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.     

北方农牧交错区干旱特征变化及其对植被总初级生产力的影响

北方农牧交错区地处半湿润/半干旱生态脆弱过渡带,干旱是影响该区植被生产力的关键因素之一。探究干旱对植被总初级生产力的影响,对深刻理解气候变化下生态系统生产力变化响应特征及优化区域碳水循环具有重要意义。为了更好地了解水分限制区不同干旱特征对GPP影响,本研究以北方农牧交错区为例,基于长时间序列的标准化降水蒸散发指数(SPEI3,1900—2020年)和植被总初级生产力(GPP,1982—2018年)等数据,首先采用小波分析明确SPEI3与GPP强相关周期,在此基础上利用游程理论识别干旱特征,进而分析了北方农牧交错区干旱特征与GPP的变化趋势,最后厘定了不同干旱特征对GPP的影响。结果表明:(1) 1982—2018年北方农牧交错区SPEI3与GPP在半年周期和年周期存在显著相关关系,滞后效应随时间变化而变化;年际分析能够减弱滞后效应对SPEI3与GPP相关性的影响;(2) 1900—2020年北方农牧交错区干旱历时、干旱烈度和烈度峰值均呈现显著增加趋势,干旱烈度随着干旱历时和烈度峰值的增加而加剧,干旱特征高值区往往具有更强的增加趋势;(3) 1982—2018年北方农牧交错区GPP总体呈...