Biology subjects

Miao, H.-T.

Publications and source records attributed to Miao, H.-T..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Climate warming undermines the benefits of grazing removal for alpine plant population maintenance on the Tibetan Plateau

A central question in restoring degraded grasslands is whether grazing removal can sustain viable plant populations under both current and future warming conditions. Addressing this question requires demographic studies integrating vital rates responses to grazing removal and climate warming throughout a species life cycle. However, studies of this nature are rare. Using stochastic Integral Projection Models parameterized with four years (2020-2023) of demographic data, we find that nine years of grazing removal increases the stochastic population growth rate (log{lambda}S) of two coexisting herbaceous plants, Carex atrofusca and Sibirotrisetum sibiricum at two altitudes (3,700 m and 4,000 m) in an alpine grassland on the Tibetan Plateau. Although individual survival declines following grazing removal, these negative effects are overcompensated by enhanced plant growth, ultimately promoting log{lambda}S in both species. However, the benefits of grazing removal are cancelled under nine years of in situ active warming (+2{square}), where no demographic compensation occurred (i.e., vital rates change in the opposite directions among populations), and log{lambda}S are even lower than those under grazing. Our findings suggest that while grazing removal is a sustainable management strategy under current climate conditions, it may not remain effective under projected warming, providing valuable information for sustainable population management under global change.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2026

Divergent demographic strategies drive population dynamics of temperate plants across varying deposition

A central question in biodiversity conservation is whether species can sustain viable population under current and future atmospheric N deposition. Assessing species viability under N deposition requires demographic studies integrating species vital rates responses to long-term N deposition across different levels. However, studies of this nature are rare. Our integral projection models (IPMs), parameterized with demographic data, revealed differing responses of two functionally similar coexisting species, Stipa bungeana and Leymus secalinus, to 12 years of N deposition at low N addition levels (1.15 and 2.30 g N m-2 yr-1) and high N addition levels (4.60, 9.20, and 13.80 g N m-2 yr-1) on the Loess Plateau grasslands. We found that the reduced survival across N addition levels was partially compensated by increased contributions from growth, shrinkage, and fecundity, alleviating the population decline of S. bungeana (with a longer lifespan and generation time) under different N additions. Contrasting, more positive correlations among vital rate enabled the population of L. secalinus (with a shorter lifespan and generation time) to track N additions, with population growth under low N additions and population decline under high N additions. Our results illustrate that the demographic response to N deposition may vary considerably between functionally similar coexisting species, and species with demographic compensation can buffer populations against N deposition while with demographic lability enable populations to track N deposition. Furthermore, our study demonstrates the potential of using life-history traits to predict species viability under N deposition, thereby informing biodiversity conservation under global change.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2026

Clonal reproduction as a double-edged sword: antagonistic and synergistic effects on the warmed population maintenance of alpine species across successional stages of plateau zokor disturbance

A central question in biodiversity conservation under global change is whether species maintain viable populations under both mammal disturbance and climate warming. This requires demographic studies that integrating vital rates responses to mammal disturbance and climate warming across an entire life to. Using Integral Projection Models parameterized with demographic data, we found the population growth rates of Thermopsis lanceolata under both ambient and warming conditions, initially decreased on new mounds, further declined on seminew mounds, but eventually exceeded initial levels on old mounds. This stage-dependent responses were largely driven by clonal reproduction (i.e., clonal production and/or ramet size distribution), which emerged as both the most sensitive vital rate and the primary contributor to variation in population growth rates across recovery stages. Additionally, we found that the combined effects of plateau zokor disturbance and warming on population growth rates of new mounds was greater than the sum of their individual effects, leading to population decline on new mounds. Such synergistical effects was mainly due to a larger decrease of ramet size distribution. These findings suggest that multifactorial experiments are important for biodiversity research, rather than merely adding single effects on population dynamics. In addition, clonal reproduction may be a key vital rate for population maintenance under global change.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2026

Demographic compensation buffers population decline under variable grazing intensities in alpine grasslands

Identifying optimal grazing intensities for sustainable population growth is crucial for informing management strategies. Community-level studies frequently find that biodiversity peaks at intermediate grazing intensities, known as the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis. However, whether this hypothesis applies to population-level performance remains untested. Our stochastic integral projection models, parameterized with five-year demographic data of two co-occurring species, Morina chinensis and Deyeuxia flavens, on the Tibetan Plateau grasslands., indeed show a hump-shaped response in stochastic population growth rate ({lambda}S) to grazing intensities, providing empiral support for the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis at population level. Furthermore, populations with demographic compensation among vital rates are better able to buffer temporal variation in annual population growth rate and exhibit a much smaller decline in {lambda}S under heavy grazing. Our study provides mechanistic insights into demographic processes driving population dynamics across grazing levels, thereby better informing grazing management strategies.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2023

Differences in adult survival drive divergent demographic responses to a decade of field warming on the Tibetan Plateau

O_LIA central question in biodiversity conservation is whether species will maintain viable population dynamics under future climate change. Assessing species extinction risk under climate warming requires demographic studies integrating vital rate responses to long-term warming throughout species life cycle. However, studies of this nature are rare. C_LIO_LIHere, we examine the demographic responses of two co-occurring herbaceous plants, Elymus nutans Griseb. and Helictotrichon tibeticum (Roshev.) Holub, after a decade (2011-2020) of in situ active warming by 2{degrees}C in the grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau. We parameterise Integral Projection Models (IPMs) to project the population dynamics under ambient and long-term warming conditions, and examine the key vital rates responsible for any potential differences in population growth rates. C_LIO_LIWarming has contrasting effects on the two functionally similar co-occurring species: warming promotes the population growth rate of H. tibeticum, but intensifies the population decline of E. nutans. Our elasticity analyses show that survival is the most important vital rate for population viability in both species under both ambient and warmed conditions. Furthermore, our retrospective Life Table Response Experiment (LTRE) analysis reveals that the contrasting fates of the two species under warming mainly arise from the different responses of adult survival, which is significantly promoted in H. tibeticum but slightly reduced in E. nutans. Individual shrinkage occurred 1.6-fold more frequently under warming than ambient conditions for both species, and made considerable negative contributions to their population growth rates in warmed plots. However, such negative effects are offset in H. tibeticum (but not E. nutans) by the positive contribution to population growth rate of the associated increased survival. C_LIO_LISynthesis. Our study illustrates that the responses to climate warming may vary considerably between similar co-occurring species, and species with a demographically compensatory strategy may avoid population collapse. Additionally, caution is needed when generalizing findings among functionally similar species, and that conservation measures should be tailored at the species level. C_LI

ecology↗