nitrogen(N) on the northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains at elevations from2124 to 3665 m. The following conclusions were drawn:(1) With the increase of elevation, plant coverage and species richness first increased and then decreased, with the maximum values being at 3177 m.Plant height was significantly and negatively correlated with elevation(r=–0.97, P0.01), and the ratio of decrease with elevation was 0.82 cm·100 m-1.(2) Both soil water-holding capacity and soil porosity increased on the northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains with the increase of elevation. The soil saturated water content at the 0-40 cm depth first increased and then stabilized with a further increase of elevation, and the average ratio of increase was2.44 mm·100 m-1. With the increase of elevation, the average bulk density at the 0-40 cm depth first decreased and then stabilized at 0.89 g/cm3.(3) With the increase of elevation, the average SOC content at the 0-40 cm depths first increased and then decreased,and the average total N content at the 0-40 cm depth first increased and then stabilized. The correlation between average SOC content and average total N content reached significant level. According to the results of this study, the distribution of plants showed a mono-peak curve with increasing elevation on the northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains. The limiting factor for plant growth at the high elevation areas was not soil physicochemical properties, and therefore,global warming will likely facilitate the development of plant at high elevation areas in the Qilian Mountains.     

Distribution of soil carbon in different grassland types of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Accurate estimate of soil carbon storage is essential to reveal the role of soil in global carbon cycle. However, there is large uncertainty on the estimation of soil organic carbon (SOC) storage in grassland among previous studies, and the study on soil inorganic carbon (SIC) is still lack. We surveyed 153 sites during plant peak growing season and estimated SOC and SIC for temperate desert, temperate steppe, alpine steppe, steppe meadow, alpine meadow and swamp, which covered main grassland in the Qinghai Plateau during 2011 to 2012. The results showed that the vertical and spatial distributions of SOC and SIC varied by grassland types. The SOC amount mainly decreased from southeast to northwest, whereas the SIC amount increased from southeast to northwest. The magnitude of SOC amount in the top 50 cm across grassland types ranked by: swamp > alpine meadow > steppe meadow > temperate steppe > alpine steppe > temperate desert, while the SIC amount showed an opposite order. There was a great deal of variation in proportion of SOC and SIC among different grassland types (from 55.17 to 94.59 for SOC and 5.14 to 44.83 for SIC). The total SOC and SIC storage was 5.78 Pg and 1.37 Pg, respectively, in the top 50 cm of soil in Qinghai Province. The mixed linear model revealed that grassland types was the predominant factor in spatial variations of SOC amount while grassland types and soil pH accounted for those of SIC amount. Our results suggested that the community shift of alpine meadow towards alpine grassland induced by climate warming would decrease carbon sequestration capacity by 6.0 kg C m².     

Aboveground biomass of the alpine shrub ecosystems in Three-River Source Region of the Tibetan Plateau

Though aboveground biomass (AGB) has an important contribution to the global carbon cycle, the information about storage and climatic effects of AGB is scare in Three-River Source Region (TRSR) shrub ecosystems. This study investigated AGB storage and its climatic controls in the TRSR alpine shrub ecosystems using data collected from 23 sites on the Tibetan Plateau from 2011 to 2013. We estimated the AGB storage (both shrub layer biomass and grass layer biomass) in the alpine shrubs as 37.49 Tg, with an average density of 1447.31 g m^-2. Biomass was primarily accumulated in the shrub layer, which accounted for 92% of AGB, while the grass layer accounted for only 8%. AGB significantly increased with the mean annual temperature (P < 0.05). The effects of the mean annual precipitation on AGB were not significant. These results suggest that temperature, rather than precipitation, has significantly effects on of aboveground vegetation growth in the TRSR alpine shrub ecosystems. The actual and potential increase in AGB density was different due to global warming varies among different regions of the TRSR. We conclude that long-term monitoring of dynamic changes is necessary to improve the accuracy estimations of potential AGB carbon sequestration across the TRSR alpine shrub ecosystems.     

