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Physiological and Ecological Responses of Arctic and Alpine Plants to...
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Physiological and Ecological Responses of Arctic and Alpine Plants to Climate Change

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 4735

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Peili Shi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Interests: alpine plant ecology with special interests in eco-physiology of alpine plant life, coupling of water, carbon and nitrogen cycling of alpine ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Guoyan Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Interests: geographical patterns of biodiversity; alpine plant regeneration in response to climate change; invasion of alien plant species on the Tibetan Plateau

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Arctic and alpine ecosystems are among the most climate-sensitive regions on Earth. Under accelerating global warming, shifting precipitation patterns and intensified ultraviolet radiation, plants in cold-climate environments face unprecedented challenges to their survival strategies, community structure, and ecological functions. However, critical knowledge gaps remain in our understanding of the physiological adaptation mechanisms, interspecific interaction, and long-term impacts of community dynamics on ecosystem functioning. Unraveling how vulnerable cold-climate plants respond to intensifying climate changes is a pivotal scientific question with far-reaching global implications. This Special Issue aims to synthesize recent multidisciplinary advances and original research on the responses of cold-climate plants, deciphering the physiological and ecological mechanisms underlying arctic and alpine plant responses to changing climate, providing scientific foundations for biodiversity conservation and management strategies.

We welcome submissions addressing, among other topics, plant eco-physiology, dendroecology, phenology, and population- or community-level characteristics in cold environments, with a particular emphasis on their responses to warming, altered precipitation regimes, changing snow cover, extreme climatic events, and interactions with both biotic and abiotic stressors. We especially encourage experimental, observational, and modeling studies that elucidate the underlying mechanisms of resilience, acclimation, and evolutionary adaptation in arctic and alpine areas. The major thematic topics are as follows:

  • Plant distribution and adaptation in the cold-climate environments.
  • Eco-physiological responses, including photosynthesis, water relation, nutrient mineralization, carbon investment and productivity, etc.
  • Phenotypic plasticity, intraspecific trait variation in mediating plant species’ responses to climate change.
  • Range shift or vegetation boundary (e.g., tree lines and shrublines) to keep up with climate change.
  • Impacts of climate change on plant-plant interactions, plant–pollinator networks and plant–microbial interactions.
  • Vulnerability of plants and ecological consequences in response to extreme climatic events (e.g., droughts and snowstorms).
  • Seed ecology of cold-climate plants in response to climatic change.
  • Plant diversity conservation and ecosystem management.

Dr. Peili Shi
Prof. Dr. Guoyan Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • arctic and alpine environments
  • climate change
  • extreme climate events
  • biotic interaction
  • eco-physiological response
  • phenology
  • plant and population
  • community ecology
  • seed ecology
  • phenotypic plasticity
  • adaptive evolution

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 6871 KB  
Article
Adaptive Strategies Mediating the Diversification of Alpine Plants: The Case of the Himalayan Blue Poppy (Meconopsis, Papaveraceae)
by Na He, Zhimin Li, Yazhou Zhang and Wenguang Sun
Plants 2025, 14(24), 3741; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14243741 (registering DOI) - 8 Dec 2025
Abstract
Alpine habitats, characterized by their high degree of environmental heterogeneity and harsh climatic conditions, support a diverse array of plants with unique adaptive strategies. However, the mechanisms underlying the formation of these adaptive strategies, as well as their intrinsic links to species diversification, [...] Read more.
