Review
Environmental Sciences
Yanfen Wang, Wangwang Lv, Kai Xue, Shiping Wang, Lirong Zhang, Ronghai Hu, Hong Zeng, Xingliang Xu, Yaoming Li, Lili Jiang, Yanbin Hao, Jianqing Du, Jianping Sun, Tsechoe Dorji, Shilong Piao, Changhui Wang, Caiyun Luo, Zhenhua Zhang, Xiaofeng Chang, Mingming Zhang, Yigang Hu, Tonghua Wu, Jinzhi Wang, Bowen Li, Peipei Liu, Yang Zhou, A. Wang, Shikui Dong, Xianzhou Zhang, Qingzhu Gao, Huakun Zhou, Miaogen Shen, Andreas Wilkes, Georg Miehe, Xinquan Zhao, Haishan Niu
Summary: This review examines the impacts of climate change and human activities on grasslands in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. It discusses the changes in vegetation and soil, as well as the drivers behind these changes. The study finds that rising temperatures have been key in driving vegetation increases, while intense livestock grazing has caused grassland degradation. Effective restoration can be achieved through management policies and adaptive management, leading to improvements in net primary production.
NATURE REVIEWS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Qiuan Zhu, Huai Chen, Changhui Peng, Jinxun Liu, Shilong Piao, Jin-Sheng He, Shiping Wang, Xinquan Zhao, Jiang Zhang, Xiuqin Fang, Jiaxin Jin, Qi-En Yang, Liliang Ren, Yanfen Wang
Summary: Intense grazing may lead to grassland degradation on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Current grazing activity in the region is mostly sustainable, with the stocking rate below the threshold in about 80% of grassland areas. Positive effects of climate change can partly offset negative effects of grazing, but only in areas below the stocking rate threshold. Keeping the stocking rate within 50% to 70% of the threshold can balance human demands with grassland protection in the face of climate change.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lei Liu, Qianlai Zhuang, Dongsheng Zhao, Du Zheng, Dan Kou, Yuanhe Yang
Summary: Permafrost degradation in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau has significant impacts on carbon and nitrogen cycling, resulting in carbon release and affecting the regional carbon storage. However, when considering climate change, permafrost regions are projected to become stronger carbon sinks in the 21st century.
GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bangjing Ding, Lian Feng, Sang Ba, Xiaoliang Jiang, Guihua Liu, Wenzhi Liu
Summary: We conducted a study to investigate the spatial pattern and driving mechanism of biodiversity along elevational gradients on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Our findings showed that the species and phylogenetic diversity of plants, bacteria, and fungi exhibited a significant elevational gradient, while no significant diversity changes were observed for denitrifiers, methanogens, and methanotrophs along the same altitude gradient. This suggests that elevation and temperature have a stronger influence on the diversity of plants, bacteria, and fungi compared to microbial functional groups.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Huai Chen, Peijun Ju, Qiuan Zhu, Xingliang Xu, Ning Wu, Yongheng Gao, Xiaojuan Feng, Jianqing Tian, Shuli Niu, Yangjian Zhang, Changhui Peng, Yanfen Wang
Summary: The carbon and nitrogen cycling on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau has been influenced by atmospheric warming, cryosphere thaw, and intensified human activities. Despite the complexity of these changes, they largely offset each other. The plateau is predicted to continue functioning as a net carbon sink in the future, despite severe permafrost degradation, while nitrogen stocks are expected to remain relatively stable.