Soil organic carbon and nutrients along an alpine grassland transect across Northern Tibet

Soil carbon and nutrient contents and their importance in advancing our understanding of biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial ecosystem, has motivated ecologists to find their spatial patterns in various geographical area. Few studies have focused on changes in the physical and chemical properties of soils at high altitudes. Our aim was to identify the spatial distribution of soil physical and chemical properties in cold and arid climatic region. We also tried to explore relationship between soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), soil particle size distribution (PSD). Samples were collected at 44 sites along a 300 km transect across the alpine grassland of northern Tibet. The study results showed that grassland type was the main factor influencing SOC, TN and TP distribution along the Gangdise Mountain-Shenzha-Shuanghu Transect. SOC, TN and TP contents were significantly higher in alpine meadow than alpine steppe ecosystems. SOC, TN, TP and AN contents in two soil layers (0-15 cm and 15-30 cm) showed no significant differences, while AP content in top soil (0-15 cm) was significantly higher than that in sub-top soil (15-30 cm). SOC content was correlated positively with TN and TP content (r = 0.901 and 0.510, respectively). No correlations were detected for clay content and fractal dimension of particle size distribution (D). Our study results indicated the effects of vegetation on soil C, N and P seem to be more important than that of rocks itself along latitude gradient on the northern Tibetan Plateau. However, we did not found similar impacts of vegetation on soil properties in depth. Inaddition, this study also provided an interesting contribution to the global data pool on soil carbon stocks.     

Estimation of soil reinforcement by the roots of four post-dam prevailing grass species in the riparian zone of Three Gorges Reservoir,China

Soil erosion and bank degradation is a major post-dam concern regarding the riparian zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir. The development and succession of vegetation is a main countermeasure,especially to enhance bank stability and mitigate soil erosion by the root system. In this study, the roots of four prevailing grass species, namely, Cynodon dactylon, Hemarthria altissima, Hemarthria compressa, and Paspalum paspaloides, in the riparian zone were investigated in relation to additional soil cohesion. Roots were sampled using a single root auger. Root length density(RLD) and root area ratio(RAR) were measured by using the Win RHIZO image analysis system. Root tensile strength(TR) was performed using a manualdynamometer, and the soil reinforcement caused by the roots was estimated using the simple Wu's perpendicular model. Results showed that RLD values of the studied species ranged from 0.24 cm/cm3 to20.89 cm/cm3 at different soil layers, and RLD were significantly greater at 0–10 cm depth in comparison to the deeper soil layers(10 cm). RAR measurements revealed that on average 0.21% of the reference soil area was occupied by grass roots for all the investigated species. The measured root tensile strength was the highest for P. paspaloides(62.26MPa) followed by C. dactylon(51.49 MPa), H.compressa(50.66 MPa), and H. altissima(48.81MPa). Nevertheless, the estimated maximum root reinforcement in this investigation was 22.5 k Pa for H.altissima followed by H. compressa(21.1 k Pa), P.paspaloides(19.5 k Pa), and C. dactylon(15.4 k Pa) at0–5 cm depth soil layer. The root cohesion values estimated for all species were generally distributed at the 0–10 cm depth and decreased with the increment of soil depth. The higher root cohesion associated with H. altissima and H. compressa implies their suitability for revegetation purposes to strengthen the shallow soil in the riparian zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir. Although the soil reinforcement induced by roots is only assessed from indirect indicators, the present results still useful for species selection in the framework of implementing and future vegetation recovery actions in the riparian zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir and similar areas in the Yangtze River Basin.     

Litter decomposition of emergent plants along an elevation gradient in wetlands of Yunnan Plateau,China

The decomposition of plant litter is a key process in the flows of energy and nutrients in ecosystems. However, the response of litter decomposition to global climate warming in plateau wetlands remains largely unknown. In this study, we conducted a one-year litter decomposition experiment along an elevation gradient from 1891 m to 3260 m on the Yunnan Plateau of Southwest China, using different litter types to determine the influences of climate change, litter quality and microenvironment on the decomposition rate. The results showed that the average decomposition rate(K) increased from 0.608 to 1.152, and the temperature sensitivity of litter mass losses was approximately 4.98%/℃ along the declining elevation gradient. Based on a correlation analysis, N concentrations and C︰N ratios in the litter were the best predictors of the decomposition rate, with significantly positive and negative correlations, respectively. Additionally, the cumulative effects of decomposition were clearly observed in the mixtures of Scirpus tabernaemontani and Zizania caduciflora. Moreover, the litter decomposition rate in the water was higher than that in the sediment, especially in high-elevation areas where the microenvironment was significantly affected by temperature. These results suggest that future climate warming will have significant impacts on plateau wetlands, which have important functions in biogeochemical cycling in cold highland ecosystems.     

