The effects of biotic and abiotic factors on the spatial heterogeneity of alpine grassland vegetation at a small scale on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), China

NWIPB OpenIR

	The effects of biotic and abiotic factors on the spatial heterogeneity of alpine grassland vegetation at a small scale on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), China
	Wen, Lu ; Dong, Shi Kui ; Li, Yuan Yuan ; Sherman, Ruth ; Shi, Jian Jun ; Liu, De Mei ; Wang, Yan Long ; Ma, Yu Shou ; Zhu, Lei ; Dong, SK (reprint author), Beijing Normal Univ, State Key Lab Water Environm Simulat, Environm Sch, Beijing 100875, Peoples R China.
	2013-10-01
发表期刊	ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT ; Wen, L; Dong, SK; Li, YY; Sherman, R; Shi, JJ; Liu, DM; Wang, YL; Ma, YS; Zhu, L.The effects of biotic and abiotic factors on the spatial heterogeneity of alpine grassland vegetation at a small scale on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), China,ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT,2013,185(10):8051-8064
摘要	Understanding the complex effects of biotic and abiotic factors on the composition of vegetation is very important for developing and implementing strategies for promoting sustainable grassland development. The vegetation-disturbance-environment relationship was examined in degraded alpine grasslands in the headwater areas of three rivers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in this study. The investigated hypotheses were that (1) the heterogeneity of the vegetation of the alpine grassland is due to a combination of biotic and abiotic factors and that (2) at a small scale, biotic factors are more important for the distribution of alpine vegetation. On this basis, four transects were set along altitudinal gradients from 3,770 to 3,890 m on a sunny slope, and four parallel transects were set along altitudinal gradients on a shady slope in alpine grasslands in Guoluo Prefecture of Qinghai Province, China. It was found that biological disturbances were the major forces driving the spatial heterogeneity of the alpine grassland vegetation and abiotic factors were of secondary importance. Heavy grazing and intensive rat activity resulted in increases in unpalatable and poisonous weeds and decreased fine forages in the form of sedges, forbs, and grasses in the vegetation composition. Habitat degradation associated with biological disturbances significantly affected the spatial variation of the alpine grassland vegetation, i.e., more pioneer plants of poisonous or unpalatable weed species, such as Ligularia virgaurea and Euphorbia fischeriana, were found in bare patches. Environmental/abiotic factors were less important than biological disturbances in affecting the spatial distribution of the alpine grassland vegetation at a small scale. It was concluded that rat control and light grazing should be applied first in implementing restoration strategies. The primary vegetation in lightly grazed and less rat-damaged sites should be regarded as a reference for devising vegetation restoration measures in alpine pastoral regions.; Understanding the complex effects of biotic and abiotic factors on the composition of vegetation is very important for developing and implementing strategies for promoting sustainable grassland development. The vegetation-disturbance-environment relationship was examined in degraded alpine grasslands in the headwater areas of three rivers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in this study. The investigated hypotheses were that (1) the heterogeneity of the vegetation of the alpine grassland is due to a combination of biotic and abiotic factors and that (2) at a small scale, biotic factors are more important for the distribution of alpine vegetation. On this basis, four transects were set along altitudinal gradients from 3,770 to 3,890 m on a sunny slope, and four parallel transects were set along altitudinal gradients on a shady slope in alpine grasslands in Guoluo Prefecture of Qinghai Province, China. It was found that biological disturbances were the major forces driving the spatial heterogeneity of the alpine grassland vegetation and abiotic factors were of secondary importance. Heavy grazing and intensive rat activity resulted in increases in unpalatable and poisonous weeds and decreased fine forages in the form of sedges, forbs, and grasses in the vegetation composition. Habitat degradation associated with biological disturbances significantly affected the spatial variation of the alpine grassland vegetation, i.e., more pioneer plants of poisonous or unpalatable weed species, such as Ligularia virgaurea and Euphorbia fischeriana, were found in bare patches. Environmental/abiotic factors were less important than biological disturbances in affecting the spatial distribution of the alpine grassland vegetation at a small scale. It was concluded that rat control and light grazing should be applied first in implementing restoration strategies. The primary vegetation in lightly grazed and less rat-damaged sites should be regarded as a reference for devising vegetation restoration measures in alpine pastoral regions.
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://210.75.249.4/handle/363003/16691
专题	中国科学院西北高原生物研究所
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Wen, Lu,Dong, Shi Kui,Li, Yuan Yuan,et al. The effects of biotic and abiotic factors on the spatial heterogeneity of alpine grassland vegetation at a small scale on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), China[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT, Wen, L; Dong, SK; Li, YY; Sherman, R; Shi, JJ; Liu, DM; Wang, YL; Ma, YS; Zhu, L.The effects of biotic and abiotic factors on the spatial heterogeneity of alpine grassland vegetation at a small scale on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), China,ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT,2013,185(10):8051-8064,2013.
APA	Wen, Lu.,Dong, Shi Kui.,Li, Yuan Yuan.,Sherman, Ruth.,Shi, Jian Jun.,...&Dong, SK .(2013).The effects of biotic and abiotic factors on the spatial heterogeneity of alpine grassland vegetation at a small scale on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), China.ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT.
MLA	Wen, Lu,et al."The effects of biotic and abiotic factors on the spatial heterogeneity of alpine grassland vegetation at a small scale on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), China".ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT (2013).