NATURE REVIEWS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jianjun Cao, Yumeng Jiao, Rongxiao Che, Nicholas M. Holden, Xiaofang Zhang, Asim Biswas, Qi Feng
Summary: This study examined the response of soil microbes to grazer exclosure duration in alpine grassland soils on the eastern part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The findings suggest that longer exclosure durations can increase the relative abundance of nitrogen fixers and decrease the proportions of plant pathogenic fungi, contributing to enhanced soil nitrogen fixation and grassland health. However, there may be a resource cost as plant productivity and soil organic carbon decrease with the extension of grazer exclosure duration.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kai Dong, Wenjin Li, Yulong Tang, Suhui Ma, Mengluan Jiang
Summary: This meta-analysis of 107 publications on alpine grasslands across the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau reveals that plant biomass in the region is co-limited by nitrogen and phosphorus. Nitrogen limitation is stronger than phosphorus limitation, and the combined effect of nitrogen and phosphorus addition is stronger than single nutrient additions. Nitrogen fertilization rate shows an initial increase and then decline, with a peak at approximately 25 g N per m2 per year. Increased mean annual precipitation enhances the effect of nitrogen limitation on aboveground biomass and reduces the effect on belowground biomass. Additionally, nitrogen and phosphorus addition decrease plant diversity, with simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus addition having the greatest negative impact.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Miaogen Shen, Shiping Wang, Nan Jiang, Jianping Sun, Ruyin Cao, Xiaofang Ling, Bo Fang, Lei Zhang, Lihao Zhang, Xiyan Xu, Wangwang Lv, Baolin Li, Qingling Sun, Fandong Meng, Yuhao Jiang, Tsechoe Dorji, Yongshuo Fu, Amy Iler, Yann Vitasse, Heidi Steltzer, Zhenming Ji, Wenwu Zhao, Shilong Piao, Bojie Fu
Summary: Warming temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau are causing changes in vegetation phenology, with the start of the growing season advancing and the end of season delaying. These changes could impact land surface and atmospheric processes, species interactions, and regional climate patterns.
NATURE REVIEWS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fei Peng, Chimin Lai, Chengyang Li, Chen Ji, Pengfei Zhang, Jianbo Sun, Xiaojie Chen, Quangang You, Xian Xue
Summary: This study conducted a clipping experiment on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau to investigate the compensatory growth and conditions for the occurrence of over-compensatory at alpine meadows with different degradation status. The results showed that competition for light and reduction of soil nitrogen are the limiting factors for plant growth after clipping at non-degraded, slightly degraded, and heavily degraded alpine meadows. Additionally, it was found that over-compensatory growth occurred mainly due to the performance of forbs at moderately degraded alpine meadow.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Xiaoyi Wang, Xingcheng He, Megan Price, Qianyun He, Pei Zhang, Jianghong Ran, Yongjie Wu
Summary: Grassland ecosystems are important for maintaining biodiversity and providing resources, but human activities have significantly affected their structure and function. In this study, we investigated the epigeic arthropod community in alpine grassland in the Zoige wetlands of the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China. We found that grassland degradation and livestock feces had different effects on the taxonomic richness, abundance, and feeding groups of the arthropod community. Seasonal variations and temperature also played a significant role in shaping the community.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tianli Lan, Xiaoxiao Luo, Qinguo Ma, Wangtao Jiang, Huxi Xia
Summary: Desertification on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is intensified by the degradation of permafrost. Embankment construction warms and deepens the underlying permafrost, causing the downward movement and accumulation of groundwater near the deepening permafrost table, leading to increased desertification on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
ARABIAN JOURNAL FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Dawen Qian, Yangong Du, Qian Li, Xiaowei Guo, Bo Fan, Guangmin Cao
Summary: This study investigates the impact of degradation on the spatial patterns and ecosystem services of alpine shrub-meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. It found that degradation leads to fragmentation and patchiness in the meadow, resulting in a decrease in ecosystem services. The spatial patterns of the meadow layer are more closely related to its ecosystem services than the shrub layer.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Lei Sun, Yi-Fan Liu, Xiangtao Wang, Yu Liu, Gao-Lin Wu
Summary: The study found that gully erosion generally leads to serious soil nutrient loss and varies between shallow gully and deep gully. However, both shallow gully and deep gully showed an increase in available phosphorus variation, while deep gully also demonstrated an increase in pH variation. Soil sand content and soil nutrient properties were more sensitive to gully erosion in different cross sections, indicating that the depth of erosion gullies largely determines soil nutrient loss.
Article
Plant Sciences
Hao Shen, Shikui Dong, Jiannan Xiao, Yangliu Zhi
Summary: Our study reveals that different plant species have distinct physiological responses to the enrichment of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) at the individual level in alpine grassland. Specifically, for Leymus secalinus, N addition (72 kg Nha(-1) yr(-1)), P addition (36 kg Pha(-1) yr(-1)), and NP addition (72 kg Nha(-1) yr(-1) and 36 kg P ha(-1) yr(-1)) significantly enhance the net photosynthetic rate. Additionally, Leymus secalinus demonstrates a higher competitive advantage compared to other species under nutrient enrichment. Soil pH variation and nutrients imbalance caused by N and P enrichment are identified as the main factors affecting plant photosynthetic traits in alpine steppe of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Danghui Xu, Wenbo Mou, Xiejun Wang, Ruiying Zhang, Tianpeng Gao, Dexiecuo Ai, Jianli Yuan, Renyi Zhang, Xiangwen Fang
Summary: Grassland degeneration significantly decreases net CO2 uptake, gross primary productivity, ecosystem respiration, plant respiration, and heterotrophic respiration. Degradation also alters the carbon balance of the ecosystem, further impacting carbon-climate feedbacks.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Zihao Wen, Hao Wang, Zhonghai Zhang, Yu Cao, Yiqian Yao, Xiaoyu Gao, Yuqing Tian, Haojie Su, Leyi Ni, Wen Xiao, Qinghua Cai, Xiaolin Zhang, Te Cao
Summary: The study reveals significant seasonal differences in the LDB of three submerged macrophyte species, with water level being a major driver of LDB dynamics. Changes in LDBs in response to water level fluctuations are divided into three periods: recovery growth period, stress tolerance period, and recession period.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Hu Zhang, Pengyan Gong, Qinghua Cai, Chengwu Zhang, Baoyan Gao
Summary: The research showed that red light was more suitable for cell growth and fucoxanthin accumulation in Odontella aurita. By optimizing the ratios of red and blue light, both biomass and fucoxanthin production were further promoted. The study represents a pioneering work in harnessing the PBR with internal illumination for hyper-production of microalgae-based fucoxanthin.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Alain Maasri, Sonja C. Jaehnig, Mihai C. Adamescu, Rita Adrian, Claudio Baigun, Donald J. Baird, Angelica Batista-Morales, Nuria Bonada, Lee E. Brown, Qinghua Cai, Joao Campos-Silva, Viola Clausnitzer, Topiltzin Contreras-MacBeath, Steven J. Cooke, Thibault Datry, Gonzalo Delacamara, Luc De Meester, Klaus-Douwe B. Dijkstra, Van Tu Do, Sami Domisch, David Dudgeon, Tibor Eros, Hendrik Freitag, Joerg Freyhof, Jana Friedrich, Martin Friedrichs-Manthey, Juergen Geist, Mark O. Gessner, Peter Goethals, Matthew Gollock, Christopher Gordon, Hans-Peter Grossart, Georges Gulemvuga, Pablo E. Gutierrez-Fonseca, Peter Haase, Daniel Hering, Hans Juergen Hahn, Charles P. Hawkins, Fengzhi He, Jani Heino, Virgilio Hermoso, Zeb Hogan, Franz Hoelker, Jonathan M. Jeschke, Meilan Jiang, Richard K. Johnson, Gregor Kalinkat, Bakhtiyor K. Karimov, Aventino Kasangaki, Ismael A. Kimirei, Bert Kohlmann, Mathias Kuemmerlen, Jan J. Kuiper, Benjamin Kupilas, Simone D. Langhans, Richard Lansdown, Florian Leese, Francis S. Magbanua, Shin-ichiro S. Matsuzaki, Michael T. Monaghan, Levan Mumladze, Javier Muzon, Pierre A. Mvogo Ndongo, Jens C. Nejstgaard, Oxana Nikitina, Clifford Ochs, Oghenekaro Nelson Odume, Jeffrey J. Opperman, Harmony Patricio, Steffen U. Pauls, Rajeev Raghavan, Alonso Ramirez, Bindiya Rashni, Vere Ross-Gillespie, Michael J. Samways, Ralf B. Schaefer, Astrid Schmidt-Kloiber, Ole Seehausen, Deep Narayan Shah, Subodh Sharma, Janne Soininen, Nike Sommerwerk, Jason D. Stockwell, Frank Suhling, Ram Devi Tachamo Shah, Rebecca E. Tharme, James H. Thorp, David Tickner, Klement Tockner, Jonathan D. Tonkin, Mireia Valle, Jean Vitule, Martin Volk, Ding Wang, Christian Wolter, Susanne Worischka
