Degradation of Wetlands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau:A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Three Indicators

作     者：GAO Jay LI Xi-lai CHEUNG Alan YANG Yuan-wu 

作者机构：School of Environment University of Auckland Private Bag 92019Auckland New Zealand College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Qinghai University College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Qinghai UniversityXining 810016 China 

出 版 物：《Journal of Mountain Science》 (山地科学学报（英文）)

年 卷 期：2013年第10卷第4期

页      面：658-667页

核心收录：

学科分类：0709[理学-地质学] 0819[工学-矿业工程] 07[理学] 08[工学] 0303[法学-社会学] 083002[工学-环境工程] 0830[工学-环境科学与工程（可授工学、理学、农学学位）] 0708[理学-地球物理学] 0818[工学-地质资源与地质工程] 0705[理学-地理学] 0815[工学-水利工程] 0706[理学-大气科学] 0816[工学-测绘科学与技术] 0813[工学-建筑学] 0704[理学-天文学] 0833[工学-城乡规划学] 0713[理学-生态学] 0834[工学-风景园林学（可授工学、农学学位）] 

基　　金：supported by the International Science&Technology Cooperation Program of China(Grant No.2011DFG93160,2011DFA20820) the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China(Grant No.41161084) Special Fund for Agroscientific Research in the Public Interest(Grant No.201203041) the Scientific Research Collaboration and Training of Top Scientists project(Document No.2010-1595),Department of International Exchange&Cooperation of the Chinese Ministry of Education 

主　　题：Wetland degradation Grass cover Soilmoisture Pika damage Qinghai-Tibet Plateau 

摘      要：The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau encompasses a large quantity of wetlands, some of which have been degraded to varying severity levels. In the literature, a number of degradation indicators have been proposed to evaluate ecological health of wetlands, but their effectiveness in the plateau environment remains unknown. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness of three degradation indicators, soil moisture content at lo em deep, vegetative cover, and density of pika burrows. The degradation severity of wetlands in Maduo County on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is enumerated at four levels, intact, slight, moderate and severe. Analysis of xo6 samples collected in the field demonstrates that the density of pika burrows is the least reliable indicator. By comparison, vegetative cover and underlying soil moisture content are more reliable, even though neither is a perfect indicator as the difference among adjacent levels of severity as revealed by t-test is not always statistically significant. The imperfection of vegetative cover as an indicator is due to its variation among different types of wetlands. The limitation of moisture content is attributed to its non-linear relationship with wetland degradation. Above the threshold of about 50% in moisture content wetlands are unlikely to be degraded. It is recommended that moisture be measured at the point near the surface and vegetative cover be further differentiated by species in order to improve their effectiveness.