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| Titel |
Predicting parameters of degradation succession processes of Tibetan Kobresia grasslands |
| VerfasserIn |
L. Lin, Y. K. Li, X. L. Xu, F. W. Zhang, Y. G. Du, S. L. Liu, X. W. Guo, G. M. Cao |
| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| ISSN |
1869-9510
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| Digitales Dokument |
URL |
| Erschienen |
In: Solid Earth ; 6, no. 4 ; Nr. 6, no. 4 (2015-11-20), S.1237-1246 |
| Datensatznummer |
250115525
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 copernicus.org/se-6-1237-2015.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| In the past two decades, increasing human activity (i.e.,
overgrazing) in the Tibetan Plateau has strongly influenced plant succession
processes, resulting in the degradation of alpine grasslands. Therefore, it
is necessary to diagnose the degree of degradation to enable implementation
of appropriate management for sustainable exploitation and protection of
alpine grasslands. Here, we investigated environmental factors and plant
functional group (PFG) quantity factors during the alpine grassland
succession processes. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to
identify the parameters indicative of degradation. We divided the entire
degradation process into six stages. PFG types shifted from rhizome bunchgrasses to rhizome plexus and dense-plexus grasses during the degradation
process. Leguminosae and Gramineae plants were replaced by sedges during the
advanced stages of degradation. The PFGs were classified into two reaction
groups: the grazing-sensitive group, containing Kobresia humilis Mey, and Gramineae and
Leguminosae plants, and the grazing-insensitive group, containing Kobresia pygmaea Clarke.
The first group was correlated with live root biomass in the surface soil
(0–10 cm), whereas the second group was strongly correlated with mattic
epipedon thickness and K. pygmaea characteristics. The degree of degradation of alpine
meadows may be delineated by development of mattic epipedon and PFG
composition. Thus, meadows could be easily graded and their use adjusted
based on our scaling system, which would help prevent irreversible
degradation of important grasslands. Because relatively few environmental
factors are investigated, this approach can save time and labor to formulate
a conservation management plan for degraded alpine meadows. |
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