Achievement

Trainees Jodi Brant and Michelle Haynes are showing that climate change is causing the contraction of mountain alpine meadow habitats due to encroachment by woody species. They studied land cover change in biodiversity hotspot region of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau using satellite imagery, field data, dendrochronology, interview data and official records. Between 1990 and 2009, 39% of meadows disappeared from the alpine zone as woody shrubs expanded upwards. They identified triggers to initial shrub establishment, including winter season precipitation and burning restrictions, and tested hypotheses of potential drivers of variability in shrub encroachment. Current patterns of shrub encroachment are highly related to climatic (spring snow cover) and biotic (existing proportion of woody vegetation) factors. Their study highlights the alarming rates of vegetation change in these biodiversity hotspots.