Changes in soil organic and inorganic carbon with elevation in a1dry alpine rangeland of northern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

It remains unclear how changes in biotic and abiotic factors with elevation would shape the distribution of soil C stocks when plant communities are co-limited by water and low temperature. To address this uncertainty, we systematically set up seven sampling points along an elevational gradient between 3,000 m and 4,000 m above sea level and investigated the patterns of changes with elevation in the surface soil organic C (SOC) and inorganic C (SIC) in the northern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.目前尚不明确，当植物群落同时受水分与低温共同限制时，海拔梯度上的生物与非生物因子变化会如何调控土壤碳库的分布格局。为厘清这一科学疑问，我们沿海拔3000米至4000米的梯度系统布设7个采样点，针对青藏高原北部地区表层土壤有机碳（Soil Organic Carbon, SOC）与土壤无机碳（Soil Inorganic Carbon, SIC）随海拔的变化格局开展了系统调查。