Warming, permafrost thaw and increased nitrogen availability as drivers for plant composition and growth across the Tibetan Plateau

Hanbo Yun, Qing Zhu, Jing Tang, Wenxin Zhang, Deliang Chen, Philippe Ciais, Qingbai Wu, Bo Elberling*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

Permafrost-affected ecosystems are subject to warming and thawing, which can increase the availability of subsurface nitrogen (N) with consequences in otherwise N-limited tundra and alpine vegetation. Here, we quantify the extent of warming and permafrost thawing and the corresponding effects on nitrogen availability and plant growth based on a 20-year survey across 14 sites on the Tibetan Plateau. The survey showed that most sites have been subject to warming and thawing and that the upper permafrost zone across all sites was rich in inorganic N, mainly as ammonium. We further explore the efficiency of plants to utilize 15N-labelled inorganic N over five years following 15N addition at the permafrost table far below the main root zone. The 15N experiment showed that deep-rooted plant species were able to utilize the labelled N. A SEM model suggests that changes in vegetation can be explained by both active layer warming and permafrost thawing and the associated changes in inorganic nitrogen availability. Our results highlight a feedback mechanism of climate warming, in which released plant-available N may favour deep-rooted plants. This can explain important changes in plant composition and growth across the sites on the Tibetan Plateau.

Original languageEnglish
Article number109041
JournalSoil Biology and Biochemistry
Volume182
Number of pages9
ISSN0038-0717
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Bibliographical note

CENPERMOA[2023]

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023

Keywords

  • Climate warming
  • Nitrogen
  • Permafrost thawing
  • Tibetan plateau

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