Spatio-temporal Variation of Soil Respiration and Its Driving Factors in Semi-arid Regions of North China

Soil respiration (SR) is the second-largest flux in ecosystem carbon cycling. Due to the large spatio-temporal variability of environmental factors, SR varied among different vegetation types, thereby impeding accurate estimation of CO₂ emissions via SR. However, studies on spatio-temporal variation of SR are still scarce for semi-arid regions of North China. In this study, we conducted 12-month SR measurements in six land-use types, including two secondary forests (Populus tomentosa (PT) and Robinia pseudoacacia (RP)), three artificial plantations (Armeniaca sibirica (AS), Punica granatum (PG) and Ziziphus jujuba (ZJ)) and one natural grassland (GR), to quantify spatio-temporal variation of SR and distinguish its controlling factors. Results indicated that SR exhibited distinct seasonal patterns for the six sites. Soil respiration peaked in August 2012 and bottomed in April 2013. The temporal coefficient of variation (CV) of SR for the six sites ranged from 76.98% to 94.08%, while the spatial CV of SR ranged from 20.28% to 72.97% across the 12-month measurement. Soil temperature and soil moisture were the major controlling factors of temporal variation of SR in the six sites, while spatial variation in SR was mainly caused by the differences in soil total nitrogen (STN), soil organic carbon (SOC), net photosynthesis rate, and fine root biomass. Our results show that the annual average SR and Q₁₀ (temperature sensitivity of soil respiration) values tended to decrease from secondary forests and grassland to plantations, indicating that the conversion of natural ecosystems to man-made ecosystems may reduce CO₂ emissions and SR temperature sensitivity. Due to the high spatio-temporal variation of SR in our study area, care should be taken when converting secondary forests and grassland to plantations from the point view of accurately quantifying CO₂ emissions via SR at regional scales.     

Species-area relationship within and across functional groups at alpine grasslands on the northern Tibetan Plateau,China

The species-area relationship(SAR) is one of the most fundamental concepts in community ecology and is helpful for biodiversity conservation.However,few studies have systematically addressed this topic for different alpine grassland types on the Tibetan Plateau,China.We explored whether the plant composition of different functional groups affects the manner in which species richness increases with increasing area at scales ≤ 1.0 m~2.We also compared species richness(S) within and across forbs,legumes,sedges and grasses,with sampling subplot area(A) increasing from 0.0625 m~2 to 1.0 m~2 between alpine meadow and steppe communities.We applied a logarithmic function(S = b_0 + b_1 ln A) to determine the slope and intercept of SAR curves within and across functional groups.The results showed that the logarithmic relationship holds true between species richness and sampling area at these small scales.Both the intercept and slope of the logarithmic forbs-area curves are significantly higher than those for the three other functional groups(P 0.05).Forb accounts for about 91.9 % of the variation in the intercept and 75.0% of the variation in the slope of the SAR curve when allfunctional groups' data were pooled together.Our results indicated that the different SAR patterns should be linked with species dispersal capabilities,environmental filtering,and life form composition within alpine grassland communities.Further studies on the relationship between species diversity and ecosystem functions should specify the differential responses of different functional groups to variations in climate and anthropogenic disturbances.     

Biomass allocation patterns of alpine grassland species and functional groups along a precipitation gradient on the Northern Tibetan Plateau

Variations in the fractions of biomass allocated to functional components are widely considered as plant responses to resource availability for grassland plants. Observations indicated shoots isometrically relates to roots at the community level but allometrically at the species level in Tibetan alpine grasslands. These differences may result from the specific complementarity of functional groups between functional components, such as leaf, root, stem and reproductive organ. To test the component complementary responses to regional moisture variation, we conducted a multi-site transect survey to measure plant individual size and component biomass fractions of common species belonging to the functional groups： forbs, grasses, legumes and sedges on the Northern Tibetan Plateau in peak growing season in 2010. Along the mean annual precipitation （MAP） gradient, we sampled 7o species, in which 2o are in alpine meadows, 20 in alpine steppes, 15 in alpine desert-steppes and 15 in alpine deserts, respectively. Our results showed that the size of alpine plants is small with individual biomass mostly lower than 1.0 g. Plants keep relative conservative component individual responses moisture functional fractions across alpine grasslands at the level. However, the complementary between functional components to variations specifically differ among groups. These results indicate that functional group diversity may be an effective tool for scaling biomass allocation patterns from individual up to community level. Therefore, it is necessary andvaluable to perform intensive and systematic studies on identification and differentiation the influences of compositional changes in functional groups on ecosystem primary services and processes.     