Alpine habitats, characterized by their high degree of environmental heterogeneity and harsh climatic conditions, support a diverse array of plants with unique adaptive strategies. However, the mechanisms underlying the formation of these adaptive strategies, as well as their intrinsic links to species diversification, remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the evolution of life history traits, fruit characteristics, and variation in the karyotype of alpine species, and their roles in shaping their adaptability to high-altitude environments. We performed a comprehensive analysis of trait diversification, adaptive trait evolution, and their associations with environmental factors in the genus Meconopsis on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. Our results revealed that ancestral floral traits were characterized by solitary inflorescences and blue-purple pigmentation, features that have re-evolved at multiple points throughout the evolutionary history of the genus. We found that increased ploidy levels promoted perennial growth and semelparity (single-time fruiting), suggesting that life history strategies and fruiting frequency are strongly coupled. Furthermore, karyotypic variation and abiotic factors such as altitude, soil pH, and climate were found to accelerate the evolution of a perennial fruiting reproductive strategy. Our findings provide new insights into the evolution of adaptive traits in alpine plants and reveal how these species adjust their life history strategies in response to environmental pressures. Our findings enhance our understanding of resource allocation trade-offs in plants in extreme environments and shed light on the relationship between species diversification and adaptive evolution in alpine ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Ecological Responses of Arctic and Alpine Plants to Climate Change)
16 pages, 1429 KB  
Article
Plant Functional Group Removal Shifts Soil Nematode Community and Decreases Soil Particulate Organic Carbon in an Alpine Meadow
by Ligai Huang, Luping Ye, Xianhui Zhou, Hui Guo, Juan Zuo, Peng Wang and Yong Zheng
Plants 2025, 14(24), 3728; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14243728 - 6 Dec 2025
Abstract
Vegetation degradation in the alpine meadows is becoming increasingly severe under global change, with species loss frequently linked to changes in plant functional groups (PFGs). Changes in PFGs alter plant-derived carbon inputs, which significantly influence soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration and soil communities. [...] Read more.
Vegetation degradation in the alpine meadows is becoming increasingly severe under global change, with species loss frequently linked to changes in plant functional groups (PFGs). Changes in PFGs alter plant-derived carbon inputs, which significantly influence soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration and soil communities. However, the impact of specific PFG removal on soil carbon fractions and nematode trophic groups remains underexplored. In this study, above-ground removal of PFGs was carried out for five consecutive years in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau alpine meadow, with five treatments: (1) no removal of PFGs (CK); (2) keep non-legume forbs (remove graminoids and legumes, Forbs); (3) keep graminoids (remove legumes and non-legume forbs, Graminoids); (4) keep legumes (remove non-legume forbs and graminoids, Legumes); (5) remove all PFGs (All-plants-removed). Root properties, nematode community, and soil carbon fractions were measured. We found that the Graminoids treatment significantly increased root biomass, whereas the All-plants-removed treatment led to a significant decrease. Nematode abundance was highest under the Legumes treatment, primarily due to increased omnivores-predators. Meanwhile, the soil particulate organic carbon (POC) varied significantly between PFG types, being the highest in the Forbs and CK treatments. Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between SOC and bacterivore abundance, suggesting that higher SOC enhances bacterivore populations and subsequently influences carbon cycling. We conclude that PFG removal alters soil nematode community structure and POC, underscoring the role of PFGs in below-ground biodiversity and soil carbon sequestration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Ecological Responses of Arctic and Alpine Plants to Climate Change)
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13 pages, 3000 KB  
Article
Influence of Cushion Plant Androsace tapete on Nitrogen Uptake Strategies of Associated Alpine Plants
by Shuo Xing, Yong-Tao He, Pei-Li Shi and Xing-Liang Xu
Plants 2025, 14(20), 3232; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14203232 - 21 Oct 2025
Viewed by 598
Abstract
In alpine ecosystems, plant growth is often constrained by multiple environmental factors, especially the infertile soils with lower temperature that decelerate the rate of nutrient turnover, thus leading to a diminished availability of nutrients in the soil, notably nitrogen (N), and its different [...] Read more.
