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Our knowledge on permafrost carbon (C) cycle is crucial for understanding its feedback to climate warming and developing nature-based solutions for mitigating climate change. To understand the characteristics of permafrost C cycle on the Tibetan Plateau, the largest alpine permafrost region around the world, we summarized recent advances including the stocks and fluxes of permafrost C and their responses to thawing, and depicted permafrost C dynamics within this century. We find that this alpine permafrost region stores approximately 14.1 Pg (1 Pg=10 15 g) of soil organic C (SOC) in the top 3 m. Both substantial gaseous emissions and lateral C transport occur across this permafrost region. Moreover, the mobilization of frozen C is expedited by permafrost thaw, especially by the formation of thermokarst landscapes, which could release significant amounts of C into the atmosphere and surrounding water bodies. This alpine permafrost region nevertheless remains an important C sink, and its capacity to sequester C will continue to increase by 2100. For future perspectives, we would suggest developing long-term in situ observation networks of C stocks and fluxes with improved temporal and spatial coverage, and exploring the mechanisms underlying the response of ecosystem C cycle to permafrost thaw. In addition, it is essential to improve the projection of permafrost C dynamics through in-depth model-data fusion on the Tibetan Plateau., (© 2024. Science China Press.)

The magnitude of terrestrial carbon (C)-climate feedback largely depends on the temperature sensitivity of soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition (Q 10 ). However, our understanding of determinants of Q 10 for SOM fractions such as particulate and mineral-associated organic matter (POM and MAOM, respectively) is still inadequate. Particularly, it remains unclear whether microbial effects on Q 10 are fraction-dependent, which induces large uncertainties in projecting soil C dynamics. Here, we conducted large-scale topsoil sampling on the Tibetan Plateau, in combination with SOM fractionation and 300-day laboratory incubation to assess SOM fraction-dependent linkages between Q 10 and microbial properties. We found that compared with MAOM, POM had larger Q 10 and greater microbial diversity, and also structured distinct microbial communities as well as their co-occurrence patterns. Furthermore, associations of Q 10 with microbial properties differed between the two SOM fractions. Bacterial community composition and relative abundance of bacterial keystone taxa affected Q 10 for POM and MAOM respectively, while bacterial alpha diversity showed opposite relationships with Q 10 for POM and MAOM. These findings highlight the necessity of incorporating SOM fraction-dependent microbial properties and their linkages with Q 10 into Earth system models to accurately predict terrestrial C-climate feedback., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Permafrost, characterized by its frozen soil, serves as a unique habitat for diverse microorganisms. Understanding these microbial communities is crucial for predicting the response of permafrost ecosystems to climate change. However, large-scale evidence regarding stratigraphic variations in microbial profiles remains limited. Here, we analyze microbial community structure and functional potential based on 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and metagenomic data obtained from an ∼1000 km permafrost transect on the Tibetan Plateau. We find that microbial alpha diversity declines but beta diversity increases down the soil profile. Microbial assemblages are primarily governed by dispersal limitation and drift, with the importance of drift decreasing but that of dispersal limitation increasing with soil depth. Moreover, genes related to reduction reactions (e.g., ferric iron reduction, dissimilatory nitrate reduction, and denitrification) are enriched in the subsurface and permafrost layers. In addition, microbial groups involved in alternative electron accepting processes are more diverse and contribute highly to community-level metabolic profiles in the subsurface and permafrost layers, likely reflecting the lower redox potential and more complicated trophic strategies for microorganisms in deeper soils. Overall, these findings provide comprehensive insights into large-scale stratigraphic profiles of microbial community structure and functional potentials in permafrost regions., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

