The Kobresia pygmaea ecosystem of the Tibetan highlands – Origin, functioning and degradation of the world's largest pastoral alpine ecosystem: Kobresia pastures of Tibet

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Authors

  • Georg Miehe
  • Per Marten Schleuss
  • Elke Seeber
  • Wolfgang Babel
  • Tobias Biermann
  • Martin Braendle
  • Fahu Chen
  • Heinz Coners
  • Thomas Foken
  • Tobias Gerken
  • Hans-F. Graf
  • Georg Guggenberger
  • Silke Hafner
  • Maika Holzapfel
  • Johannes Ingrisch
  • Yakov Kuzyakov
  • Zhongping Lai
  • Lukas Lehnert
  • Christoph Leuschner
  • Xiaogang Li
  • Jianquan Liu
  • Shibin Liu
  • Yaoming Ma
  • Sabine Miehe
  • Volker Mosbrugger
  • Henry J. Noltie
  • Joachim Schmidt
  • Sandra Spielvogel
  • Sebastian Unteregelsbacher
  • Yun Wang
  • Sandra Willinghöfer
  • Xingliang Xu
  • Yongping Yang
  • Shuren Zhang
  • Lars Opgenoorth
  • Karsten Wesche

External Research Organisations

  • Philipps-Universität Marburg
  • University of Bayreuth
  • University of Greifswald
  • Lund University
  • Lanzhou University
  • University of Göttingen
  • Montana State University
  • University of Cambridge
  • State Museum of Natural History Görlitz
  • University of Innsbruck
  • Kazan Volga Region Federal University
  • China University of Geosciences
  • Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
  • Senckenberg Research
  • Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
  • University of Rostock
  • Kiel University
  • Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
  • Technische Universität Dresden
  • German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
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Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)754-771
Number of pages18
JournalScience of the Total Environment
Volume648
Publication statusPublished - 15 Jan 2019

Abstract

With 450,000 km2 Kobresia (syn. Carex) pygmaea dominated pastures in the eastern Tibetan highlands are the world's largest pastoral alpine ecosystem forming a durable turf cover at 3000–6000 m a.s.l. Kobresia's resilience and competitiveness is based on dwarf habit, predominantly below-ground allocation of photo assimilates, mixture of seed production and clonal growth, and high genetic diversity. Kobresia growth is co-limited by livestock-mediated nutrient withdrawal and, in the drier parts of the plateau, low rainfall during the short and cold growing season. Overstocking has caused pasture degradation and soil deterioration over most parts of the Tibetan highlands and is the basis for this man-made ecosystem. Natural autocyclic processes of turf destruction and soil erosion are initiated through polygonal turf cover cracking, and accelerated by soil-dwelling endemic small mammals in the absence of predators. The major consequences of vegetation cover deterioration include the release of large amounts of C, earlier diurnal formation of clouds, and decreased surface temperatures. These effects decrease the recovery potential of Kobresia pastures and make them more vulnerable to anthropogenic pressure and climate change. Traditional migratory rangeland management was sustainable over millennia, and possibly still offers the best strategy to conserve and possibly increase C stocks in the Kobresia turf.

Keywords

    Alpine meadow, Alpine plant ecology, Carbon cycle and sequestration, Carex parvula, Grazing ecology, Hydrological cycle, Nutrient cycles, Paleo-environment, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Rangeland management

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Sustainable Development Goals