In alpine ecosystems, plant growth is often constrained by multiple environmental factors, especially the infertile soils with lower temperature that decelerate the rate of nutrient turnover, thus leading to a diminished availability of nutrients in the soil, notably nitrogen (N), and its different forms, which is a pivotal factor for limiting plant growth and species coexistence in these alpine areas. Androsace tapete (A. tapete) is an endemic species and the most widely distributed cushion plant on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP). Its positive interactions can facilitate other associated plants to deal with severe environmental conditions in the alpine grassland ecosystem. The change in soil nutrient availability is one of the main positive interactions, but little is known about how A. tapete changes soil nutrient availability and affects the N uptake pattern of associated plants. This study investigated the N utilization patterns of three associated plant species —Carex atrofusca (C. atrofusca), Cyananthus incanus (C. incanus), and Potentilla saundersiana (P. saundersiana)— growing inside the cushion area A. tapete (CA) and the ambient grassland without cushion plants (CK), using a 15N labeling method to clarify the effect of A. tapete on the N uptake strategies with NH4+, NO3−, and organic N of its associated species. The results showed the following: (1) compared to CK, the soil total C, total N, and available NH4+ contents under the A. tapete showed a significant 47.82%, 40.96%, and 47.33% increase, respectively; (2) A. tapete showed a stronger preference for NH4+ (>80%), whereas the associated species in CK exhibited a more balanced uptake, deriving 39.29–55.59% of N from NO3−, 25.72–44.00% from NH4+, and 16.15–18.69% from glycine. (3) The three associated plants possessing A. tapete significantly reduced their uptake of glycine by 9.76%, 12.55%, and 7.15%, respectively, while the absorption of NH4+ by C. atrofusca and C. incanus increased by 18.46% and 36.11%; meanwhile, NO3− uptake decreased by 8.70% in C. atrofusca and 23.55% in C. incanus. These findings indicated that the A. tapete can change the N uptake pattern of the associated plants growing inside the cushion body, such as enhancing the absorption of inorganic N and decreasing the organic N. This adaptive strategy of the associated plants with cushion plant enables them to counteract the N-limited conditions prevalent in alpine environments, and, as a consequence, facilitates their growth and promotes local plant community diversity in the alpine environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Ecological Responses of Arctic and Alpine Plants to Climate Change)
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16 pages, 11893 KB  
Article
Stoichiometric Homeostasis and Functional Group Divergence Jointly Enhance Alpine Plant Adaptation to Environmental Stress
by Aihui Ma, Zhe Chen, Xin Jing, Yu Chen, Jinhong Guan, Shixiong Wang, Wenying Wang, Huakun Zhou, Jian Sun, Xufeng Mao and Yanxia Jin
Plants 2025, 14(18), 2835; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14182835 - 11 Sep 2025
Viewed by 613
Abstract
Climate warming promotes alpine plant migration to higher elevations, yet how they adapt via stoichiometric homeostasis remains unclear. We measured plant C, N, and P traits and homeostasis across community and functional group levels in three alpine vegetation types—meadow (3200–3400 m), shrubland (3400–3700 [...] Read more.
Climate warming promotes alpine plant migration to higher elevations, yet how they adapt via stoichiometric homeostasis remains unclear. We measured plant C, N, and P traits and homeostasis across community and functional group levels in three alpine vegetation types—meadow (3200–3400 m), shrubland (3400–3700 m), and cushion vegetation (3700–4400 m)—along an altitudinal gradient in the northern Qilian Mountains, Tibetan Plateau. Shrubland, as ecotones, had higher soil C and N, with plant communities showing the highest N and N:P but lowest C:N. At the functional group level, Poaceae (Gramineae) and forbs had the highest N and N:P, while Cyperaceae had the highest P in shrubland. Notably, Cyperaceae in shrubland exhibited weak P and C:P homeostasis. Poaceae (Gramineae) were mainly influenced by soil, Cyperaceae by climate, and forbs by elevation. Structural equation modeling showed elevation indirectly affected stoichiometry via climate and soil; climate influenced nutrient contents, while soil controlled C:N:P ratios. These results reveal diverse nutrient regulation and survival strategies in alpine plants, enhancing understanding of adaptation and community assembly under climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Ecological Responses of Arctic and Alpine Plants to Climate Change)
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18 pages, 7245 KB  
Article
Nitrogen Enrichment Reshapes Contrasting Microbial Networks in Northern Tibetan Alpine Meadow vs. Steppe
by Xueying Chen, Peili Shi, Jialuo Yu, Ge Hou, Ning Zong and Huixin Hei
Plants 2025, 14(17), 2803; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14172803 - 7 Sep 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 746
Abstract
Increased Nitrogen (N) input exerts significant impact on the functional integrity of terrestrial ecosystems, with alpine grasslands being particularly susceptible. Soil microbes are intricately intertwined with nearly all facets of essential biogeochemical cycle, underscoring their pivotal role in ecosystem processes. To elucidate how [...] Read more.
