Sedimentary ancient DNA reveals a threat of warming-induced alpine habitat loss 
to Tibetan Plateau plant diversity

Liu, Sisi; Kruse, Stefan; Scherler, Dirk; Ree, Richard H.; Zimmermann, Heike H.; Stoof-Leichsenring, Kathleen R.; Epp, Laura S.; Mischke, Steffen; Herzschuh, Ulrike

doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22986-4

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Sedimentary ancient DNA reveals a threat of warming-induced alpine habitat loss to Tibetan Plateau plant diversity

Authors

Liu, Sisi
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Kruse, Stefan
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Scherler, Dirk
3.3 Earth Surface Geochemistry, 3.0 Geochemistry, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

Ree, Richard H.
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Zimmermann, Heike H.
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Stoof-Leichsenring, Kathleen R.
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Epp, Laura S.
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Mischke, Steffen
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Herzschuh, Ulrike
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Citation

Liu, S., Kruse, S., Scherler, D., Ree, R. H., Zimmermann, H. H., Stoof-Leichsenring, K. R., Epp, L. S., Mischke, S., Herzschuh, U. (2021): Sedimentary ancient DNA reveals a threat of warming-induced alpine habitat loss to Tibetan Plateau plant diversity. - Nature Communications, 12, 2995.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22986-4

Cite as: https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_5007281

Abstract

Studies along elevational gradients worldwide usually find the highest plant taxa richness in mid-elevation forest belts. Hence, an increase in upper elevation diversity is expected in the course of warming-related treeline rise. Here, we use a time-series approach to infer past taxa richness from sedimentary ancient DNA from the south-eastern Tibetan Plateau over the last ~18,000 years. We find the highest total plant taxa richness during the cool phase after glacier retreat when the area contained extensive and diverse alpine habitats (14–10 ka); followed by a decline when forests expanded during the warm early- to mid-Holocene (10–3.6 ka). Livestock grazing since 3.6 ka promoted plant taxa richness only weakly. Based on these inferred dependencies, our simulation yields a substantive decrease in plant taxa richness in response to warming-related alpine habitat loss over the next centuries. Accordingly, efforts of Tibetan biodiversity conservation should include conclusions from palaeoecological evidence.