Almaz Borjigidai

The southwestern Tibetan Plateau (TP) is characterized by cold and dry alpine grasslands, yet how plants and soil nitrogen cycles adapt to conditions that are drier and colder than other parts of the TP remain unclear. We measured δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N in Astragalus, a widespread N-fixing legume, and soils along a 3500-5000 m transect in the southwestern TP. Plant δ¹³C and inferred intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE, 85.6-114.2 μmol CO₂ mol^-1 H₂O) were primarily controlled by growing-season temperature (GST), with SEM showing a significant direct effect of GST on iWUE (standardized path coefficient = 0.45, p < 0.01). Conversely, soil δ¹⁵N (2.8‰ to 11.3‰) was negatively associated with mean annual precipitation (MAP; R² = 0.26, p < 0.01), while plant-soil Δ¹⁵N was mainly driven by mean annual precipitation (MAP, R² = 0.24, p < 0.01). These Δ¹⁵N patterns may reflect shifts in the relative contribution of atmospheric N₂ fixation and soil N uptake by Astragalus, as inferred from isotopic evidence. These results suggest potential responses of plant carbon-water coupling and isotope-inferred N acquisition under future warming and drying in high-elevation ecosystems.

Climate change poses a significant threat to global ecosystems by altering the geographical distribution of plant species. Glycyrrhiza uralensis, a plant o

Scutellaria baicalensis is an important medicinal plant, and the diversity of its rhizosphere microbiota may influence its growth, development, and yield. Numerous studies have reported that warming associated with global climate change significantly altered plant-associated soil microbial diversity. To reveal the effects of night-time warming on the rhizosphere microbial community of S. baicalensis, soil microbial diversity in the rhizosphere (RS) and bulk soil (BS) of S. baicalensis were analyzed by employing bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal ITS sequencing technology. Warming significantly altered both bacterial and fungal communities in the rhizosphere and bulk soils of S. baicalensis, with pronounced changes in OTU composition, relative abundances at both phylum and species levels. The analysis of alpha and beta diversity showed that warming significantly altered the fungal community structure in the rhizosphere soil (R² = 0.423, p < 0.05) and significantly reduced the species richness in the bulk soil of S. baicalensis (Shannon and Simpson index, p < 0.05). LEfSe and functional prediction analyses revealed that warming altered the taxonomic composition of both bacterial (35 taxa, LDA > 3) and fungal (24 taxa, LDA > 4) communities in rhizosphere and bulk soils of S. baicalensis, with multiple bacterial and fungal taxa serving as treatment-specific biomarkers. Functional predictions indicated that fungal functional groups, including saprotrophic and mycorrhizal guilds, were more strongly affected by warming than bacteria. Overall, warming has a significantly stronger impact on fungal communities in the rhizosphere and bulk soils of S. baicalensis than on bacteria, and has a significantly greater effect on the diversity of microbial communities in bulk soils than that in rhizosphere soils. This study provides important data for understanding the impact of global climate change on the rhizosphere microbial communities of cultivated plants.

Species from the Gentianaceae family (G.algida, G.macrophylla, G.decumbens, and G.barbata) are used in Mongolian-Tibetan medicine for inflammation, infections, and digestive issues, but their bioactive compounds remain insufficiently studied. This study aimed to evaluate the secondary metabolite profiles, biological activities, and therapeutic potential of these four species native to Khuvsgul Province, Mongolia, combining ethnobotanical surveys with experimental analyses to validate their traditional uses. Ethnobotanical data were collected from 51 informants through questionnaires covering plant use, preparation, dosage, side effects, and habitat. RFC values were calculated to assess importance. Total phenolic and flavonoids were measured by UV spectrophotometry. Antioxidant (DPPH), antibacterial (agar block), and toxicity were determined using Artemia nauplii and evaluated with Clarkson’s index. G. macrophylla, G. decumbens, and G. algida had high RFC values (0.49, 0.78, 0.83), indicating notable traditional use. G. barbata showed the highest flavonoid content (33.4–38.6 RE/g) and antibacterial activity: four strains, while G. decumbens 2 strains found to be activity. G. decumbens and G. macrophylla had the strongest antioxidant activity (IC₅₀: 21.08–21.22 μg/mL). Clarkson’s index rated G. decumbens as non-toxic and G. macrophylla as medium toxic. G. decumbens has the potential to develop herbal products based on its properties, such as strong antibacterial and antioxidant activity, high traditional usage, and non-toxicity. For further study of the therapeutic effects of G. decumbens, more comprehensive studies on pharmacology are required.

Grazing exclusion through fencing is widely used for vegetation restoration in degraded alpine meadows. However, the dynamic responses of plant communities to grazing exclusion remain poorly understood, especially from an integrated perspective of species diversity, niches, and interspecific associations. In this study, we investigated four proximate alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau with different fencing durations (0, 2, 6 and 12 years). We assessed the responses of plant diversity, niche characteristics, and interspecific associations to fencing duration, along with relationships among these dimensions. The results showed a unimodal response of plant diversity to fencing duration, with the Patrick richness index varying in coordination with niche and interspecific association metrics. After 2 years of fencing, the community niche breadth expanded, accompanied by increased niche overlap and Ochiai association index among major species. By 6 years of fencing, the niche breadth shifted toward lower values, and niche overlap of major species decreased significantly, with the proportion of species pairs with high overlap and high association reduced by 21.95% and 25.93%, respectively. After 12 years of fencing, niche overlap rebounded significantly, and the proportion of species pairs with high niche overlap and high association increased by 18.79% and 16.84%, respectively. Our findings support identifying 6 years of fencing as a critical intervention point. At this stage, the community achieves a dynamic balance between competition and coexistence through niche differentiation, maintaining high species diversity. We suggest moderate disturbance should be implemented in alpine meadows thereafter to prevent retrogressive succession.

To visualize and analyze the scientific research results related to Astragalus resources from 2004 to 2024, in order to provide a basis for subsequent scientific research on Astragalus resources. The Chinese literature in China Knowledge Network (CNKI), and the English literature in Web of Science (WOS) core database were searched. The software Citespace, VOSviwer was used to visualize and analyze the number of publications, inter-country/inter-region partnerships, institutional partnerships, and keyword co-occurrence. The future research hotspots of Astragalus resources mainly focus on the conservation of Astragalus germplasm resources and ecological environment protection, as well as the research and development of new cultivation techniques. At the same time, the use of chemical means to explore the active ingredients of Astragalus and its mechanism of action, combined with metabolomics and transcriptomics to study the pharmacological mechanism of Astragalus, and to explore the therapeutic effect of Astragalus on cancer will still be the future research trend. Besides, industrialization, commercialization and standardization of resource management of Astragalus resources will also be the focus of future research. Based on CiteSpace and VOSviwer, the literature of Astragalus resources at home and abroad is visualized and analyzed, which intuitively reveals the research hotspots and research dynamics of Astragalus resources, and provides reference value for scientific research, development and utilization, protection, and follow-up research of Astragalus resources.