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Aim <p>Temperature and water are critical drivers of alpine plant communities; however, uncertainties persist regarding their combined effects in alpine watersheds. This study investigated how hydrological conditions mediate the response of alpine plant communities to temperature changes at the watershed scale.</p> Methods <p>Six sampling sites were established along an elevation gradient (representing a temperature gradient from -1.9 °C to -0.6 °C) in the Niyaqu watershed. Each site comprised three vegetation types with distinct hydrological conditions: wetlands (water-sufficient and high hydrological connectivity), grasslands (water-deficient and low connectivity), and transitional zones (between wetlands and grasslands).</p> Results <p>In water-deficient grasslands, species richness followed a unimodal pattern, and coverage declined linearly with rising temperatures, whereas productivity remained stable. These asynchronized changes in coverage and productivity are ascribed to plant adaptation to water stress. Plant communities shifted from low and dense cushions to taller and sparser vegetation, while dominant species shifted from small and shallow-rooted forms to larger and deep-rooted ones. In contrast, riverine wetlands exhibited non-significant changes in community structure or productivity, presumably because their high hydrological connectivity promoted propagule dispersal and soil homogenisation. Moreover, temperature and associated soil properties strongly influenced plant community structure in grasslands and transitional zones (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.69 and 0.73 in SEM, respectively) but not in wetlands.</p> Conclusions <p>Our findings demonstrate that alpine plant communities respond to temperature-water gradients through ecosystem-specific adaptations, with water-deficient grasslands showing species shifts but stable productivity, while water-sufficient wetlands maintain structural stability. This highlights the critical importance of watershed-scale hydrological connectivity in modulating climate warming responses, which cannot be captured by site-level experiments alone.</p>

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Hydrological conditions lead to asynchronised responses of alpine plant communities to temperature changes at the watershed scale

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年6月17日

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  • Liyuan Ma,
  • Wencong Lv,
  • Jianqing Du,
  • Qiang Liu,
  • Yanbin Hao,
  • Zhe Pang,
  • Kui Wang,
  • Youqing Yang,
  • Zongsong Wang,
  • Haishan Niu,
  • Xiaoyong Cui,
  • Yanfen Wang

摘要

Aim

Temperature and water are critical drivers of alpine plant communities; however, uncertainties persist regarding their combined effects in alpine watersheds. This study investigated how hydrological conditions mediate the response of alpine plant communities to temperature changes at the watershed scale.

Methods

Six sampling sites were established along an elevation gradient (representing a temperature gradient from -1.9 °C to -0.6 °C) in the Niyaqu watershed. Each site comprised three vegetation types with distinct hydrological conditions: wetlands (water-sufficient and high hydrological connectivity), grasslands (water-deficient and low connectivity), and transitional zones (between wetlands and grasslands).

Results

In water-deficient grasslands, species richness followed a unimodal pattern, and coverage declined linearly with rising temperatures, whereas productivity remained stable. These asynchronized changes in coverage and productivity are ascribed to plant adaptation to water stress. Plant communities shifted from low and dense cushions to taller and sparser vegetation, while dominant species shifted from small and shallow-rooted forms to larger and deep-rooted ones. In contrast, riverine wetlands exhibited non-significant changes in community structure or productivity, presumably because their high hydrological connectivity promoted propagule dispersal and soil homogenisation. Moreover, temperature and associated soil properties strongly influenced plant community structure in grasslands and transitional zones (R2 = 0.69 and 0.73 in SEM, respectively) but not in wetlands.

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrate that alpine plant communities respond to temperature-water gradients through ecosystem-specific adaptations, with water-deficient grasslands showing species shifts but stable productivity, while water-sufficient wetlands maintain structural stability. This highlights the critical importance of watershed-scale hydrological connectivity in modulating climate warming responses, which cannot be captured by site-level experiments alone.