Vegetation attributes and soil properties of alpine grassland in different degradation stages on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China: a meta-analysis

Alpine grassland is an important aspect of the ecosystem of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The degradation of alpine grassland seriously affects the regional sustainable development. At present, the change mechanism of vegetation attributes and soil properties in different degradation stages of alpine grassland has not meant clarified. Taking alpine grassland of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as the research object, the changes of vegetation attributes and soil properties of alpine grassland in different degradation stages of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and their internal relationship through meta-analysis. The results showed that with the deepening of degradation, the response of vegetation attributes showed a downward trend, species evenness and Shannon–Wiener index showed a downward trend from moderate degradation to severe degradation, and species richness showed a “V” trend in the degradation stage. Soil total nitrogen, total potassium, total phosphorus, available nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, soil moisture, soil organic matter, and soil organic carbon showed a downward trend, while soil bulk density and pH showed an increasing tendency. This study is useful to clarify the degradation laws of alpine grasslands at different degradation stages, and provide the scientific basis and the theoretical basis for the restoration of degraded alpine grassland.