Plant communities of central Tibetan pastures in the Alpine Steppe/Kobresia pygmaea ecotone

Eleven plant communities of the central Tibetan ecotone (31°20′–33°00′N/89°00′–92°10′E) between the Kobresia pygmaea grazing pastures of the eastern highlands and the open short grass steppe with cushion plants (“Alpine Steppe”) of the north-western highlands have been described on the basis of 189 plot-based floristically complete vegetation records. In parallel, remote sensing techniques distinguish four main land-use cover types. Our hypotheses are: (1) The plant communities of the central Tibetan highlands are grazing-adapted and resilient to degradation. (2) In contrast to grazing resilient plant functional types, the turf cover of the K. pygmaea pastures and the Kobresia schoenoides wetlands is degradable through desiccation, periglacial processes, soil-dwelling small mammals and livestock. Five grazing-related plant functional traits are introduced. Grazing tolerance is the prevalent functional type. Species with no specific protection against grazing make up not more than 6% of the total cover. Unpalatable plants cover up to 8%. Only the azonal K. schoenoides swamps – the indispensable winter grazing reserve – have been widely degraded and depleted by 75%, being replaced by Carex sagaensis grazing pastures. It can be foreseen that governmental policy of sedentarisation of nomads will lead to reduced grazing mobility and degradation of winter grazing reserves.

► 11 plant communities of the central Tibetan ecotone have been described on the basis of plot-based floristically complete vegetation records. ► In parallel, remote-sensing techniques distinguish four main land-use cover types. ► Five grazing-related plant functional traits are introduced. ► The plant communities of the central Tibetan highlands are grazing-adapted and resilient to degradation. ► The turf cover of the Kobresia pygmaea pastures and the Kobresia schoenoides wetlands is degradable through desiccation, periglacial processes, soil-dwelling small mammals and livestock.