Distribution of sediment chloroplastic pigments in the Southern Yellow Sea,China

The distribution of sediment chloroplastic pigments (Chl-a, i.e. chlorophyll a and Pha-a, i.e. phaeophorbide a) in the Southern Yellow Sea of China was studied. Samples were collected from four cruises in January and June 2003, and January and June 2004. The results show that the vertical distribution of Chl-a and Pha-a in the sediment layers 0-2cm, 2-5cm and 5-8cm, follows a stable ratio, 5:3:2. The average ratio of Pha-a to Chl-a in sediment is 2.83. Spearman 2-tailed rank correlation analysis shows that Chl-a and Pha-a contents in each sediment layer have a highly significant correlation. The average contents of Chl-a and Pha-a in the sediment of the 0-8cm layer in the investigated area are 0.31 -0.47μgg-1 and 1.28-1.40 μgg-1 sediment (dry weight), respectively. The average Chl-a and Pha-a contents in sediment are higher in summer than in winter. ANOVA analysis shows that there is a highly significant variation among the Chl-a contents (P = 0.002 <0.01) of the four cruies, but this is not true for the case of Pha-a content (P = 0.766>0.05). The average Chl-a and Pha-a contents in the 2 sediment layers (0-2cm and 2-5cm) have significant or highly significant correlations with organic matter (OM), median diameter (Mdφ), silt plus clay percentage in the January 2003 cruise. In the June 2003 cruise, the average Chl-a content in the 3 sediment layers (0-2cm, 2-5cm, and 5-8cm) has a significant correlation with meiofauna biomass, and Pha-a content has highly significant correlations with water depth, bottom water temperature, OM and Mdφ The contents of Chl-a and Pha-a are lower than those in estuaries and intertidal areas, but close to those in the same area studied previously.     

Soil Organic Carbon Contents and Stocks in Coastal Salt Marshes with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spartina alterniflora</Emphasis> Following an Invasion Chronosequence in the Yellow River Delta,China

Plant invasion alters the fundamental structure and function of native ecosystems by affecting the biogeochemical pools and fluxes of materials and energy. Native (Suaeda salsa) and invasive (Spartina alterniflora) salt marshes were selected to study the effects of Spartina alterniflora invasion on soil organic carbon (SOC) contents and stocks in the Yellow River Delta. Results showed that the SOC contents (g/kg) and stocks (kg/m²) were significantly increased (P < 0.05) after Spartina alterniflora invasion of seven years, especially for the surface soil layer (0–20 cm). The SOC contents exhibited an even distribution along the soil profiles in native salt marshes, while the SOC contents were gradually decreased with depth after Spartina alterniflora invasion of seven years. The natural ln response ratios (LnRR) were applied to identify the effects of short-term Spartina alterniflora invasion on the SOC stocks. We also found that Spartina alterniflora invasion might cause soil organic carbon losses in a short-term phase (2–4 years in this study) due to the negative LnRR values, especially for 20–60 cm depth. And the SOCD in surface layer (0–20 cm) do not increase linearly with the invasive age. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that silt + clay content was exponentially related with SOC in surface layer (Adjusted R2 = 0.43, P < 0.001), suggesting that soil texture could play a key role in SOC sequestration of coastal salt marshes.     

Effects of rock fragments on yak dung greenhouse gas emissions on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Dung deposition is an important pathway of nutrient return and redistribution in alpine grasslands of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.To date,information on the greenhouse gas emissions of yak dung on alpine grasslands,especially where there are large amounts of rock fragments,is limited.Our aim,therefore,was to evaluate variations in N_2O,CH_4,and CO_2 emissions from yak dung(CCD),and compare it to dung placed on rock fragments(RCD),alpine steppe soil(CSD),and a soil and rock fragment mixture(RSD) over a 30-day incubation period.The results showed that the total N_2O emissions from treatments without soil were significantly(P 0.05) lower than those from treatments with soil.The highest total CH_4 emissions were detected in the CSD treatment,while CH_4 losses from treatments without rock fragments were significantly(P 0.05) greater than those with rock fragments.The total CO_2 emissions from the RSD treatment was 6.30%–12.0% lower than those in the other three treatments.The soil beneath yak dung pats elevated the globalwarming potential(GWP),while the addition of rock fragments to the soil significantly(P 0.05) decreased the GWP by reducing emissions of the three greenhouse gases.We therefore suggest that interactions between rock fragments and alpine steppe soil are effective in decreasing yak dung greenhouse gas emissions.This finding indicates that rock fragments are an effective medium for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from dung pats,and more attention should therefore be paid to evaluate its ecological impact in future studies.These results should help guide scientific assessments of regional GHG budgets in agricultural ecosystems where the addition of livestock manure to soils with large amounts of rock fragments is common.     

