Abstract
To predict the consequences of environmental change on the biodiversity of alpine wetlands, it is necessary to understand the relationship between soil properties and vegetation biodiversity. In this study, we investigated spatial patterns of aboveground vegetation biomass, cover, species diversity, and their relationships with soil properties in the alpine wetlands of the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China. Furthermore, the relative contribution of soil properties to vegetation biomass, cover, and species diversity were compared using principal component analysis and multiple regression analysis. Generally, the relationship between plant biomass, coverage, diversity, and soil nutrients was linear or unimodal. Soil pH, bulk density and organic carbon were also significantly correlated to plant diversity. The soil attributes differed in their relative contribution to changes in plant productivity and diversity. pH had the highest contribution to vegetation biomass and species richness, while total nitrogen was the highest contributor to vegetation cover and nitrogen–phosphorus ratio (N:P) was the highest contributor to diversity. Both vegetation productivity and diversity were closely related to soil properties, and soil pH and the N:P ratio play particularly important roles in wetland vegetation biomass, cover, and diversity.
Highlights
We focused on: (1) identifying the spatial patterns of plant biomass, cover, species diversity, and soil nutrients of alpine wetlands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP); (2) determining the relationship between plant biomass, cover, species diversity, and soil nutrients; and (3) determining the relative contribution of soil nutrients to explain vegetation biomass, cover, and species diversity compared with soil bulk density (SBD), pH, and total soil organic carbon (SOC)
Lakes dominated by Potamogeton pectinatus (IV = 37.9%), Myriophyllum spicatum (IV = 33.4%), Blysmus sinocompressus (IV = 22.7%), Halerpestes cymbalaria (IV = 22.4%), Hydrilla verticillate (IV = 14.5%) were distributed in the middle of the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of (GTAP)
There were linear distribution patterns for total phosphorus (TP), TK, and N:P ratios, but not totaldetermined nitrogen (TN), based on longitudinal, latitudinal, and altitudinal dimensions (Figure 3a–d). Both TP and TK increased with longitude and latitude and decreased with altitude, with an opposite trend for the N:P ratio
Summary
Spatial changes in plant diversity are significantly influenced by environmental factors, including climate change, soil properties, and herbivory [2,3,4], while plant community development is dependent largely on the availability of soil nutrients [5]. The relationship between wetland plant diversity and nutrient availability is still a research focus for ecologists [6]. There are complex relationships among plant species richness, productivity, and nutrient supply. Wetlands with moderate productivity and standing crops frequently show higher plant richness and lower nutrient availability [7,8]. Many studies have shown that soil nutrients limit plant productivity and diversity in wetlands and other ecosystems [7,9,10,11]
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