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The first known gynander of the East Asian cellophane bee Colletes hedini Kuhlmann (Hymenoptera: Colletidae) is described and imaged. We provide an illustrated differential diagnosis based on the terminalia, which are entirely male. We also DNA barcoded the gynander to confirm its identity, and the complete barcode sequence is made public. In the single specimen discovered, the distribution of female and male tissues is patchy and random (i.e., not split among tagmata or along a particular axis of the body) and thus the individual can be categorized as a mosaic gynander. This discovery represents one of only a few confirmed cases of gynandromorphism in colletid bees and the second in Colletes.

Grassland reconstruction is a major approach to alleviate the ‘black beach’ in Sanjiangyuan of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. It is vital to understand how to manage the planting grassland after reconstruction. And which artificial grassland management pattern is more likely to restore the degraded grassland of ‘black beach?’ To provide the scientific basis for the restoration of ‘black beach’, we investigated the changes in vegetation characteristics, soil physicochemical properties and soil microbial community structure of planting grassland under different management patterns, and explored the effect of the management patterns on community succession of planting grassland. In this study, vegetation characteristics and soil physicochemical properties were measured by field investigation and laboratory analyses, respectively. Soil microbial community composition was determined by high-throughput sequencing techniques. The results showed that there were significant differences in vegetation characteristics, soil physicochemical properties and soil microbial community structure of the planting grassland under different management patterns. Actinobacteria and Basidiomycota were mainly controlled by vegetation plant species diversity, aboveground biomass (AGB) and soil organic carbon (SOC). Shannon-Wiener index, AGB and SOC peaked and the relative abundance of amplicon sequence variants annotated by Actinobacteria and Basidiomycota were significantly enriched under the management pattern of the planting once treatment. Additionally, the soil had the highest bacterial diversity and the lowest fungal diversity under the planting once treatment, becoming a ‘bacterial’ soil. These vegetation characteristics and soil environment were more conducive to overall positive community succession, indicating that the planting once treatment is the most reasonable management pattern for restoring the ‘black beach’.

The identification of miRNAs and their functionality has mainly focused on the responses to single stresses or their combination under controlled conditions; however, the investigation of miRNAs under natural conditions is still limited. In the present study, miRNA-sequencing technology was used to identify differentially expressed miRNAs in the herbaceous plant, sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia), growing under the natural conditions present at low and high altitudes in the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau (QTP). In total, 298 known miRNAs and 190 novel putative miRNAs were identified, with miR319, miR166 and miR159 being the most highly represented miRNA families. In addition, results also revealed that 96 miRNAs, including 68 up-regulated and 28 down-regulated miRNAs, were differently expressed in sainfoin plants growing at a high-altitude, relative to those at a low altitude. Known miRNAs, such as miR156, miR160, miR397 and miR408, were among the up-regulated miRNAs, as well as novel-m0071 and novel-m0014. It is suggested that these miRNAs may play a crucial role in the adaption of sainfoin to the extreme natural environmental conditions present in the QTP. Additionally, a correlation analysis indicated that miR164 and miR5741 families had the largest number of target genes. As a result, they may play a primary role in the adaptation of sainfoin to adverse environmental conditions. The results obtained by stem-loop RT-qPCR analysis were consistent with the data obtained by high-throughput sequencing, confirming the accuracy of the miRNA sequencing. This is the first study to report on the identification of miRNAs in sainfoin under natural conditions, as well as differentially expressed miRNAs in sainfoin plants growing under natural contrasting environments, which will help elucidate the miRNA-mediated molecular mechanisms associated with the ability of sainfoin to adapt to the high-altitude environmental conditions in the QTP.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a serious infection caused by the new coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The disease was first identified in December 2019 and has caused significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. AIM: To explore the clinical characteristics and treatments for COVID-19 in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau Area in China. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the blood cell counts (neutrophils and lymphocytes), blood gas analysis, and thoracic computed tomography changes of patients from Qinghai Province before, during, and after treatment (January 23, 2020 to February 21, 2020). In addition, we summarized and analyzed the information of critical patients. All data were analyzed using SPSS 17.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, United States). The quantitative and count variables are represented as the mean ± SD and n (%), respectively. RESULTS: The main symptoms and signs of patients with COVID-19 were fever, dry cough, cough with phlegm, difficulty breathing, and respiratory distress with a respiration rate ≥ 30 times/min, finger oxygen saturation ≤ 93% in the resting state, and oxygenation index less than 200 but greater than 100 (after altitude correction). Eighteen patients with COVID-19, of whom three were critical, and the others were in a mild condition, were included. The main manifestations included fever, dry cough, and fatigue. Three patients developed difficulty breathing and had a fever. They were eventually cured and discharged. Adjuvant examinations showed one case with reduced white cell count (6%) (< 4 × 109/L), six with reduced count of lymphocytes (33%) (< 0.8 × 109/L), and one with abnormal blood glucose level. All 18 patients were discharged, and no death occurred. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide critical insight into assessing the clinical diagnosis and treatment for COVID-19 in the Tibetan plateau area.

Burrows provide burrowing animals with a place to hibernate, reproduce, and avoid predators and harsh weather conditions and thus have a vital impact on their survival. However, the general physical characteristics and ecological functions of Marmota himalayana burrows as well as whether there are differences in burrow traits under different terrains (e.g., sunny slopes, shady slopes, and flat areas) are not well understood. From July to August 2019 (warm season), we used unmanned aerial vehicles to fly at low altitudes and slow speeds to locate 131 M. himalayana burrows (45 on shaded slopes, 51 on sunny slopes, and 35 on flat areas) in the northeastern Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau region. We then measured the physical characteristics (burrow density, entrance size, first tunnel length, volume, orientation, and plant characteristics near the burrow entrance) of these burrows on site. We found that terrain had a substantial influence on burrow density, orientation, and entrance size and on the angle of the burrow entrance; species richness had a substantial impact on path density and tunnel volume. The physical parameters of the M. himalayana burrows showed that they function to protect the marmots from natural enemies and bad weather, provide good drainage, and maintain a stable microclimate around the entrance. We discuss the ability of burrowing animals (e.g., M. himalayana) to adapt to the external environment based on their burrow characteristics.

Thaw slumps are widely distributed in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) due to global warming and engineering constructions. However, an understanding of the effect of thaw slumps on the 3-D soil macropore networks is lacking. In this study, we aimed to quantify the responses of soil macropore structure to thaw slumps in QTP. Three stages were selected according to the intensities of thaw slumping, including the original grassland, collapsing areas, and collapsed areas. Nine undisturbed soil cores (0–30-cm deep) were collected in total with 3 replicates sampled at each stage, and they were scanned by X-ray computed tomography (CT). The results showed that collapsing areas had higher macroporosity, branch density, and node density than the original grassland and collapsed areas. The macropore networks in the collapsing areas had the highest connectivity among the three thaw slump stages. Macropores with volume > 10 mm3 accounted for more than 50% of the total macropore volume in the original grassland, collapsing areas, and collapsed areas. We speculate that compared with the other two stages, the soil macropore structure in the collapsing areas is more conducive to water infiltration and lateral migration. The connectivity of macropore networks in the collapsed areas was the lowest among the three stages, which may result in water infiltration difficulties after thaw slumps. Thaw slumps affected the soil macropore structure remarkably. The effects of thaw slumps on soil macropore network characteristics were more significantly than on the macropore size distribution.

The development of rural tourism (RT) has great significance in reducing poverty and achieving rural vitalization. Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) is a depressed area with rich RT resources due to its unspoiled nature and diverse culture. For future sustainable development of RT in QTP, this paper analyzes the spatial distribution characteristics and its influencing factors of RT villages using various spatial analysis methods, such as nearest neighbor index, kernel density estimation, vector buffer analysis, and geographic detectors. The results show the following. First, the RT villages present an agglomeration distribution tendency dense in the southeast and spare in the northwest. The inter-county imbalance distribution feature is obvious and four relatively high-density zones have been formed. Second, the RT villages have significant positive spatial autocorrelation, and the area of cold spots is larger and of hot spots is smaller. Third, the RT villages are mainly distributed with favorable topographic and climate conditions, near the road and water, around the city, and close to tourism resources. Fourth, the spatial distribution is the result of multifactor interactions. Socio-economic and tourism resource are the dominant factor in the mechanism network. Fifth, based on the above conclusions this study provides scientific suggestions for the sustainable development of the RT industry.

Studying the morphological features and triggers of prehistorical giant landslides provides important information about landslide kinematics and dynamics. This study investigates a typical prehistorical giant landslide: the Luanshibao (LSB) landslide on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The LSB landslide is a typical long-runout (H/L = 0.207) giant granite landslide detached from a narrow ridge as a wedge failure cut by conjugate fissures that are widespread in the mountain. Two-stage failure produced the current deposit landforms: the first failure occurred at 3675±25~3580±25 a BP; the second failure occurred at 2180±49~2005±25 a BP. These two failures occurred during ancient seismic episodes, and earthquakes were potentially the triggers. The second failure reworked local morphological units of deposits forming the sliding zone (multistage platforms and local scarps), local landslide zone (3 local landslides), and deposit zone (transverse ridges, cross ridges, oblique ridges, and hummocks) due to different mechanical states.

As a daily utensil and artefact, the presence of ceramic at an archaeological site is direct evidence of human activity. While ceramics have been found at numerous sites on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), most have been aged using conventional methods such as typology or radio-carbon dating of associated charcoal and bone. In this study, five sand-tempered grey ceramics from Talitaliha in the Qaidam Basin were dated using quartz and K-feldspar OSL. The reliability of the ceramic OSL ages was determined using six independent radiocarbon samples, three charcoal and three bone, from the same cultural layer. Six additional OSL ages were determined on sandy loess sediments at the Talitaliha site to provide upper and lower limits for the ceramic ages. The ceramic luminescence dating results are in good agreement with the 14C ages and are within the constraints of the stratigraphic OSL ages, suggesting that OSL dating of ceramics has great potential for archaeological research on the QTP. The determined age range for the Talitaliha site was between 3400–2800 cal BP; this fits well with Nuomuhong culture dates from other locations in the Qaidam Basin that range between 3400–2450 cal BP.

Continuous snowfall caused natural disasters, called snow disasters here, frequently occur on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China in recent decades, and cause a large number of losses of animal husbandry and human property. However, their long-term changes are poorly known. Here we use historical records to place recent variations of snow disasters under the background of the past 200 years. There are 366 snow disasters events for the 1820–2009 period, of which 230 happen during 1980–2009. In particular, the count of each decadal events since 1980 is larger than any other time during the past two centuries.

This study investigated the effect of rock fragments on tracer transport in broadleaved and coniferous forest soils from the 0 - 100 cm depth of Gongga Mountain in eastern margin of Qinghai Tibetan Plateau. Using repacked soil columns (20 cm in height and 10 cm in diameter) with different rock fragments contents (0%, 5%, and 15% in v/v), breakthrough curves of bromide (as non-reactive tracer) were obtained under saturated condition. A two-region model was applied and the parameters were estimated by inverse modeling. Results show that with increasing rock fragment content the dispersivity (λ) generally increased while the mobile-immobile partition coefficient (β) and the mass transfer coefficient (ω) decreased. The presence of rock fragments led to an increase in the fraction of immobile domain as well as soil tortuosity. A plausible explanation is that the soil beneath the rock fragments behaved as immobile domain and soil-rock interfaces could serve as preferential flow paths.

Phenology is an important indicator of plant responses to environmental changes and is closely correlated with biomass production. However, how changes in phenological events affect plant biomass production when exposed to changing temperature and precipitation remain unclear. We conducted a 4‐year manipulative experiment of warming and precipitation addition to explore phenology–biomass interactions under climate change in a dry alpine meadow on the central Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau from 2015 to 2018. In dry and warm years, warming delayed phenology and precipitation addition advanced them. Warming decreased the biomass of Kobresia pygmaea in 2018 and the biomass of Poa pratensis in 2015, 2017 and 2018. However, precipitation addition significantly increased the biomass of Poa pratensis and Potentilla multifida in most of the experimental years. Phenological changes regulated the responses of biomass to treatments. Specifically, delay of green up of P. pratensis and delay of withering of K. pygmaea induced by warming can increase biomass production, but it can be offset by the direct negative effects of warming on biomass. Synthesis. Here we show how warming‐induced drought tend to decrease the biomass production of graminoids and the negative effects of warming on the biomass of P. pratensis and K. pygmaea were partially offset by green up postponement and withering postponement respectively. Our results highlights phenology is a crucial regulator for biomass production under climate change. Hence, both direct and indirect effects of warming and precipitation addition on phenology and biomass cannot be ignored when predicting biomass responses to climate change.

Background: In high-altitude animals, brain cell resilience against hypoxia stress is one critical evolutionary step that has promoted individual survival and species adaptation to the environment....

Cryptosporidium and Giardia are well-known parasitic protozoans responsible for waterborne and foodborne diarrhoeal diseases. However, data are not available on market vegetables contaminated with Cryptosporidium and Giardia in China. In the present study, 642 different vegetable samples were collected from Xining City street vendors in the Qinghai Province to study the Cryptosporidium and Giardia contamination rates via PCR and sequence analyses. Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis were detected in 16 (2.5%) and 73 (11.4%) samples, respectively. Two species of Cryptosporidium, C. parvum (n = 11) and C. andersoni (n = 5), were identified. G. duodenalis assemblage B was identified in almost all positive samples (n = 72), except one sample that contained G. duodenalis assemblage E. We report on the rate of Cryptosporidium and Giardia contamination in vegetables for the first time from the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau Area (QTPA) in China.

Forest regeneration plays an important role in the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) budget after clear-cutting. Nonetheless, the effects of regeneration pattern on soilatmosphere exchange of greenhouse gases (GHG; CO 2 ,CH 4 and N O) remain poorly understood on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. This study reports measured field layer GHG fluxes from Picea asperata broadleaved mixed forest (MF, mixed forests with planted P. asperata and natural regeneration of broadleaved species), natural secondary forest (NF, natural without assisted regeneration), and P. asperata plantation forest (PF, artificial planting) to investigate the influence of regeneration patterns on soil GHG fluxes. The soils of the three forest types acted as CO 2 and N 2 O sources and CH sinks. The seasonal variation in GHG fluxes was related to soil temperature, rather than soil moisture. Forest types originating from different regeneration processes exhibited different gaseous C fluxes (CO 4 2 1 and CH ), but did not exhibit significant effect on N 2 O emissions. NF and MF had higher CO emissions than PF. The difference was related to soil C and N density, NH 4 + concentration, and soil ?-glucosidase activity, rather than the soil microbial community. NF had higher CH uptake than the other two forest types, which is possibly related to specific individual phospholipid fatty acids. Overall, forest types differing in regeneration patterns had a significant impact on the C balance from the perspective of soil-atmosphere exchange of gaseous C at our site. Therefore, the GHG fluxes should be considered when taking measures of forest management and regeneration practices in this region.

The understanding of temperature trends in high elevation mountain areas is an integral part of climate change research and it is critical for assessing the impacts of climate change on water resources including glacier melt, degradation of soils, and active layer thickness. In this study, climate changes were analyzed based on trends in air temperature variables (Tmax, Tmin, Tmean), and Diurnal Temperature Range (DTR) as well as elevation-dependent warming at annual and seasonal scales in the Headwaters of Yangtze River (HWYZ), Qinghai Tibetan Plateau. The Base Period (1965-2014) was split into two subperiods; Period-I (1965-1989) and Period-II (1990- 2014) and the analysis was constrained over two subbasins; Zhimenda and Tuotuohe. Increasing trends were found in absolute changes in temperature variables during Period-II as compared to Period-I. Tmax, Tmin, and Tmean had significant increasing trends for both sub-basins. The highest significant trends in annual time scale were observed in Tmin (1.15°C decade−1) in Tuotuohe and 0.98°C decade−1 in Zhimenda sub-basins. In Period-II, only the winter season had the highest magnitudes of Tmax and Tmin 0.58°C decade−1 and 1.26°C decade−1 in Tuotuohe subbasin, respectively. Elevation dependent warming analysis revealed that Tmax, Tmin and Tmean trend magnitudes increase with the increase of elevations in the middle reaches (4000 m to 4400 m) of the HWYZ during Period-II annually. The increasing trend magnitude during Period-II, for Tmax, is 1.77, 0.92, and 1.31°C decade−1, for Tmin 1.20, 1.32 and 1.59°C decade−1, for Tmean 1.51, 1.10 and 1.51°C decade−1 at elevations of 4066 m, 4175 m and 4415 m respectively in the winter season. Tmean increases during the spring season for > 3681 m elevations during Period-II, with no particular relation with elevation dependency for other variables. During the summer season in Period- II, Tmax, Tmin, Tmean increases with the increase of elevations (3681 m to 4415 m) in the middle reaches of HWYZ. Elevation dependent warming (EDW), the study concluded that magnitudes of Tmin are increasing significantly after the 1990s as compared to Tmax in the HWYZ. It is concluded that the climate of the HWYZ is getting warmer in both sub-basins and the rate of warming was more evident after the 1990s. The outcomes of the study provide an essential insight into climate change in the region and would be a primary index to select and design research scenarios to explore the impacts of climate change on water resources.

