Decreased species richness along bare patch gradient in the degradation of Kobresia pasture on the Tibetan Plateau
The Kobresia pasture in the Tibetan Plateau, as the world's largest and most unique pastoral alpine ecosystem, is undergoing severe degradation, visible in the formation of bare patches. Characteristics of bare patches in Kobresia pastures are regarded as indicators of the fragmentation and deg...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X23013377 |
| _version_ | 1797422624351977472 |
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| author | Rui Hua Guohui Ye Marta De Giuli Rui Zhou Daerhan Bao Limin Hua Yujie Niu |
| author_facet | Rui Hua Guohui Ye Marta De Giuli Rui Zhou Daerhan Bao Limin Hua Yujie Niu |
| author_sort | Rui Hua |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Kobresia pasture in the Tibetan Plateau, as the world's largest and most unique pastoral alpine ecosystem, is undergoing severe degradation, visible in the formation of bare patches. Characteristics of bare patches in Kobresia pastures are regarded as indicators of the fragmentation and degradation of the alpine landscapes. Here, we used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)-based low-elevation remote sensing to monitor 72 study sites in the eastern Tibetan Plateau for identifying the spatial patterns of bare patches of Kobresia pasture degradation on regional scale. We conducted field surveys of species composition, quantified fragmentation caused by bare patches using four landscape indices (patch area, total edge length, shape index and splitting index, representing the patch area, length of the edge, shape, and dispersion of the bare patches, respectively), then modeled the response of plant species richness and productivity at the scale of 50 × 50 m to the Kobresia pasture fragmentation process. Our results indicated that species richness and biomass production decreased significantly with each increasing bare patch index. The total edge length of bare patches increased the spatial turnover of plant species. Although bare patch area significantly decreased the species richness of plant communities, it led to a decrease in forb richness and an increase in grass richness along the degradation of Kobresia pastures. Bare patch areas, as the most easily accessible and highly accurate parameter by UAV-based low-elevation remote sensing, significantly related to the decrease in species richness and productivity, and mainly explained the changes in functional group composition. For assessing the ecological integrity of grassland functionality (plant species diversity and above-ground productivity), bare patch area can be used as an important indicator of Kobresia pasture degradation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T07:36:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-34fb56019f5a41c4b0678bc097ce2120 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T07:36:05Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj.art-34fb56019f5a41c4b0678bc097ce21202023-12-03T05:39:58ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2023-12-01157111195Decreased species richness along bare patch gradient in the degradation of Kobresia pasture on the Tibetan PlateauRui Hua0Guohui Ye1Marta De Giuli2Rui Zhou3Daerhan Bao4Limin Hua5Yujie Niu6College of Grassland Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Engineering and Technology Research Center for Alpine Rodent Pest Control of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Lanzhou 730070, China; Institute of Grassland Research of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biohazard Monitoring, Green Prevention and Control for Artificial Grassland, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 010010, ChinaCollege of Grassland Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Engineering and Technology Research Center for Alpine Rodent Pest Control of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaDepartment of Disturbance Ecology, BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth 95440, GermanyQinghai University of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine (Qinghai Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine), Xining, Qinghai Province 810016, ChinaCollege of Grassland Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Engineering and Technology Research Center for Alpine Rodent Pest Control of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaCollege of Grassland Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Engineering and Technology Research Center for Alpine Rodent Pest Control of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Lanzhou 730070, China; Corresponding authors at: College of Grassland Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Engineering and Technology Research Center for Alpine Rodent Pest Control of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Lanzhou 730070, China (Y. Niu).College of Grassland Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Engineering and Technology Research Center for Alpine Rodent Pest Control of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Lanzhou 730070, China; Department of Disturbance Ecology, BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth 95440, Germany; Corresponding authors at: College of Grassland Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Engineering and Technology Research Center for Alpine Rodent Pest Control of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Lanzhou 730070, China (Y. Niu).The Kobresia pasture in the Tibetan Plateau, as the world's largest and most unique pastoral alpine ecosystem, is undergoing severe degradation, visible in the formation of bare patches. Characteristics of bare patches in Kobresia pastures are regarded as indicators of the fragmentation and degradation of the alpine landscapes. Here, we used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)-based low-elevation remote sensing to monitor 72 study sites in the eastern Tibetan Plateau for identifying the spatial patterns of bare patches of Kobresia pasture degradation on regional scale. We conducted field surveys of species composition, quantified fragmentation caused by bare patches using four landscape indices (patch area, total edge length, shape index and splitting index, representing the patch area, length of the edge, shape, and dispersion of the bare patches, respectively), then modeled the response of plant species richness and productivity at the scale of 50 × 50 m to the Kobresia pasture fragmentation process. Our results indicated that species richness and biomass production decreased significantly with each increasing bare patch index. The total edge length of bare patches increased the spatial turnover of plant species. Although bare patch area significantly decreased the species richness of plant communities, it led to a decrease in forb richness and an increase in grass richness along the degradation of Kobresia pastures. Bare patch areas, as the most easily accessible and highly accurate parameter by UAV-based low-elevation remote sensing, significantly related to the decrease in species richness and productivity, and mainly explained the changes in functional group composition. For assessing the ecological integrity of grassland functionality (plant species diversity and above-ground productivity), bare patch area can be used as an important indicator of Kobresia pasture degradation.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X23013377Kobresia pastureEnvironmental heterogeneityFragmentationDegradationBare patchLow-elevation remote sensing |
| spellingShingle | Rui Hua Guohui Ye Marta De Giuli Rui Zhou Daerhan Bao Limin Hua Yujie Niu Decreased species richness along bare patch gradient in the degradation of Kobresia pasture on the Tibetan Plateau Ecological Indicators Kobresia pasture Environmental heterogeneity Fragmentation Degradation Bare patch Low-elevation remote sensing |
| title | Decreased species richness along bare patch gradient in the degradation of Kobresia pasture on the Tibetan Plateau |
| title_full | Decreased species richness along bare patch gradient in the degradation of Kobresia pasture on the Tibetan Plateau |
| title_fullStr | Decreased species richness along bare patch gradient in the degradation of Kobresia pasture on the Tibetan Plateau |
| title_full_unstemmed | Decreased species richness along bare patch gradient in the degradation of Kobresia pasture on the Tibetan Plateau |
| title_short | Decreased species richness along bare patch gradient in the degradation of Kobresia pasture on the Tibetan Plateau |
| title_sort | decreased species richness along bare patch gradient in the degradation of kobresia pasture on the tibetan plateau |
| topic | Kobresia pasture Environmental heterogeneity Fragmentation Degradation Bare patch Low-elevation remote sensing |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X23013377 |
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