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.     

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.     

Spatial distribution of snow depth based on geographically weighted regression kriging in the Bayanbulak Basin of the Tianshan Mountains,China

Snow depth is a general input variable in many models of agriculture,hydrology,climate and ecology.This study makes use of observational data of snow depth and explanatory variables to compare the accuracy and effect of geographically weighted regression kriging(GWRK)and regression kriging(RK)in a spatial interpolation of regional snow depth.The auxiliary variables are analyzed using correlation coefficients and the variance inflation factor(VIF).Three variables,Height,topographic ruggedness index(TRI),and land surface temperature(LST),are used as explanatory variables to establish a regression model for snow depth.The estimated spatial distribution of snow depth in the Bayanbulak Basin of the Tianshan Mountains in China with a spatial resolution of 1 km is obtained.The results indicate that 1)the result of GWRK's accuracy is slightly higher than that of RK(R~2=0.55 vs.R~2=0.50,RMSE(root mean square error)=0.102 m vs.RMSE=0.077 m);2)for the subareas,GWRK and RK exhibit similar estimation results of snow depth.Areas in the Bayanbulak Basin with a snow depth greater than 0.15m are mainly distributed in an elevation range of 2632.00–3269.00 m and the snow in this area comprises 45.00–46.00% of the total amount of snow in this basin.However,the GWRK resulted in more detailed information on snow depth distribution than the RK.The final conclusion is that GWRK is better suited for estimating regional snow depth distribution.     

Soil organic carbon pool along different altitudinal level in the Sygera Mountains,Tibetan Plateau

Labile organic carbon (LOC) is one of the most important indicators of soil organic matter quality and dynamics elevation and plays important function in the Tibetan Plateau climate. However, it is unknown what the sources and causes of LOC contamination are. In this study, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) and LOC were analyzed based on different soil horizons and elevations using turnover time in an experimental site (3700 m to 4300 m area) in Sygera. SOC and LOC in higher-elevation vegetation types were higher than that of in lower-elevation vegetation types. Our results presented that the soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN) were positively correlated with SOC. The content of easily oxidized carbon (EOC), particulate organic carbon (POC) and light fraction organic carbon (LFOC) decreased with depth increasing and the content were the lowest in the 60 cm to 100 cm depth. The total SOC, ROC and POC contents decreased with increasing soil horizons. The SOC, TN, MBC and MBN contents increased with increasing altitude in the Sygera Mountains. The MBC and MBN contents were different with the changes of SOC (p<0.05), meanwhile, both LFOC and POC were related to total SOC (p<0.05). The physical and chemical properties of soil, including temperature, humidity, and altitude, were involved in the regulation of SOC, TN, MBC, MBN and LFOC contents in the Sygera Mountains, Tibetan Plateau.     

Soil nutrients in relation to vertical roots distribution in the riparian zone of Three Gorges Reservoir,China

Since the impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), the riparian zone has been subjected to numerous environmental changes. This study was conducted to recognize the distribution of grass roots and its impacts on soil nutrients in the water level fluctuation zone of TGR. Roots of four predominant herbaceous plants in the study area, specifically, Cynodon dactylon, Hemarthria altissima, Hemarthria compressa, and Paspalum paspaloides, and their corresponding relation with soil nutrient contents were investigated. Root surface area density was determined with WinRHIZO, and the relationships of root distribution with soil depths and soil nutrient contents were studied. The results indicates that most roots are distributed in the top soil layer of 0–10 cm. Estimated root surface area density for the selected grass species ranges from 0.16 to 13.44 cm2/cm3, and decreases exponentially with an increase in soil depth. Soil organic matter and total nitrogen contents are significantly lower on bare control area than the corresponding values on the grasslands. Total nutrient contents on grasslands of C. dactylon and H. compressa are higher than those of other grass areas. Root length density and root surface area density are significantly correlated with soil organic matter and total nitrogen content for the four grasslands. The present results suggests that plant roots have significant effects on the distribution of soil nutrients in soil profiles in the riparian zone along the TGR. Nevertheless, additional investigations are needed to reveal the specific interactions between plant roots distribution, soil nutrients and water level fluctuations.     