A core collection reflects the diversity of the larger germplasm collection and makes the evaluation of genetic resources more effective. To improve barley germplasm management, we propose the construction of a core genetic collection derived from a set of 204 six-rowed hulless barley accessions (39 registered cultivars and 165 landraces) native to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). A sampling percentage of 20% was predicted by the maximization strategy. Five different sampling strategies (Mstrat, Random, REMC, SBS, and SFS) were applied to establish 5 primary core collections from the original 204 accessions using 1750 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. After the evaluation and analysis of core collection representativeness, the Mstrat strategy was determined to be a valid method for developing a core collection. A total of 41 barley accessions were obtained, including 11 registered cultivars and 30 landraces. Genetic structure analysis of the 204 barley accessions showed that the core collection was evenly distributed throughout the initial collection, indicating that the core collection represented the larger germplasm well. A subset of 28 SNP markers were produced and used to distinguish all 204 barley accessions from each other. We believe the collection of 28 SNP markers will be incredibly helpful to barley breeders. Furthermore, the core collection ensures the long-term conservation of genetic resources and will support improvements to six-rowed hulless barley from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

With the increasing demand for global water resources and general deterioration of the ecological environment of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, changes to the water conservation functions of ecosystems and the impact mechanisms have attracted great attention. Currently, the research on water conservation has mainly focused on a single biome type, in particular, forests. Few studies explore the differences in water conservation functions of different biome types. Research on this topic mostly utilizes field investigations and sample plot settings to explore the differences in water conservation capacity of a small number of tree species, but these methods are limited in time and space. Therefore, this study uses MODIS products to evaluate the water conservation function of different biome types in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Dynamic monitoring of the vegetation and water conservation capacity in the study area and research on the responses of the water conservation functions of different biome types were conducted. The results indicate that the vegetation of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau increased slightly from 2000 to 2015; however, due to the dual influence of climate and topographic factors, the water conservation capacity showed a slight decline. The water conservation service function mainly comes from grassland ecosystems, which are closely related to vegetation density and biome types. Therefore, to greatly improve the water conservation service function of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, the management and planting of vegetation should be conducted according to the optimal vegetation coverage area, vegetation quantities and biome types.

The change in soil microbial biomass (SMB) content and its direct links to soil organic matter (SOM) and environmental factors are not well understood for high-elevation regions. Therefore, this re...

Shigaze city is situated in the southwestern Tibetan Plateau and is the second largest city in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Groundwater is the major source of domestic and drinking water for urban inhabitants. In this study, the major ion chemistry and a water quality assessment of groundwater were studied using geochemical methods and fuzzy comprehensive assessment. Groundwater was classified as slightly alkaline soft and hard freshwater, and the influence of anthropogenic activities on groundwater was relatively weak. The dominant cations and anions were Ca2+ and Mg2+ and HCO3− and SO42−, respectively. Overall, the mean concentrations of major ions in groundwater increase gradually over time, except for NO3−; however, the mean value of pH decreases over time. Most groundwater samples belong to the type of HCO3-Ca, and the groundwater has a trend of evolution from HCO3-Ca to the mixed type. Rock weathering was the main hydrogeochemical process controlling groundwater hydrochemistry, and the dissolution of carbonate and silicate minerals were the primary contributors to the formation of the major ion chemistry of groundwater. Major ions of groundwater in the urban area of Shigaze are below the standard limits, and the groundwater is excellent for drinking according to the fuzzy comprehensive assessment.

Biocrusts (biological soil crusts), which impact plant community characteristics and soil properties, are an important feature of soil surface in terrestrial ecosystem and called ecosystem engineer...