One of the major uncertainties for projecting permafrost carbon (C)-climate feedback is a poor representation of the non-growing season carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions under a changing climate. Here, combining in situ field observations, regional synthesis and a random forest model, we assessed contemporary and future soil respired CO 2 (i.e., soil respiration, R s ) across the Tibetan alpine permafrost region, which has received much less attention compared with the Arctic permafrost domain. We estimated the regional mean R s of 229.8, 72.9 and 302.7 g C m -2  year -1 during growing season, non-growing season and the entire year, respectively; corresponding to the contemporary losses of 296.9, 94.3 and 391.2 Tg C year -1 from this high-altitude permafrost-affected area. The non-growing season R s accounted for a quarter of the annual soil CO 2 efflux. Different from the prevailing view that temperature is the most limiting factor for cold-period CO 2 release in Arctic permafrost ecosystems, precipitation determined the spatial pattern of non-growing season R s on the Tibetan Plateau. Using the key predictors, model extrapolation demonstrated additional losses of 38.8 and 74.5 Tg C from the non-growing season for a moderate mitigation scenario and a business-as-usual emissions scenario, respectively. These results provide a baseline for non-growing season CO 2 emissions from high-altitude permafrost areas and help for accurate projection of permafrost C-climate feedback., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Microbial necromass carbon (C) has been considered an important contributor to persistent soil C pool. However, there still lacks large-scale systematic observations on microbial necromass C in different soil layers, particularly for alpine ecosystems. Besides, it is still unclear whether the relative importance of biotic and abiotic variables such as plant C input and mineral properties in regulating microbial necromass C would change with soil depth. Based on the combination of large-scale sampling along a ~2200 km transect across Tibetan alpine grasslands and biomarker analysis, together with a global data synthesis across grassland ecosystems, we observed a relatively low proportion of microbial-derived C in Tibetan alpine grasslands compared to global grasslands (topsoil: 45.4% vs. 58.1%; subsoil: 41.7% vs. 53.7%). We also found that major determinants of microbial necromass C depended on soil depth. In topsoil, both plant C input and mineral protection exerted dominant effects on microbial necromass C. However, in subsoil, the physico-chemical protection provided by soil clay particles, iron-aluminum oxides, and exchangeable calcium dominantly facilitated the preservation of microbial necromass C. The differential drivers over microbial necromass C between soil depths should be considered in Earth system models for accurately forecasting soil C dynamics and its potential feedback to global warming., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Understanding biogeographical patterns and underlying processes of belowground community assembly is crucial for predicting soil functions and their responses to global environmental change. However, little is known about potential differences of belowground community assembly among bacteria, fungi, protists and soil animals, particularly for alpine ecosystems. Based on the combination of large-scale field sampling, high-throughput marker-gene sequencing and multiple statistical analyses, we explored patterns and drivers of belowground community assembly in alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau. Our results revealed that the distance-decay rates varied among trophic levels, with organisms of higher trophic level having weaker distance-decay pattern. The spatial and environmental variables explained limited variations of belowground communities. By contrast, the stochastic processes, mainly consisting of dispersal limitation and drift, played a primary role in regulating belowground community assembly. Moreover, the relative importance of stochastic processes varied among trophic levels, with the role of dispersal limitation weakening whereas that of drift enhancing in the order of bacteria, fungi, protists and soil animals. These findings advance our understanding of patterns and mechanisms driving belowground community assembly in alpine ecosystems and provide a reference basis for predicting the dynamics of ecosystem functions under changing environment., (© 2021 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Soils, especially permafrost in the Arctic and the Tibetan Plateau, are one of the largest reservoirs of mercury (Hg) in the global environment. The Hg concentration in the grassland soils over the Tibetan Plateau and its driving factors have been less studied. This study analyzes soil total mercury (STHg) concentrations and its vertical distribution in grassland soil samples collected from the Tibetan Plateau. We adopt a nested-grid high-resolution GEOS-Chem model to simulate atmospheric Hg deposition. The relationship between STHg and soil organic carbon (SOC), as well as atmospheric deposition, are explored. Our results show that the STHg concentrations in the Tibetan Plateau are 19.8 ± 12.2 ng/g. The concentrations are higher in the south and lower in the north in the Tibetan Plateau, consistent with the previous results. Our model shows that the average deposition flux of Hg is 3.3 μg m -2 yr -1 , with 57% contributed by dry deposition of elemental mercury (Hg 0 ), followed by dry (19%) and wet (24%) deposition of divalent mercury. We calculate the Hg to carbon ratio (R Hg:C ) as 5.6 ± 6.5 μg Hg/g C, and the estimated STHg is 86.6 ± 101.2 Gg in alpine grasslands in the Tibetan Plateau. We find a positive relationship between STHg and SOC in the Tibetan Plateau (r 2  = 0.36) and a similar positive relationship between STHg and atmospheric total Hg deposition (r 2  = 0.24). A multiple linear regression involving both variables better model the observed STHg (r 2  = 0.42). We conclude that SOC and atmospheric deposition influence STHg simultaneously in this region. The data provides information to quantify the size of the soil Hg pool in the Tibetan Plateau further, which has important implications for the Hg cycles in the permafrost regions as well as on the global scale., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We declare that we do not have any commercial or associative interest that represents a conflict of interest in connection with the work submitted., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

