Elevation gradient modulates the effects of herbaceous encroachment on the long-term growth trends and climate sensitivity of Rhododendron aureum in alpine tundra

doi:10.1093/jpe/rtaf181

J Plant Ecol ›› 2026, Vol. 19 ›› Issue (2): rtaf181.DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtaf181

• Research Article •

Elevation gradient modulates the effects of herbaceous encroachment on the long-term growth trends and climate sensitivity of Rhododendron aureum in alpine tundra

Na Li^1,2,†, Suke Hou^1,†, Mai-He Li^1,2,3, Xi Qi⁴, Liangjun Zhu⁵, Jitang Li⁶, Paolo Cherubini^2,7, Zhaoyong Hu⁸, Zhengfang Wu¹, Renkai Dong^1,6, Lei Wang^9*, Youwen Wang¹⁰, Danyang Yuan⁵, and Haibo Du^1,11,*#br##br#

¹Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China, ²Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf 8903, Switzerland, ³School of Life Science, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China, ⁴Forest Ecology Stable lsotope Center, College of JunCao Science and Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China, ⁵Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education School of Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China, ⁶Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, the MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China, ⁷Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 2004-2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada, ⁸State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, College of Water Resource and Hydropower, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China, ⁹State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China, ¹⁰Changbai Mountain Administrative Committee Nature Reserve Management Center, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture 133613, China, ¹¹Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China

^*Corresponding authors. E-mail: duhb655@nenu.edu.cn (H.D.); wanglei@neigae.ac.cn (L.W.)
^†These authors contributed equally to this work.

Received:2025-04-23 Accepted:2025-10-13 Online:2025-10-29 Published:2026-04-01
Supported by:
This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 42371052, 42271100, 42271119), the funding from China Scholarship Council (CSC) (202306620087), the Science and Technology Research Project of Education Department of Jilin Province (grant number JJKH20250314KJ), and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association, Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant number 2023238).

海拔梯度调控草本植物入侵对牛皮杜鹃长期生长和气候敏感性的影响

Abstract

Abstract: As global warming drives plant upward migration, the alpine tundra of Changbai Mountain is experiencing encroachment by Deyeuxia angustifolia (Komarov) Y. L. Chang, a low-elevation herb. However, its impact on native shrubs such as Rhododendron aureum Georgi remains unclear. Here, we analyzed the radial growth trends and climate sensitivity of R. aureum across elevations and encroachment gradients using linear and mixed-effects model methods, and explored the mediating roles of soil properties and plant traits. Our study revealed that R. aureum exhibited stronger positive long-term growth trend at higher elevations compared to lower elevations. Mild and moderate encroachment of D. angustifolia enhanced the positive growth trend of R. aureum, especially at the low elevations. Moreover, R. aureum showed weak climate sensitivity at mid-elevation but stronger responses to winter temperatures at low elevation and to spring–summer temperatures and precipitation at high elevation. D. angustifolia encroachment further intensified this sensitivity, characterized by stronger negative responses to spring, autumn, and winter temperatures but positive responses to summer temperatures and autumn precipitation. Overall, elevation primarily influenced R. aureum growth and its sensitivity to precipitation through soil conditions and plant size traits. Soil conditions and leaf economic traits influence temperature sensitivity. These findings advance understanding of alpine vegetation dynamics and contribute to ecosystem conservation under climate change.

Increasing elevation and herbaceous encroachment synergistically enhanced the growth trend and climate sensitivity of the alpine tundra shrub Rhododendron aureum on Changbai Mountain, with a stronger encroachment effect observed at lower elevations. Rising elevation and herbaceous encroachment jointly enhanced the growth trend and climate sensitivity of the alpine tundra shrub Rhododendron aureum on Changbai Mountain, with the encroachment effect being more pronounced at lower elevations. The findings deepen our understanding of alpine vegetation shifts and invasion mechanisms under climate change, offering scientific guidance for ecosystem conservation and management in alpine tundra regions.

Key words: climate change, dwarf evergreen shrubs, elevation, climate sensitivity, soil properties, plant functional traits

摘要：
随着全球变暖驱动山地植物向上迁移，长白山苔原正经历低海拔草本植物大叶章(Deyeuxia angustifolia (Komarov) Y. L. Chang)的持续入侵。然而，目前学术界尚不清楚入侵植物对牛皮杜鹃(Rhododendron aureum Georgi)等原生灌木的影响。本研究基于线性模型和混合效应模型，分析了不同海拔梯度大叶章入侵对牛皮杜鹃径向生长趋势与气候敏感性的影响，并探讨了土壤理化性质与植物功能性状的调节作用。结果表明：1)与低海拔相比，高海拔区域牛皮杜鹃表现出更强的长期正向生长趋势；轻度和中度大叶章入侵增强了牛皮杜鹃的正向生长趋势，尤其在低海拔地区这一趋势更为明显。2)牛皮杜鹃在中海拔区域的气候敏感性较弱，而在低海拔对冬季温度、高海拔对春夏温度和降水的响应更强。大叶章入侵进一步增强了牛皮杜鹃气候敏感性，具体表现为对春、秋、冬季温度的负响应增强，而对夏季温度与秋季降水的正响应增强。3)海拔主要通过土壤条件和植物大小性状影响牛皮杜鹃的生长及其降水敏感性，而土壤条件与叶片经济性状则主导其温度敏感性。本研究深化了对气候变化背景下高山苔原灌木生长动态及其气候敏感性调控机制的认识，为高山生态系统的保护与适应性管理提供了理论依据。

关键词: 气候变化, 常绿矮灌木, 海拔, 气候敏感性, 土壤性质, 植物功能性状

Na Li, Suke Hou, Mai-He Li, Xi Qi, Liangjun Zhu, Jitang Li, Paolo Cherubini, Zhaoyong Hu, Zhengfang Wu, Renkai Dong, Lei Wang, Youwen Wang, Danyang Yuan, Haibo Du. Elevation gradient modulates the effects of herbaceous encroachment on the long-term growth trends and climate sensitivity of Rhododendron aureum in alpine tundra[J]. J Plant Ecol, 2026, 19(2): 1-.

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Elevation gradient modulates the effects of herbaceous encroachment on the long-term growth trends and climate sensitivity of Rhododendron aureum in alpine tundra

海拔梯度调控草本植物入侵对牛皮杜鹃长期生长和气候敏感性的影响

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