Rapid ecological change outpaces climate warming in Tibetan glacier lakes
Abstract The rapid warming of the Tibetan Plateau, at more than twice the global average, raises urgent questions about how quickly alpine aquatic ecosystem can respond. Here, using lake sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) and photosynthetic pigment analysis, we investigated algal productivity and div...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02443-6 |
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| author | Chenliang Du Ke Zhang Qi Lin Shixin Huang Yaoyao Han Junming Ren Peng Xing Jianbao Liu David Taylor Ji Shen |
| author_facet | Chenliang Du Ke Zhang Qi Lin Shixin Huang Yaoyao Han Junming Ren Peng Xing Jianbao Liu David Taylor Ji Shen |
| author_sort | Chenliang Du |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The rapid warming of the Tibetan Plateau, at more than twice the global average, raises urgent questions about how quickly alpine aquatic ecosystem can respond. Here, using lake sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) and photosynthetic pigment analysis, we investigated algal productivity and diversity (alpha, beta) changes in a Tibetan glacier lake, Guozha Co, China, and by integrating regional lake records, we further estimated the rate of change (RoC) associated with lake ecosystem and temperature over the past two centuries. Our findings reveal that while the RoC of algal communities historically tracked temperature trends, a significant divergence emerged in the 1980s, with the ecological RoC surpassing that of climate warming. The observed shift from cold-tolerant to warm-adapted algal species, alongside enhanced primary productivity, is closely linked to rising temperatures and the cascading effects of glacier retreat. This rate mismatch signals a significant disruption in the long-standing equilibrium between climate and aquatic ecosystems, with potentially far-reaching consequences for alpine biodiversity conservation under accelerating global change. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-eba08f5bf5d44d94ac57f979f268a762 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-eba08f5bf5d44d94ac57f979f268a7622025-08-20T03:42:00ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352025-07-016111310.1038/s43247-025-02443-6Rapid ecological change outpaces climate warming in Tibetan glacier lakesChenliang Du0Ke Zhang1Qi Lin2Shixin Huang3Yaoyao Han4Junming Ren5Peng Xing6Jianbao Liu7David Taylor8Ji Shen9School of Geography and Ocean Sciences, Nanjing UniversityState Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of SciencesSchool of Geography and Ocean Sciences, Nanjing UniversityState Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of SciencesSchool of Geography and Ocean Sciences, Nanjing UniversityState Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System Science, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of SciencesDepartment of Geography, National University of SingaporeSchool of Geography and Ocean Sciences, Nanjing UniversityAbstract The rapid warming of the Tibetan Plateau, at more than twice the global average, raises urgent questions about how quickly alpine aquatic ecosystem can respond. Here, using lake sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) and photosynthetic pigment analysis, we investigated algal productivity and diversity (alpha, beta) changes in a Tibetan glacier lake, Guozha Co, China, and by integrating regional lake records, we further estimated the rate of change (RoC) associated with lake ecosystem and temperature over the past two centuries. Our findings reveal that while the RoC of algal communities historically tracked temperature trends, a significant divergence emerged in the 1980s, with the ecological RoC surpassing that of climate warming. The observed shift from cold-tolerant to warm-adapted algal species, alongside enhanced primary productivity, is closely linked to rising temperatures and the cascading effects of glacier retreat. This rate mismatch signals a significant disruption in the long-standing equilibrium between climate and aquatic ecosystems, with potentially far-reaching consequences for alpine biodiversity conservation under accelerating global change.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02443-6 |
| spellingShingle | Chenliang Du Ke Zhang Qi Lin Shixin Huang Yaoyao Han Junming Ren Peng Xing Jianbao Liu David Taylor Ji Shen Rapid ecological change outpaces climate warming in Tibetan glacier lakes Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | Rapid ecological change outpaces climate warming in Tibetan glacier lakes |
| title_full | Rapid ecological change outpaces climate warming in Tibetan glacier lakes |
| title_fullStr | Rapid ecological change outpaces climate warming in Tibetan glacier lakes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rapid ecological change outpaces climate warming in Tibetan glacier lakes |
| title_short | Rapid ecological change outpaces climate warming in Tibetan glacier lakes |
| title_sort | rapid ecological change outpaces climate warming in tibetan glacier lakes |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02443-6 |
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