Cite this

The Kobresia pygmaea ecosystem of the Tibetan highlands – Origin, functioning and degradation of the world's largest pastoral alpine ecosystem: Kobresia pastures of Tibet. / Miehe, Georg; Schleuss, Per Marten; Seeber, Elke et al.
In: Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 648, 15.01.2019, p. 754-771.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Miehe, G, Schleuss, PM, Seeber, E, Babel, W, Biermann, T, Braendle, M, Chen, F, Coners, H, Foken, T, Gerken, T, Graf, H-F, Guggenberger, G, Hafner, S, Holzapfel, M, Ingrisch, J, Kuzyakov, Y, Lai, Z, Lehnert, L, Leuschner, C, Li, X, Liu, J, Liu, S, Ma, Y, Miehe, S, Mosbrugger, V, Noltie, HJ, Schmidt, J, Spielvogel, S, Unteregelsbacher, S, Wang, Y, Willinghöfer, S, Xu, X, Yang, Y, Zhang, S, Opgenoorth, L & Wesche, K 2019, 'The Kobresia pygmaea ecosystem of the Tibetan highlands – Origin, functioning and degradation of the world's largest pastoral alpine ecosystem: Kobresia pastures of Tibet', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 648, pp. 754-771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.164
Miehe, G., Schleuss, P. M., Seeber, E., Babel, W., Biermann, T., Braendle, M., Chen, F., Coners, H., Foken, T., Gerken, T., Graf, H.-F., Guggenberger, G., Hafner, S., Holzapfel, M., Ingrisch, J., Kuzyakov, Y., Lai, Z., Lehnert, L., Leuschner, C., ... Wesche, K. (2019). The Kobresia pygmaea ecosystem of the Tibetan highlands – Origin, functioning and degradation of the world's largest pastoral alpine ecosystem: Kobresia pastures of Tibet. Science of the Total Environment, 648, 754-771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.164
Miehe G, Schleuss PM, Seeber E, Babel W, Biermann T, Braendle M et al. The Kobresia pygmaea ecosystem of the Tibetan highlands – Origin, functioning and degradation of the world's largest pastoral alpine ecosystem: Kobresia pastures of Tibet. Science of the Total Environment. 2019 Jan 15;648:754-771. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.164
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abstract = "With 450,000 km2 Kobresia (syn. Carex) pygmaea dominated pastures in the eastern Tibetan highlands are the world's largest pastoral alpine ecosystem forming a durable turf cover at 3000–6000 m a.s.l. Kobresia's resilience and competitiveness is based on dwarf habit, predominantly below-ground allocation of photo assimilates, mixture of seed production and clonal growth, and high genetic diversity. Kobresia growth is co-limited by livestock-mediated nutrient withdrawal and, in the drier parts of the plateau, low rainfall during the short and cold growing season. Overstocking has caused pasture degradation and soil deterioration over most parts of the Tibetan highlands and is the basis for this man-made ecosystem. Natural autocyclic processes of turf destruction and soil erosion are initiated through polygonal turf cover cracking, and accelerated by soil-dwelling endemic small mammals in the absence of predators. The major consequences of vegetation cover deterioration include the release of large amounts of C, earlier diurnal formation of clouds, and decreased surface temperatures. These effects decrease the recovery potential of Kobresia pastures and make them more vulnerable to anthropogenic pressure and climate change. Traditional migratory rangeland management was sustainable over millennia, and possibly still offers the best strategy to conserve and possibly increase C stocks in the Kobresia turf.",
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author = "Georg Miehe and Schleuss, {Per Marten} and Elke Seeber and Wolfgang Babel and Tobias Biermann and Martin Braendle and Fahu Chen and Heinz Coners and Thomas Foken and Tobias Gerken and Hans-F. Graf and Georg Guggenberger and Silke Hafner and Maika Holzapfel and Johannes Ingrisch and Yakov Kuzyakov and Zhongping Lai and Lukas Lehnert and Christoph Leuschner and Xiaogang Li and Jianquan Liu and Shibin Liu and Yaoming Ma and Sabine Miehe and Volker Mosbrugger and Noltie, {Henry J.} and Joachim Schmidt and Sandra Spielvogel and Sebastian Unteregelsbacher and Yun Wang and Sandra Willingh{\"o}fer and Xingliang Xu and Yongping Yang and Shuren Zhang and Lars Opgenoorth and Karsten Wesche",
note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by the German Research Foundation [DFG SPP 1372 ]; Volkswagen Foundation [Marburg – Lhasa University Partnership Program]; the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research [BMBF-CAME framework]; the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China [ 2010DFA34610 , International Collaboration 111 Projects of China].",
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TY - JOUR

T1 - The Kobresia pygmaea ecosystem of the Tibetan highlands – Origin, functioning and degradation of the world's largest pastoral alpine ecosystem

T2 - Kobresia pastures of Tibet

AU - Miehe, Georg

AU - Schleuss, Per Marten

AU - Seeber, Elke

AU - Babel, Wolfgang

AU - Biermann, Tobias

AU - Braendle, Martin

AU - Chen, Fahu

AU - Coners, Heinz

AU - Foken, Thomas

AU - Gerken, Tobias

AU - Graf, Hans-F.