It had been suggested that permafrost thaw could promote frozen nitrogen (N) release and modify microbial N transformation rates, which might alter soil N availability and then regulate ecosystem functions. However, the current understanding of this issue is confined to limited observations in the Arctic permafrost region, without any systematic measurements in other permafrost regions. Based on a large-scale field investigation along a 1,000 km transect and a laboratory incubation experiment with a 15 N pool dilution approach, this study provides the comprehensive evaluation of the permafrost N status, including the available N content and related N transformation rates, across the Tibetan alpine permafrost region. In contrast to the prevailing view, our results showed that the Tibetan alpine permafrost had lower available N content and net N mineralization rate than the active layer. Moreover, the permafrost had lower gross rates of N mineralization, microbial immobilization and nitrification than the active layer. Our results also revealed that the dominant drivers of the gross N mineralization and microbial immobilization rates differed between the permafrost and the active layer, with these rates being determined by microbial properties in the permafrost while regulated by soil moisture in the active layer. In contrast, soil gross nitrification rate was consistently modulated by the soil NH 4 + content in both the permafrost and the active layer. Overall, patterns and drivers of permafrost N pools and transformation rates observed in this study offer new insights into the potential N release upon permafrost thaw and provide important clues for Earth system models to better predict permafrost biogeochemical cycles under a warming climate., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Methane (CH 4 ) dynamics across permafrost regions is critical in determining the magnitude and direction of permafrost carbon (C)-climate feedback. However, current studies are mainly derived from the Arctic area, with limited evidence from other permafrost regions. By combining large-scale laboratory incubation across 51 sampling sites with machine learning techniques and bootstrap analysis, here, we determined regional patterns and dominant drivers of CH 4 oxidation potential in alpine steppe and meadow (CH 4 sink areas) and CH 4 production potential in swamp meadow (CH 4 source areas) across the Tibetan alpine permafrost region. Our results showed that both CH 4 oxidation potential (in alpine steppe and meadow) and CH 4 production potential (in swamp meadow) exhibited large variability across various sampling sites, with the median value being 8.7, 9.6, and 11.5 ng g -1 dry soil h -1 , respectively. Our results also revealed that methanotroph abundance and soil moisture were two dominant factors regulating CH 4 oxidation potential, whereas CH 4 production potential was mainly affected by methanogen abundance and the soil organic carbon content, with functional gene abundance acting as the best explaining variable. These results highlight the crucial role of microbes in regulating CH 4 dynamics, which should be considered when predicting the permafrost C cycle under future climate scenarios.

Soil respiration (Rs) is an important source of atmospheric CO 2 flux and is sensitive to changes in soil nutrient and water contents. Despite extensive studies on the effects of enhanced atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition and changes in precipitation (P) on Rs, few studies have taken into account the effects of interactions between these factors on Rs of alpine grasslands. To address these questions, we investigated the effects of N addition (10 g N m -2 yr -1 ), changes in precipitation (±50% precipitation), and their interaction on soil respiration and its components, including heterotrophic respiration (Rh) and autotrophic respiration (Ra),in a Tibetan alpine steppe during three consecutive growing seasons. We found that Rs differed in its response to N addition and precipitation regimes. Specifically, decreased precipitation led to a significant reduction in Rs during the last two years, whereas N addition minimally impacted Rs. Another important finding was that soil respiration components differed in their response to N addition and precipitation regimes. Nitrogen addition significantly enhanced Ra, whereas Rh was not altered in response to N addition. By contrast, the precipitation regime led to marked changes in Rh, but exhibited marginally significant effects on Ra. Therefore, our findings highlighted that soil respiration differed in its response to N addition and precipitation regimes mainly due to the different responses of soil respiration components to these factors. Therefore, carbon dynamics should take soil respiration components into account under global change scenarios.

Permafrost thaw could lead to frozen carbon (C) being laterally transferred to aquatic systems as dissolved organic carbon (DOC). If this part of DOC has high biodegradability, it could be decomposed during the delivery process, release greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and trigger positive C-climate feedback. Thermokarst is an abrupt permafrost thaw process that can enhance DOC export and also impact DOC processing through increased inorganic nitrogen (N) and ultraviolet (UV) light exposure. Especially on the Tibetan Plateau, where thermokarst develops widely and suffers from serious UV radiation and N limitation. However, it remains unclear how thermokarst-impacted biodegradable DOC (BDOC) responds to inorganic N addition and UV radiation. Here, we explored the responses of DOC concentration, composition and its biodegradability to inorganic N and UV amendments in a typical thermokarst on the Tibetan Plateau, by using laboratory incubations with spectral analyses (UV-visible absorption and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra) and parallel factor analyses. Our results showed that BDOC in thermokarst outflows was significantly higher than in reference water. Our results also revealed that inorganic N addition had no influence on thermokarst-impacted BDOC, whereas exposure to UV light significantly increased BDOC by as much as 2.3 times higher than the dark-control. Moreover, N addition and UV radiation did not generate additive effects on BDOC. Our results further illustrated that dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition explained more of the variability in BDOC, while the nutrients and other physicochemical properties played a minor role. Overall, these results imply that UV light rather than inorganic N significantly increases thermokarst-derived BDOC, potentially strengthening the positive permafrost C-climate feedback., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Permafrost thaw alters the physical and environmental conditions of soil and may thus cause a positive feedback to climate warming through increased methane emissions. However, the current knowledge of methane emissions following thermokarst development is primarily based on expanding lakes and wetlands, with upland thermokarst being studied less often. In this study, we monitored the methane emissions during the peak growing seasons of two consecutive years along a thaw sequence within a thermo-erosion gully in a Tibetan swamp meadow. Both years had consistent results, with the early and midthaw stages (3 to 12 years since thaw) exhibiting low methane emissions that were similar to those in the undisturbed meadow, while the emissions from the late thaw stage (20 years since thaw) were 3.5 times higher. Our results also showed that the soil water-filled pore space, rather than the soil moisture per se, in combination with the sand content, were the main factors that caused increased methane emissions. These findings differ from the traditional view that upland thermokarst could reduce methane emissions owing to the improvement of drainage conditions, suggesting that upland thermokarst development does not always result in a decrease in methane emissions.