Effects of precipitation and temperature on net primary productivity and precipitation use efficiency across China’s grasslands

Abstract

Net primary production (NPP) is a crucial feature of ecosystem function and structure. Furthermore, precipitation use efficiency (PUE) is a critical indicator for exploring NPP in grassland ecosystem responses to variations in precipitation and temperature. In this study, we examined the spatial patterns of NPP and PUE in China’s grasslands from 2000 to 2010 and explored the effects of environmental factors on NPP and PUE at different scales. The results showed first that the spatial distribution of NPP and PUE decreased from the northeast to southwest. NPP increased in most places across China’s grasslands; however, there was no obvious change in PUE during 2000–2010. Second, in most regions across China’s grasslands, positive and negative correlations existed between precipitation and NPP and PUE, respectively. The spatial distribution of the relationship between temperature and NPP and PUE was consistent with the relationship between precipitation with NPP and PUE. Finally, for the gradients of the various environmental factors in different regional grassland ecosystems, on the Tibetan Plateau, there were unimodal correlations between precipitation with NPP and PUE and aridity with NPP and PUE, but a positive linear correlation existed for temperature with NPP and PUE. However, in the Inner Mongolian Plateau, there were positive correlations between precipitation and NPP, temperature and NPP, and aridity and both NPP and PUE and negative correlations between precipitations and PUE and temperature and PUE. Our findings improve understanding of grassland ecosystem responses to global climate change and provide a basis for the protection of grassland ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions.