Plant diversity changes at the southeastern Tibetan Plateau during the last 21 ka and its drivers

• Applicant: Dr. Stefan Kruse
• Subject Area: Palaeontology ; Ecology and Biodiversity of Plants and Ecosystems
• Term: from 2019 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 410561986

• Final Report Year: 2024

Final Report Abstract

There are many different plant species on the Tibetan Plateau. This plant diversity is threatened by various factors, such as climate change, natural disturbances and human land use. In order to develop effective conservation strategies, we need to understand which factors are responsible for plant diversity. To do this, we have chosen a palaeoecological approach. We focussed on the Late Glacial and Holocene periods, as there were major changes in climate and vegetation during this time. We have collected additional samples from important sites on the Tibetan Plateau. We want to learn more about the relationship between plant diversity and other environmental factors. We have also collected data from the eastern Tibetan Plateau and surrounding areas. We have analyzed which plants used to grow in these places from pollen analyses and ancient DNA from the lake sediments. This was compared to climate changes in the past and we looked at natural disturbances and changes in land use. With this we support the identification of the factors that influence plant diversity the most. If these factors become too strong, it can lead to large and potentially irreversible losses of biodiversity. Our research shows how plant diversity on the Tibetan Plateau is changing in the long term. We want to sensitize more people to the importance of preserving the existing unique ecosystems. To do this, we also need to understand the threats it faces so that we contribute to a broader dialogue about conservation efforts. We hope that our research can be helpful for policymakers and conservationists to approach the answer for the question of how best to protect plant diversity in Tibet.

Publications

• Abrupt mid-Holocene decline in the Indian Summer Monsoon caused by tropical Indian Ocean cooling. Climate Dynamics, 55(7-8), 1961-1977.
  Wang, Yongbo; Shen, Ji; Wang, Yong; Liu, Xingqi; Cao, Xianyong & Herzschuh, Ulrike
  
• Increasing human activities during the past 2,100 years in southwest China inferred from a fossil pollen record. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 30(4), 477-488.
  Xie, Ying; Wang, Yongbo; Liu, Xingqi; Shen, Ji & Wang, Yong
  
• Influence of plant coverage and environmental variables on pollen productivities: evidence from northern China. Frontiers of Earth Science, 14(4), 789-802.
  Zhang, Kaixiu; Qin, Wen; Tian, Fang; Cao, Xianyong; Li, Yuecong; Xiao, Jule; Ding, Wei; Herzschuh, Ulrike & Xu, Qinghai
  
• Plant diversity in sedimentary DNA obtained from high-latitude (Siberia) and high-elevation lakes (China). Biodiversity Data Journal, 8.
  Stoof-Leichsenring, Kathleen; Liu, Sisi; Jia, Weihan; Li, Kai; Pestryakova, Luidmila; Mischke, Steffen; Cao, Xianyong; Liu, Xingqi; Ni, Jian; Neuhaus, Stefan & Herzschuh, Ulrike
  
• Representation of modern pollen assemblage to vertical variations of vegetation and climate in the Yadong area, eastern Himalaya. Quaternary International, 536, 45-51.
  Zhang, Ran; Tian, Fang; Xu, Qinghai; Zhou, Xu; Liu, Xingqi & Cao, Xianyong
  
• Spatial homogenization of soil-surface pollen assemblages improves the reliability of pollen-climate calibration-set. Science China Earth Sciences, 63(11), 1758-1766.
  Tian, Fang; Cao, Xianyong; Zhang, Ran; Xu, Qinghai; Ding, Wei; Liu, Xingqi; Pan, Baolin & Chen, Jianhui
  
• Climate and human induced 2000-year vegetation diversity change in Yunnan, southwestern China. The Holocene, 32(11), 1327-1339.
  Wang, Yongbo; Xie, Ying; Liu, Xingqi; Shen, Ji; Wang, Yong & Li, Zhen
  
• Late Holocene climate variation on the northern Tibetan Plateau inferred from Lake Ayakum. CATENA, 207, 105599.
  Wang, Yongbo; Liu, Xingqi; Han, Li; Ni, Zhenyu; Ma, Xuezhi; Wei, Yaru & Li, Zhen
  
• Plant sedimentary DNA as a proxy for vegetation reconstruction in eastern and northern Asia. Ecological Indicators, 132, 108303.
  Li, Kai; Stoof-Leichsenring, Kathleen R.; Liu, Sisi; Jia, Weihan; Liao, Mengna; Liu, Xingqi; Ni, Jian & Herzschuh, Ulrike
  
• Pollen-based mapping of Holocene vegetation on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in response to climate change. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 573, 110412.
  Li, Zhen; Wang, Yongbo; Herzschuh, Ulrike; Cao, Xianyong; Ni, Jian & Zhao, Yan
  
• Preservation of sedimentary plant DNA is related to lake water chemistry. Environmental DNA, 4(2), 425-439.
  Jia, Weihan; Liu, Xingqi; Stoof‐Leichsenring, Kathleen R.; Liu, Sisi; Li, Kai & Herzschuh, Ulrike
  
• Sedimentary ancient DNA reveals a threat of warming-induced alpine habitat loss to Tibetan Plateau plant diversity. Nature Communications, 12(1).
  Liu, Sisi; Kruse, Stefan; Scherler, Dirk; Ree, Richard H.; Zimmermann, Heike H.; Stoof-Leichsenring, Kathleen R.; Epp, Laura S.; Mischke, Steffen & Herzschuh, Ulrike
  
• Historic Earthquakes for the Xianshuihe Fault Derived From Lake Mugeco in the Southeastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau During the Past 300 Years. Frontiers in Earth Science, 10.
  Liu, Liyuan; Yang, Jingxuan; Liu, Xingqi; Mao, Xin & Qin, Rong
  
• Holocene variation in the Indian Summer Monsoon modulated by the tropical Indian Ocean sea-surface temperature mode. CATENA, 215, 106302.
  Cui, Kai; Wang, Yongbo; Liu, Xingqi; Shen, Ji & Wang, Yong
  
• Pollen-based biome reconstruction on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau during the past 15,000 years. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 604, 111190.
  Li, Zhen; Wang, Yongbo; Herzschuh, Ulrike; Cao, Xianyong; Ni, Jian & Zhao, Yan
  
• Sedimentary ancient DNA reveals past ecosystem and biodiversity changes on the Tibetan Plateau: Overview and prospects. Quaternary Science Reviews, 293, 107703.
  Jia, Weihan; Anslan, Sten; Chen, Fahu; Cao, Xianyong; Dong, Hailiang; Dulias, Katharina; Gu, Zhengquan; Heinecke, Liv; Jiang, Hongchen; Kruse, Stefan; Kang, Wengang; Li, Kai; Liu, Sisi; Liu, Xingqi; Liu, Ying; Ni, Jian; Schwalb, Antje; Stoof-Leichsenring, Kathleen R.; Shen, Wei ... & Herzschuh, Ulrike
  
• Centennial-scale variability of the Indian Summer Monsoon during the middle to late Holocene and its links with ENSO activity. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 612, 111380.
  Sun, Huanyu; Liu, Xingqi; Mao, Xin; Jia, Weihan & Herzschuh, Ulrike
  
• Species Migration Along River Corridor (SMARC) Model. Zenodo.
  Kruse, S., Shen, W. & Herzschuh, U.
  
• Tibetan terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems collapsed with cryosphere loss inferred from sedimentary ancient metagenomics. Science Advances, 10(21).
  Liu, Sisi; Stoof-Leichsenring, Kathleen R.; Harms, Lars; Schulte, Luise; Mischke, Steffen; Kruse, Stefan; Zhang, Chengjun & Herzschuh, Ulrike