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Strong homogenization effects of shrubs on nematode communities across large spatial scales on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
  • +7
  • Anning Zhang,
  • Chen Shuyan,
  • Chen Jingwei,
  • Hanwen Cui,
  • Jiajia Wang,
  • Sa Xiao,
  • Xiaoxuan Jiang,
  • Haining Gao,
  • Lizhe An,
  • Pierre Legendre
Anning Zhang
Lanzhou University
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Chen Shuyan
Lanzhou University
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Chen Jingwei
Lanzhou University
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Hanwen Cui
Lanzhou University
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Jiajia Wang
Lanzhou University
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Sa Xiao
Lanzhou University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Xiaoxuan Jiang
Lanzhou University
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Haining Gao
Lanzhou University
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Lizhe An
Lanzhou University
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Pierre Legendre
Université de Montréal
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Abstract

Climate change and shrub encroachment affect nematode biodiversity, although shrub species had different effects on below-ground community. Yet, the consequences of shrub species on the nematode beta diversity under future climate change scenarios remain insufficiently explored. Here, we studied the dominant shrub effects on the beta diversity of soil nematode communities along climate gradients on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. We investigated soil nematode communities in 31 sites of alpine meadow ecosystems across a 1200 km × 1200 km area with widespread shrub on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. We found that shrubs decreased the nematode beta diversity through decreasing the nestedness component at local and landscape scales. Leguminous shrubs had stronger effects on the nematode beta diversity than non-leguminous shrub types at landscape scale. MAP and MAT both significantly increased the negative shrub effects on the nematode beta diversity, but they remained constant for leguminous shrub. The pSEM analysis showed that shrubs had direct and indirect effects on nematode beta diversity via plant species turnover. Our results showed that shrub encroachment, particularly leguminous shrubs, leads to the homogenization of nematode communities. The “warming-wetting” trend will exacerbate shrub effects on the homogenization of nematode communities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Our study provides insight into the ecological processes that maintain soil biodiversity and biogeographic patterns of soil communities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.