Indication of paleoecological evidence on the evolution of alpine vegetation productivity and soil erosion in central China since the mid-Holocene

Although alpine ecosystems have been commonly recognized as sensitive to recent climate change, few studies have examined its impact on the long-term productivity of vegetation and soil erosion. Using paleoecological records, these two aspects were examined in the alpine zone of the Taibai Mountains (elevation, 3767 m) in monsoon-dominated East Asia since the middle Holocene. Proxies for the productivity of vegetation and severity of soil erosion from high-resolution alpine lacustrine records show that the productivity was closely related to mean annual temperature and soil erosion, to summer precipitation from the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM). Specifically, when the mean annual temperature was low and precipitation was abundant, during 5800–4000 calendar years before the present (cal. yr BP), the alpine ecosystem was characterized by low vegetation productivity and severe soil erosion. However, the productivity increased and soil erosion decreased from 4000 cal. yr BP onwards. These results highlight the role of paleoecological evidence in studying ecosystem services on longer time scales, which is significant in making policies for sustainable development under climate change in regions for which such long-term monitoring data are not available.