ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Effects of Climate and Landscape Diversity on Plant Diversity in the Grasslands of the Qilian Mountains National Park, China
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Lixin Fan 1,2
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1
Xining Natural Resources Comprehensive Survey Center, China Geological Survey, No. 2, Fengqing Road, Chengzhong District, Xining City, Qinghai Province, China
 
2
Observation Station of Subalpine Ecology Systems in the middle Qilian Mountains, Dehelong Village, Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, Zhangye City, Gansu Province, China
 
3
College of Grassland Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, No. 456, Jiayuguan Road, Chengguan District, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, China
 
 
Submission date: 2025-01-13
 
 
Final revision date: 2025-04-11
 
 
Acceptance date: 2025-08-03
 
 
Online publication date: 2026-01-29
 
 
Corresponding author
Wanqiang Qi   

Xining Natural Resources Comprehensive Survey Center, China Geological Survey, No. 2, Fengqing Road, Chengzhong District, Xining City, Qinghai Province, China
 
 
 
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ABSTRACT
The Qilian Mountains National Park is a crucial ecological barrier and pastoral region in China, rich in biodiversity but ecologically fragile and highly sensitive to climate change and human activities. This study examines grassland plant communities across the plateau’s latitudinal and longitudinal zones, focusing on species, functional diversity, and aboveground biomass. We calculated multi-year averages, trends, and variation coefficients for climate factors (temperature and precipitation) at each site, along with the landscape diversity index. Key findings include: (1) A warming and drying trend in southern Qilian Mountains National Park, with significant precipitation variation at wetland meadows; (2) Plant height and leaf cover respond similarly to climate factors and landscape diversity, with plant height being more sensitive; (3) Higher climate variability correlates with lower functional diversity and smaller plant size, suggesting that environmental instability reduces diversity; (4) Landscape diversity is positively correlated with species diversity and biomass, enhancing productivity; (5) Most plant diversity indices show a positive relationship with biomass, supporting the role of diversity in productivity. This study provides valuable insights into the factors driving changes in grassland plant diversity in the Qilian Mountains National Park, offering evidence to inform biodiversity conservation strategies in the face of climate change.
eISSN:2083-5906
ISSN:1230-1485
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