Changes in vegetation composition and plant diversity with rangeland degradation in the alpine region of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Abstract

The changes in vegetation composition and plant diversity of three different alpine ecosystems: alpine meadow, alpine steppe and alpine desert, impacted by different levels of degradation (healthy, lightly degraded and moderately degraded) were examined across a large-scale transect on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The importance values of the dominant species and levels of diversity were measured by various vegetation indices. The plant composition of the alpine meadow and alpine steppe ecosystems was more stable and appeared more resistant to disturbance than that of the alpine desert ecosystem.