Increased Nitrogen (N) input exerts significant impact on the functional integrity of terrestrial ecosystems, with alpine grasslands being particularly susceptible. Soil microbes are intricately intertwined with nearly all facets of essential biogeochemical cycle, underscoring their pivotal role in ecosystem processes. To elucidate how N enrichment modulates soil microbes and their diversity, 11-year N addition experiments were conducted in a semi-humid alpine meadow (AM) and an arid alpine steppe (AS) on the Northern Tibetan Plateau. We measured soil properties, aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), plant diversity, microbial composition and diversity, as well as microbial co-occurrence networks. The results revealed that N additions profoundly reshaped microbial co-occurrence in alpine grasslands, albeit via divergent mechanisms in different ecosystems. In AM, N enrichment destabilized microbial networks mainly through reduced bacterial diversity linked to plant diversity loss. Conversely, in the harsher AS, N addition fostered closer microbial interactions, forming a more stable co-occurrence network despite lower plant richness, predominantly attributed to increased soil nutrient availability. Our results highlight the significance of co-occurrence networks as a key component of microbial biodiversity and emphasize the imperative of deciphering microbial interaction mechanisms to unravel soil functional dynamics under global nitrogen enrichment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Ecological Responses of Arctic and Alpine Plants to Climate Change)
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17 pages, 4743 KB  
Article
Climate-Driven Vegetation Distribution and Wetland Expansion at the Edge of Jiangjiadian Grassland, Northeastern China
by Xiaodong Wang, Xiaoqiang Li, Long Fei, Xiaohui Liu and Mei Zhang
Plants 2025, 14(17), 2785; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14172785 - 5 Sep 2025
Viewed by 615
Abstract
There is a close relationship between vegetation distribution and climate pattern in grassland areas, and offering insights into the climate–vegetation relationship may provide significant references for in-depth research on the response of plant community dynamics to climate change. In this study, we took [...] Read more.
There is a close relationship between vegetation distribution and climate pattern in grassland areas, and offering insights into the climate–vegetation relationship may provide significant references for in-depth research on the response of plant community dynamics to climate change. In this study, we took the edge of the Jiangjiadian grassland in China as the research area. Using plant plots and climate data, the climate–vegetation relationship was revealed in relation to climate change on the grassland edge. The research results show that the relative frequency (RF), density (RD), height (RH), and coverage (RC) of Phragmites australis, a typical wetland plant, are the highest among the 10 common species tested. The path coefficient of mean temperature in October (MMTO) to the RD is 0.06 (p < 0.01), and the path coefficient of precipitation in October (POct) to the relative height (RH) is 0.62 (p < 0.05), indicating that the spatial pattern of climate has a significant impact on plant distribution. The temperature and the precipitation increases are associated with the trend regarding the transformation from grassland to wetland. Overall, 34 of the 360 correlation coefficients between climate indices and plant indices reached a significant level (p < 0.05), indicating that the relationship between wetland trends and the climate spatial pattern is very complex in relation to climate change in the past 25 years. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Ecological Responses of Arctic and Alpine Plants to Climate Change)
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16 pages, 2326 KB  
Article
Patterns and Determinants of Ecological Uniqueness in Plant Communities on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
by Liangtao Li and Gheyur Gheyret
Plants 2025, 14(15), 2379; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152379 - 1 Aug 2025
Viewed by 779
Abstract
The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is one of the world’s most prominent biodiversity hotspots. Understanding the spatial patterns of ecological uniqueness in its plant communities is essential for uncovering the mechanisms of community assembly and informing effective conservation strategies. In this study, we analyzed data [...] Read more.
