Vertical structural complexity of plant communities represents the combined effects of resource acquisition and environmental stress on the Tibetan Plateau.

ABSTRACT: The vertical structural complexity (VSC) of plant communities reflects the occupancy of spatial niches and is closely related to resource utilization and environmental adaptation. However, understanding the large-scale spatial pattern of VSC and its underlying mechanisms remains limited. Here, we systematically investigate 2013 plant communities through grid sampling on the Tibetan Plateau. VSC is quantified as the maximum plant height within a plot (Height-max), coefficient of variation of plant height (Height-var), and Shannon evenness of plant height (Height-even). Precipitation dominates the spatial variation in VSC in forests and shrublands, supporting the classic physiological tolerance hypothesis. In contrast, for alpine meadows, steppes, and desert grasslands in extreme environment

SUBMITTER: Cheng C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10984992 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature