Food Nitrogen Footprint Increased by 35% on the Third Pole During 1998-2018.

The N footprint is considered as an indicator of potential environmental damage from N. Quantitative analysis of N footprint distribution, sources and drivers can help mitigate its negative impacts and promote sustainable N management. In this study, we constructed a city-scale food N footprint (FNF) framework for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) using a N mass balance approach.

Plant colonization mediates the microbial community dynamics in glacier forelands of the Tibetan Plateau.

It has long been recognized that pH mediates community structure changes in glacier foreland soils. Here, we showed that pH changes resulted from plant colonization. Plant colonization reduced pH and increased soil organic carbon, which increased bacterial diversity, changed the community structure of both bacteria and fungi, enhanced environmental filtering, and improved microbial network disturbance resistance.

Community species diversity mediates the trade-off between aboveground and belowground biomass for grasses and forbs in degraded alpine meadow, Tibetan Plateau.

Although many empirical experiments have shown that increasing degradation results in lower aboveground biomass (AGB), our knowledge of the magnitude of belowground biomass (BGB) for individual plants is a prerequisite for accurately revealing the biomass trade-off in degraded grasslands. Here, by linking the AGB and BGB of individual plants, species in the community, and soil properties, we explored the biomass partitioning patterns in different plant functional groups (grasses of and forbs of ). Our results indicated that 81% and 60% of the biomass trade-off variations could be explained by environmental factors affecting grasses and forbs, respectively.

Cushion plants as critical pioneers and engineers in alpine ecosystems across the Tibetan Plateau.

Cushion plants are widely representative species in the alpine ecosystem due to their vital roles in influencing abiotic and biotic environments, ecological succession processes, and ecosystem engineering. Importantly, cushion plants, such as L. and L.

Don't judge toxic weeds on whether they are native but on their ecological effects.

The sharp rise in anthropogenic activities and climate change has caused the extensive degradation of grasslands worldwide, jeopardizing ecosystem function, and threatening human well-being. Toxic weeds have been constantly spreading in recent decades; indeed, their occurrence is considered to provide an early sign of land degeneration. Policymakers and scientific researchers often focus on the negative effects of toxic weeds, such as how they inhibit forage growth, kill livestock, and cause economic losses.

Improvement of the Irrigation Scheme in the ORCHIDEE Land Surface Model and Impacts of Irrigation on Regional Water Budgets Over China.

In China, irrigation is widespread in 40.7% cropland to sustain crop yields. By its action on water cycle, irrigation affects water resources and local climate.

Potential distribution of Ting ex H. T. Chang and its predicted responses to climate change based on a comprehensive habitat suitability model.

Ting ex H. T. Chang is a rare and endangered traditional Chinese medicinal plant.

diversity on the Tibetan Plateau measured by DNA taxonomy.

on the Tibetan Plateau has been little studied, and information on species diversity and biogeography is lacking. Here, we conducted a 4-year survey using the barcoding fragment of the mitochondrial COI gene to determine the distribution and diversity of species found across the Plateau. Our results show that species richness is higher than previously thought, with total described and provisional species number doubling from 5 to 10.

Diagnosing phosphorus limitations in natural terrestrial ecosystems in carbon cycle models.

Most of the Earth System Models (ESMs) project increases in net primary productivity (NPP) and terrestrial carbon (C) storage during the 21st century. Despite empirical evidence that limited availability of phosphorus (P) may limit the response of NPP to increasing atmospheric CO, none of the ESMs used in the previous Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment accounted for P limitation. We diagnosed from ESM simulations the amount of P need to support increases in carbon uptake by natural ecosystems using two approaches: the demand derived from (1) changes in C stocks and (2) changes in NPP.