The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: Climate change, human activity, and plant diversity.

Abstract

As the highest and largest plateau in the world, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) covers wide geological, topographical and climatic gradients and thus acts as a major center for biodiversity and houses a diverse array of high elevation ecosystems. Together these factors make the QTP a critical ecological shield for Asia. However, the composition, structure and function of plant diversity in QTP has experienced profound changes in recent decades. Long-term on-site monitoring, field experiments, remote sensing, and simulations have led to significant advances in our understanding of how plant diversity on the QTP has responded to climate change and human activity. This review synthesizes findings from previous researches on how climate change and human activity have impacted plant diversity on the QTP. We identify gaps in our knowledge and highlight the need for interdisciplinary studies, long-term monitoring networks, and adaptive management strategies to enhance our knowledge and safeguard the QTP's biodiversity amid accelerating global climate change.