The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is one of the world’s most prominent biodiversity hotspots. Understanding the spatial patterns of ecological uniqueness in its plant communities is essential for uncovering the mechanisms of community assembly and informing effective conservation strategies. In this study, we analyzed data from 758 plots across 338 sites on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. For each plot, the vegetation type was classified, and all plant species present, along with their respective abundance or coverage, were recorded in the database. To assess overall compositional variation, community β-diversity was quantified, while a plot-level approach was applied to determine the influence of local environmental conditions and community characteristics on ecological uniqueness. We used stepwise multiple regressions, variation partitioning, and structural equation modeling to identify the key drivers of spatial variation in ecological uniqueness. Our results show that (1) local contributions to β-diversity (LCBD) exhibit significant geographic variation—increasing with longitude, decreasing with latitude, and showing a unimodal trend along the elevational gradient; (2) shrubs and trees contribute more to β-diversity than herbaceous species, and LCBD is strongly linked to the proportion of rare species; and (3) community characteristics, including species richness and vegetation coverage, are the main direct drivers of ecological uniqueness, explaining 36.9% of the variance, whereas climate and soil properties exert indirect effects through their interactions. Structural equation modeling further reveals a coordinated influence of soil, climate, and community attributes on LCBD, primarily mediated through soil nutrient availability. These findings provide a theoretical basis for adaptive biodiversity management on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and underscore the conservation value of regions with high ecological uniqueness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Ecological Responses of Arctic and Alpine Plants to Climate Change)
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18 pages, 4218 KB  
Article
Impact of Snow on Vegetation Green-Up on the Mongolian Plateau
by Xiang Zhang, Chula Sa, Fanhao Meng, Min Luo, Xulei Wang, Xin Tian and Endon Garmaev
Plants 2025, 14(15), 2310; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152310 - 26 Jul 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 662
Abstract
Snow serves as a crucial water source for vegetation growth on the Mongolian Plateau, and its temporal and spatial variations exert profound influences on terrestrial vegetation phenology. In recent years, global climate change has led to significant changes in snow and vegetation start [...] Read more.
Snow serves as a crucial water source for vegetation growth on the Mongolian Plateau, and its temporal and spatial variations exert profound influences on terrestrial vegetation phenology. In recent years, global climate change has led to significant changes in snow and vegetation start of growing season (SOS). Therefore, it is necessary to study the mechanism of snow cover on vegetation growth and changes on the Mongolian Plateau. The study found that the spatial snow cover fraction (SCF) of the Mongolian Plateau ranged from 50% to 60%, and the snow melt date (SMD) ranged from day of the year (DOY) 88 to 220, mainly concentrated on the northwest Mongolian Plateau mountainous areas. Using different SOS methods to calculate the vegetation SOS distribution map. Vegetation SOS occurs earlier in the eastern part compared to the western part of the Mongolian Plateau. In this study, we assessed spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of snow on the Mongolian Plateau over the period from 2001 to 2023. The results showed that the SOS of the Mongolian Plateau was mainly concentrated on DOY 71-186. The Cox survival analysis model system established SCF and SMD on vegetation SOS. The SCF standard coefficient is 0.06, and the SMD standard coefficient is 0.02. The SOSNDVI coefficient is −0.15, and the SOSNDGI coefficient is −0.096. The results showed that the vegetation SOS process exhibited differential response characteristics to snow driving factors. These research results also highlight the important role of snow in vegetation phenology and emphasize the importance of incorporating the unique effects of vegetation SOS on the Mongolian Plateau. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Ecological Responses of Arctic and Alpine Plants to Climate Change)
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