Summary: Global freshwater biodiversity is declining dramatically, with investments in research and conservation lagging behind terrestrial and marine realms. Through a global consultation, 15 pressing priority needs have been identified to support informed stewardship of freshwater biodiversity. The proposed agenda aims to advance freshwater biodiversity research globally for its sustainable management and conservation.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Jiancheng Hu, Zhibin Song, Jiacheng Zhou, Janne Soininen, Lu Tan, Qinghua Cai, Tao Tang
Summary: Comparing spatio-temporal patterns between planktonic and benthic algae in large rivers is still rare, but important for understanding their associations and differences. This study found that planktonic and benthic diatoms showed different seasonal variations in species richness and community compositions, with evidence of coupling in the summer. Planktonic diatom assemblages were more affected by spatial processes, while benthic diatom assemblages were more influenced by environmental processes.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lin Ye, Lu Tan, Xinghua Wu, Qinghua Cai, B. Larry Li
Summary: This study investigates the nonlinear causal relationship between water level fluctuation (WLF) and phytoplankton biomass using empirical dynamic modeling (EDM). It found that the water level change in the past 24 hours has the strongest causal effect on daily dynamics of phytoplankton biomass with a 2-day time lag. The rise and fall of water level both significantly impact phytoplankton blooms, with rising water level having a more substantial effect overall.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Editorial Material
Environmental Sciences
Naicheng Wu, Yixia Wang, Yaochun Wang, Qinghua Cai, Wei Ouyang
Article
Ecology
Haoran Li, Yuan Gu, Qinghua Cai, Xiaowei Dong, Lin Ye
Summary: This study investigated the size spectrum and size diversity of zooplankton in the Xiangxi Bay of Three Gorges Reservoir, China, and examined their relationship with environmental conditions. The results showed that the size structure of zooplankton was influenced by nutrient concentrations and water temperature. The study also found that size diversity is a reliable indicator for measuring zooplankton size structure in reservoir ecosystems with high dynamics.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biology
Qingyi Luo, Ming-Chih Chiu, Lu Tan, Qinghua Cai
Summary: This study explores the effects of seasons on the spatial patterns of functional diversity along an elevational gradient in freshwater ecosystems. The findings show that the functional diversity of riverine macroinvertebrates either has a unimodal or monotonically decreasing pattern along the elevation gradient, and seasonal changes do not affect this pattern. These results provide important insights for studying and managing the temporary effects of river ecosystems.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sicheng Ao, Lin Ye, Xinyi Liu, Qinghua Cai, Fengzhi He
Summary: This study investigated the elevational patterns of macroinvertebrate trait composition and functional diversity in streams in the Hengduan Mountains. It found clear elevational patterns in both trait composition and functional diversity, with watershed disturbance being the most important driver. Instream physicochemical factors also played a role in shaping macroinvertebrate communities.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Xiaoguang Zhang, Lu Tan, Qinghua Cai, Lin Ye
Summary: The biodiversity-stability relationship is a fundamental subject in ecological research. This study focused on the phytoplankton community in reservoir ecosystems and found that functional diversity has a significant impact on community stability, while species diversity does not. Additionally, the study revealed the indirect effects of water temperature and phosphate concentration on stability through their influence on the first principal component of functional diversity.