Response of biomass spatial pattern of alpine vegetation to climate change in permafrost region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China

Alpine ecosystems in permafrost region are extremely sensitive to climate changes.To determine spatial pattern variations in alpine meadow and alpine steppe biomass dynamics in the permafrost region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China,calibrated with historical datasets of above-ground biomass production within the permafrost region's two main ecosystems,an ecosystem-biomass model was developed by employing empirical spatialdistribution models of the study region's precipitation,air temperature and soil temperature.This model was then successfully used to simulate the spatio-temporal variations in annual alpine ecosystem biomass production under climate change.For a 0.44°C decade-1 rise in air temperature,the model predicted that the biomasses of alpine meadow and alpine steppe remained roughly the same if annual precipitation increased by 8 mm per decade-1,but the biomasses were decreased by 2.7% and 2.4%,respectively if precipitation was constant.For a 2.2°C decade-1 rise in air temperature coupled with a 12 mm decade-1 rise in precipitation,the model predicted that the biomass of alpine meadow was unchanged or slightly increased,while that of alpine steppe was increased by 5.2%.However,in the absence of any rise in precipitation,the model predicted 6.8% and 4.6% declines in alpine meadow and alpine steppe biomasses,respectively.The response of alpine steppe biomass to the rising air temperatures and precipitation was significantly lesser and greater,respectively than that of alpine meadow biomass.A better understanding of the difference in alpine ecosystem biomass production under climate change is greatly significant with respect to the influence of climate change on the carbon and water cycles in the permafrost regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.     

Regional variation in carbon sequestration potential of forest ecosystems in China

Enhancing forest carbon(C) storage is recognized as one of the most economic and green approaches to offsetting anthropogenic CO_2 emissions. However, experimental evidence for C sequestration potential(C_(sp)) in China's forest ecosystems and its spatial patterns remain unclear, although a deep understanding is essential for policy-makers making decisions on reforestation. Here, we surveyed the literature from 2004 to 2014 to obtain C density data on forest ecosystems in China and used mature forests as a reference to explore C_(sp). The results showed that the C densities of vegetation and soil(0–100 cm) in China's forest ecosystems were about 69.23 Mg C/ha and 116.52 Mg C/ha, respectively. In mature forests, the C_(sp) of vegetation and soil are expected to increase to 129.26 Mg C/ha(87.1%) and 154.39 Mg C/ha(32.4%) in the coming decades, respectively. Moreover, the potential increase of C storage in vegetation(10.81 Pg C) is estimated at approximately twice that of soil(5.01 Pg C). Higher C_(sp) may occur in the subtropical humid regions and policy-makers should pay particular attention to the development of new reforestation strategies for these areas. In addition to soil nutrients and environment, climate was an important factor influencing the spatial patterns of C density in forest ecosystems in China. Interestingly, climate influenced the spatial patterns of vegetation and soil C density via different routes, having a positive effect on vegetation C density and a negative effect on soil C density. This estimation of the potential for increasing forest C storage provided new insights into the vital roles of China's forest ecosystems in future C sequestration. More importantly, our findings emphasize that climate constraints on forest C sequestration should be considered in reforestation strategies in China because the effects of climate were the opposite for spatial patterns of C density in vegetation and soil.Enhancing forest carbon(C) storage is recognized as one of the most economic and green approaches to offsetting anthropogenic CO2 emissions. However, experimental evidence for C sequestration potential(Csp) in China's forest ecosystems and its spatial patterns remain unclear, although a deep understanding is essential for policy-makers making decisions on reforestation. Here, we surveyed the literature from 2004 to 2014 to obtain C density data on forest ecosystems in China and used mature forests as a reference to explore Csp. The results showed that the C densities of vegetation and soil(0–100 cm) in China's forest ecosystems were about 69.23 Mg C/ha and 116.52 Mg C/ha, respectively. In mature forests, the Csp of vegetation and soil are expected to increase to 129.26 Mg C/ha(87.1%) and 154.39 Mg C/ha(32.4%) in the coming decades, respectively. Moreover, the potential increase of C storage in vegetation(10.81 Pg C) is estimated at approximately twice that of soil(5.01 Pg C). Higher Csp may occur in the subtropical humid regions and policy-makers should pay particular attention to the development of new reforestation strategies for these areas. In addition to soil nutrients and environment, climate was an important factor influencing the spatial patterns of C density in forest ecosystems in China. Interestingly, climate influenced the spatial patterns of vegetation and soil C density via different routes, having a positive effect on vegetation C density and a negative effect on soil C density. This estimation of the potential for increasing forest C storage provided new insights into the vital roles of China's forest ecosystems in future C sequestration. More importantly, our findings emphasize that climate constraints on forest C sequestration should be considered in reforestation strategies in China because the effects of climate were the opposite for spatial patterns of C density in vegetation and soil.