Patterns of grassland community composition and structure along an elevational gradient on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Abstract

Abstract Aims Grasslands in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau play an important role in preserving ecological security and high biodiversity in this region. However, the distribution of the composition and structure of plant community and the mechanism by which it maintains itself in this region is still poorly understood. Methods Here, we designed 195 grassland plots in 39 grassland sites along an approximately 1700-m elevation gradient on the Northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Important findings We found that the grassland community height decreased significantly with the increase of elevation, while community coverage did not demonstrate significant changes. With the increase of elevation, the plant species richness (α diversity) increased significantly, but the community variability (β diversity) decreased significantly. The constrained clustering analysis suggested that the α- and β-diversity in the grasslands transformed gradually with elevation, and three discontinuous points (based on community structure) were observed at elevation of 3640, 4252 and 4333 m. Structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that the increase of precipitation and the decrease of temperature significantly positively influenced α diversity, which was negatively correlated with β diversity. These results demonstrate that the community composition and structure presented a quantitative-to-qualitative change along this elevational gradient on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.