Forums | HES 健康与环境科学

05 May 2023, 3:41 PM

Speaker: Ziao Liu (PhD student)

Date: 2023-5-10
Time:13:00-13:30pm
Room: ES354

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Meeting ID: 307-1339-4734

Title: Linking soil ecological functions to grassland degradation and restoration on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Abstract: The rapid and large-scale degradation of Tibetan alpine meadows has severe ecological and socio-economic implications. While much research has been conducted on the topic, the mechanisms of degradation vary across different scales, and few studies have focused on the effects of spatial heterogeneity on a small scale at which herbivore-plant-soil interactions take place. Furthermore, different size and spatial arrangement of bare-soil patches can be related to low to high water and temperature stresses imposed to Kobresia sedges at the soil-plant interface. This study aimed to investigate the effects of bare-soil patch size and configuration on soil properties, microbial community composition, and functions during the formation of bare-soil patches during the degradation of Tibetan alpine meadows. We collected soil samples from six different levels of bare-soil coverage, ranging from 0% to >80%, and each soil core sample was divided into three parts: 0-5cm, 5-10cm, and 10-20cm. The spatial configuration of bare-soil patches was extracted from georeferenced ortho-images  of 1 x 1 meter. We analyzed physical and chemical properties of all soil samples, and conducted metagenomics sequencing to detect microbial community compositions. We find that both size and spatial configuration of bare-soil patches have significant influence on soil properties and microbe communities. Overall, our study provides a new perspective to understand the underlying mechanism of grassland degradation which is related to spatial patterns of bare-soil patches. It highlights the importance of using the size and spatial configuration of bare-soil patches to identify early-warning signals of Tibetan alpine meadow degradation.