Divergent changes in the elevational gradient of vegetation activities over the last 30 years

Mengdi Gao; Shilong Piao; Anping Chen; Hui Yang; Qiang Liu; Yongshuo H Fu; Ivan A Janssens

doi:10.1038/s41467-019-11035-w

Divergent changes in the elevational gradient of vegetation activities over the last 30 years

Nat Commun. 2019 Jul 5;10(1):2970. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-11035-w.

Authors

Mengdi Gao¹, Shilong Piao^{2

3}, Anping Chen⁴, Hui Yang¹, Qiang Liu¹, Yongshuo H Fu^{5

6}, Ivan A Janssens⁶

Affiliations

¹ Sino- French Institute for Earth System Science, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, 100871, Beijing, China.
² Sino- French Institute for Earth System Science, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, 100871, Beijing, China. slpiao@pku.edu.cn.
³ Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Center for Excellence in Tibetan Earth Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100085, Beijing, China. slpiao@pku.edu.cn.
⁴ Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA.
⁵ College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
⁶ Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium.

Abstract

The reported progressive change of vegetation activity along elevational gradients has important aesthetic and conservation values. With climate change, cooler locations are suggested to warm faster than warmer ones, raising concerns of a more homogenized landscape along the elevation. Here, we use global satellite data to investigate the spatio-temporal dynamics of the elevational gradient (EG) in vegetation greenness (NDVI_max3), spring (SOS) and autumn phenology (EOS) during 1982-2015. Although we find clear geographical patterns of the EG in NDVI_max3 and SOS, there are no prevalent trends of vegetation homogenization or phenology synchronization along elevational gradients. Possible mechanisms, including spatially heterogeneous temperature lapse rate changes, different vegetation sensitivities to climate change, and human disturbances, may play diverse roles across different regions. Our finding of mixed EG trends and no general rules controlling EG dynamics poses challenges for mitigating possible adverse impacts of climate change on mountainous biological diversity and ecosystem services.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Biodiversity*
Climate Change
Plant Development*
Plant Dispersal*
Satellite Imagery
Seasons
Spatio-Temporal Analysis*
Temperature