AU - Guggenberger, Georg

AU - Hafner, Silke

AU - Holzapfel, Maika

AU - Ingrisch, Johannes

AU - Kuzyakov, Yakov

AU - Lai, Zhongping

AU - Lehnert, Lukas

AU - Leuschner, Christoph

AU - Li, Xiaogang

AU - Liu, Jianquan

AU - Liu, Shibin

AU - Ma, Yaoming

AU - Miehe, Sabine

AU - Mosbrugger, Volker

AU - Noltie, Henry J.

AU - Schmidt, Joachim

AU - Spielvogel, Sandra

AU - Unteregelsbacher, Sebastian

AU - Wang, Yun

AU - Willinghöfer, Sandra

AU - Xu, Xingliang

AU - Yang, Yongping

AU - Zhang, Shuren

AU - Opgenoorth, Lars

AU - Wesche, Karsten

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by the German Research Foundation [DFG SPP 1372 ]; Volkswagen Foundation [Marburg – Lhasa University Partnership Program]; the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research [BMBF-CAME framework]; the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China [ 2010DFA34610 , International Collaboration 111 Projects of China].

PY - 2019/1/15

Y1 - 2019/1/15

N2 - With 450,000 km2 Kobresia (syn. Carex) pygmaea dominated pastures in the eastern Tibetan highlands are the world's largest pastoral alpine ecosystem forming a durable turf cover at 3000–6000 m a.s.l. Kobresia's resilience and competitiveness is based on dwarf habit, predominantly below-ground allocation of photo assimilates, mixture of seed production and clonal growth, and high genetic diversity. Kobresia growth is co-limited by livestock-mediated nutrient withdrawal and, in the drier parts of the plateau, low rainfall during the short and cold growing season. Overstocking has caused pasture degradation and soil deterioration over most parts of the Tibetan highlands and is the basis for this man-made ecosystem. Natural autocyclic processes of turf destruction and soil erosion are initiated through polygonal turf cover cracking, and accelerated by soil-dwelling endemic small mammals in the absence of predators. The major consequences of vegetation cover deterioration include the release of large amounts of C, earlier diurnal formation of clouds, and decreased surface temperatures. These effects decrease the recovery potential of Kobresia pastures and make them more vulnerable to anthropogenic pressure and climate change. Traditional migratory rangeland management was sustainable over millennia, and possibly still offers the best strategy to conserve and possibly increase C stocks in the Kobresia turf.

AB - With 450,000 km2 Kobresia (syn. Carex) pygmaea dominated pastures in the eastern Tibetan highlands are the world's largest pastoral alpine ecosystem forming a durable turf cover at 3000–6000 m a.s.l. Kobresia's resilience and competitiveness is based on dwarf habit, predominantly below-ground allocation of photo assimilates, mixture of seed production and clonal growth, and high genetic diversity. Kobresia growth is co-limited by livestock-mediated nutrient withdrawal and, in the drier parts of the plateau, low rainfall during the short and cold growing season. Overstocking has caused pasture degradation and soil deterioration over most parts of the Tibetan highlands and is the basis for this man-made ecosystem. Natural autocyclic processes of turf destruction and soil erosion are initiated through polygonal turf cover cracking, and accelerated by soil-dwelling endemic small mammals in the absence of predators. The major consequences of vegetation cover deterioration include the release of large amounts of C, earlier diurnal formation of clouds, and decreased surface temperatures. These effects decrease the recovery potential of Kobresia pastures and make them more vulnerable to anthropogenic pressure and climate change. Traditional migratory rangeland management was sustainable over millennia, and possibly still offers the best strategy to conserve and possibly increase C stocks in the Kobresia turf.

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KW - Alpine plant ecology

KW - Carbon cycle and sequestration

KW - Carex parvula

KW - Grazing ecology

KW - Hydrological cycle

KW - Nutrient cycles

KW - Paleo-environment

KW - Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

KW - Rangeland management

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VL - 648

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JO - Science of the Total Environment

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ER -

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