Middle to late Holocene plant cover variation in relation to climate, fire, and human activity in the Songnen grasslands of northeastern China
IntroductionFor future vegetation projections and conservation planning in grassland ecosystems, accurate estimates of past plant cover changes in grassland composition and their responses to the various driving factors are essential. This study quantitatively reconstructs the past regional plant co...
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| Format: | Article |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Plant Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.1071273/full |
| _version_ | 1797957577940664320 |
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| author | Honghao Niu Laurent Marquer Dorothy Sack Guizai Gao Guizai Gao Guizai Gao Guizai Gao Jiangyong Wang Meng Meng Dongmei Jie Dongmei Jie Dongmei Jie Dongmei Jie |
| author_facet | Honghao Niu Laurent Marquer Dorothy Sack Guizai Gao Guizai Gao Guizai Gao Guizai Gao Jiangyong Wang Meng Meng Dongmei Jie Dongmei Jie Dongmei Jie Dongmei Jie |
| author_sort | Honghao Niu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionFor future vegetation projections and conservation planning in grassland ecosystems, accurate estimates of past plant cover changes in grassland composition and their responses to the various driving factors are essential. This study quantitatively reconstructs the past regional plant cover in the Songnen grasslands (northeastern China) and explores the relative importance of climate, fire, and human activity on vegetation dynamics.MethodsFor this purpose, the Regional Estimates of Vegetation Abundance from Large Sites (REVEALS) model is applied to three pollen records from two areas, two in the center of the Songnen grasslands and one located in an area marginal to the grasslands.ResultsResults from the most reliable REVEALS scenarios show that from the mid-Holocene, steppe (mean cover 40.6%) and dry steppe (mean cover 54.2%) alternately dominated the central part of the Songnen grasslands while the marginal grasslands were mainly characterized by alternating broadleaved forests (mean cover 26.3%), coniferous forests (mean cover 41.9%) and dry steppes (mean cover 30.1%).DiscussionBy comparing the plant cover results with previous published regional climate, fire and human activity records, the results show that long term vegetation dynamics were mainly driven by East Asia Summer Monsoon (EASM) and the related precipitation variations, but was also affected by fire frequency and human activity. Moreover, vegetation evolution was sensitive to abrupt cooling events including the 4.2 ka BP and stacked ice-rafted debris (IRD) events; the change from steppe to dry steppe, for example, was driven by these abrupt climate changes. Fire events can alter the original vegetation stability allowing the vegetation to respond rapidly to climate changes while human activity merely has limited influence on vegetation changes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T00:07:21Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-462X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T00:07:21Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Plant Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-174cc1702d6e46c4865a425eb7a846b02023-01-09T10:44:47ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2023-01-011310.3389/fpls.2022.10712731071273Middle to late Holocene plant cover variation in relation to climate, fire, and human activity in the Songnen grasslands of northeastern ChinaHonghao Niu0Laurent Marquer1Dorothy Sack2Guizai Gao3Guizai Gao4Guizai Gao5Guizai Gao6Jiangyong Wang7Meng Meng8Dongmei Jie9Dongmei Jie10Dongmei Jie11Dongmei Jie12School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, ChinaDepartment of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, AustriaDepartment of Geography, Ohio University, Athens, OH, United StatesSchool of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, ChinaKey Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, Changchun, ChinaInstitute for Peat and Mire Research, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, ChinaKey Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Changchun, ChinaSchool of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, ChinaSchool of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, ChinaSchool of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, ChinaKey Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, Changchun, ChinaInstitute for Peat and Mire Research, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, ChinaKey Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Changchun, ChinaIntroductionFor future vegetation projections and conservation planning in grassland ecosystems, accurate estimates of past plant cover changes in grassland composition and their responses to the various driving factors are essential. This study quantitatively reconstructs the past regional plant cover in the Songnen grasslands (northeastern China) and explores the relative importance of climate, fire, and human activity on vegetation dynamics.MethodsFor this purpose, the Regional Estimates of Vegetation Abundance from Large Sites (REVEALS) model is applied to three pollen records from two areas, two in the center of the Songnen grasslands and one located in an area marginal to the grasslands.ResultsResults from the most reliable REVEALS scenarios show that from the mid-Holocene, steppe (mean cover 40.6%) and dry steppe (mean cover 54.2%) alternately dominated the central part of the Songnen grasslands while the marginal grasslands were mainly characterized by alternating broadleaved forests (mean cover 26.3%), coniferous forests (mean cover 41.9%) and dry steppes (mean cover 30.1%).DiscussionBy comparing the plant cover results with previous published regional climate, fire and human activity records, the results show that long term vegetation dynamics were mainly driven by East Asia Summer Monsoon (EASM) and the related precipitation variations, but was also affected by fire frequency and human activity. Moreover, vegetation evolution was sensitive to abrupt cooling events including the 4.2 ka BP and stacked ice-rafted debris (IRD) events; the change from steppe to dry steppe, for example, was driven by these abrupt climate changes. Fire events can alter the original vegetation stability allowing the vegetation to respond rapidly to climate changes while human activity merely has limited influence on vegetation changes.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.1071273/fullholocenepollenREVEALS (Regional Estimates of Vegetation Abundance from Large Sites) model4.2 ka BP eventEASM |
| spellingShingle | Honghao Niu Laurent Marquer Dorothy Sack Guizai Gao Guizai Gao Guizai Gao Guizai Gao Jiangyong Wang Meng Meng Dongmei Jie Dongmei Jie Dongmei Jie Dongmei Jie Middle to late Holocene plant cover variation in relation to climate, fire, and human activity in the Songnen grasslands of northeastern China Frontiers in Plant Science holocene pollen REVEALS (Regional Estimates of Vegetation Abundance from Large Sites) model 4.2 ka BP event EASM |
| title | Middle to late Holocene plant cover variation in relation to climate, fire, and human activity in the Songnen grasslands of northeastern China |
| title_full | Middle to late Holocene plant cover variation in relation to climate, fire, and human activity in the Songnen grasslands of northeastern China |
| title_fullStr | Middle to late Holocene plant cover variation in relation to climate, fire, and human activity in the Songnen grasslands of northeastern China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Middle to late Holocene plant cover variation in relation to climate, fire, and human activity in the Songnen grasslands of northeastern China |
| title_short | Middle to late Holocene plant cover variation in relation to climate, fire, and human activity in the Songnen grasslands of northeastern China |
| title_sort | middle to late holocene plant cover variation in relation to climate fire and human activity in the songnen grasslands of northeastern china |
| topic | holocene pollen REVEALS (Regional Estimates of Vegetation Abundance from Large Sites) model 4.2 ka BP event EASM |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.1071273/full |
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