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Background and aims <p>Climate change is reshaping plant growth dynamics, particularly in cold regions experiencing intensified warming and increased precipitation. However, due to limited long-term field evidence, how climatic drivers regulate species-specific growth patterns and thereby influence community growth and biomass production remains poorly understood.</p> Methods <p>Here, based on a 24-year field experiment in alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, we systematically analyzed the shifts in plant phenology, growth rates, and biomass trajectories under long-term warming and increased precipitation. We further examined how climate-driven changes in plant growth influenced biomass dynamics at both species and community levels.</p> Results <p>Our results showed that sustained warming and increased precipitation significantly enhanced plant growth rates, while the start of the growth period remained unchanged. In contrast, the end of the growth period varied markedly among the six observed species. Growth-rate responses were strongly species dependent. <i>K. humilis</i> and <i>A. laxmannii</i> exhibited significantly accelerated growth and increased biomass, largely influenced by increased precipitation under warming. Other species showed weaker or contrasting biomass responses, leading to directional shifts in relative species abundance and dominance structure. Collectively, species-level growth acceleration and compositional shifts enhanced overall community growth and biomass production.</p> Conclusion <p>Our findings provide long-term in situ evidence that biomass enhancement in alpine meadow under warming and increased precipitation is primarily regulated by species-dependent growth rate responses and associated compositional shifts, rather than by changes in spring phenology. This highlights the importance of integrating species-level growth processes and community reorganization to improve future predictions of grassland productivity.</p>

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Species-dependent growth rates regulate community biomass under long-term warming and wetting in alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月7日

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  • Mingming Shi,
  • Cuicui Mu,
  • Bingrong Zhou,
  • Xiaodong Li,
  • Yunqiao Ma,
  • Mei Mu,
  • Jinyue Song,
  • Xinlong Du,
  • Huakun Zhou

摘要

Background and aims

Climate change is reshaping plant growth dynamics, particularly in cold regions experiencing intensified warming and increased precipitation. However, due to limited long-term field evidence, how climatic drivers regulate species-specific growth patterns and thereby influence community growth and biomass production remains poorly understood.

Methods

Here, based on a 24-year field experiment in alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, we systematically analyzed the shifts in plant phenology, growth rates, and biomass trajectories under long-term warming and increased precipitation. We further examined how climate-driven changes in plant growth influenced biomass dynamics at both species and community levels.

Results

Our results showed that sustained warming and increased precipitation significantly enhanced plant growth rates, while the start of the growth period remained unchanged. In contrast, the end of the growth period varied markedly among the six observed species. Growth-rate responses were strongly species dependent. K. humilis and A. laxmannii exhibited significantly accelerated growth and increased biomass, largely influenced by increased precipitation under warming. Other species showed weaker or contrasting biomass responses, leading to directional shifts in relative species abundance and dominance structure. Collectively, species-level growth acceleration and compositional shifts enhanced overall community growth and biomass production.

Conclusion

Our findings provide long-term in situ evidence that biomass enhancement in alpine meadow under warming and increased precipitation is primarily regulated by species-dependent growth rate responses and associated compositional shifts, rather than by changes in spring phenology. This highlights the importance of integrating species-level growth processes and community reorganization to improve future predictions of grassland productivity.