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Afroditi Grigoropoulou, Suhaila Ab Hamid, Raul Acosta, Emmanuel Olusegun Akindele, Salman A. Al-Shami, Florian Altermatt, Giuseppe Amatulli, David G. Angeler, Francis O. Arimoro, Jukka Aroviita, Anna Astorga-Roine, Rafael Costa Bastos, Nuria Bonada, Nikos Boukas, Cecilia Brand, Vanessa Bremerich, Alex Bush, Qinghua Cai, Marcos Callisto, Kai Chen, Paulo Vilela Cruz, Olivier Dangles, Russell Death, Xiling Deng, Eduardo Dominguez, David G. Dudgeon, Tor Erik Eriksen, Ana Paula J. Faria, Maria Joao Feio, Camino Fernandez-Alaez, Mathieu Floury, Francisco Garcia-Criado, Jorge Garcia-Giron, Wolfram Graf, Mira Groenroos, Peter Haase, Neusa Hamada, Fengzhi He, Jani Heino, Ralph Holzenthal, Kaisa-Leena Huttunen, Dean Jacobsen, Sonja C. Jaehnig, Walter Jetz, Richard K. Johnson, Leandro Juen, Vincent Kalkman, Vassiliki Kati, Unique N. Keke, Ricardo Koroiva, Mathias Kuemmerlen, Simone Daniela Langhans, Raphael Ligeiro, Kris Van Looy, Alain Maasri, Richard K. Marchant, Jaime Ricardo Garcia Marquez, Renato T. Martins, Adriano S. Melo, Leon Metzeling, Maria Laura Miserendino, S. Jannicke Moe, Carlos Molineri, Timo Muotka, Kaisa-Riikka Mustonen, Heikki Mykrae, Jeane Marcelle Cavalcante do Nascimento, Francisco Valente-Neto, Peter J. Neu, Carolina Nieto, Steffen U. Pauls, Dennis R. Paulson, Blanca Rios-Touma, Marciel Elio Rodrigues, Fabio de Oliveira Roque, Juan Carlos Salazar Salina, Denes Schmera, Astrid Schmidt-Kloiber, Deep Narayan Shah, John P. Simaika, Tadeu Siqueira, Ram Devi Tachamo-Shah, Guenther Theischinger, Ross Thompson, Jonathan D. Tonkin, Yusdiel Torres-Cambas, Colin Townsend, Eren Turak, Laura Twardochleb, Beixin Wang, Liubov Yanygina, Carmen Zamora-Munoz, Sami Domisch
Summary: This article introduces a global database of aquatic insects, providing information on their geographical locations and other relevant details. It serves as an important resource for studying freshwater biodiversity and freshwater ecosystem health.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Kun Yang, Xian-Fu Li, Xiao-Li Tong, Qing-Hua Cai
Summary: A new species, Siphlonurus dongxi, was discovered in Shangri-La City, Yunnan Province, China. It is closely related to S. davidi but can be distinguished by the color, morphological characteristics, and structure of the imago, nymph, and egg stages. The similarities in morphological and structural features between the new species and S. davidi suggest the existence of a new species complex, the Siphlonurus davidi group. The penis and egg structures of the new species provide insights into the origin and evolution of the genus Siphlonurus.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zihao Wen, Hao Wang, Hang Shan, Yu Cao, Lu Tan, Tianshun Zhu, Qinghua Cai, Leyi Ni, Xiaolin Zhang, Qingchuan Chou, Te Cao
Summary: In this study, the researchers investigated the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem productivity in Erhai Lake, China. They found that the species richness-productivity relationship was influenced by water depth, with a stronger positive relationship observed in more light-limited environments. These findings support the stress-gradient hypothesis and provide new insights into managing lake macrophyte communities and productivity.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lin Ye, Kefeng Chen, Jingjing Cheng, Lu Tan, Min Zhang, Xiaoguang Zhang, Qinghua Cai
Summary: This study evaluated the ecological water quality of the Three Gorges Reservoir and found that the mainstream has good water quality while the backwater regions of tributaries have poor water quality. The study also revealed that changes in land covers within the watershed have significant impacts on the water quality of tributary bays, with urban and farmland areas negatively correlated and forest cover positively correlated.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sicheng Ao, Ming-Chih Chiu, Xiaowei Lin, Qinghua Cai
Summary: The rapid and continuous loss of biodiversity highlights the urgent need for research on functional diversity. However, there is no clear guidance on how traits should be selected for index calculation, which significantly influences the results. In this study, we explored the estimation of functional diversity of freshwater macroinvertebrates over the past 20 years and found that Europe is the center of research in this area. We recommend the use of traits evenly from four trait groups to calculate functional diversity indices, which can contribute to the unification of estimations and comparative studies of different regions.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
