ABSTRACT
Warming and herbaceous functional group removal experiment was conducted in subalpine meadow to examine the effects of herbaceous species on Abies faxoniana seedlings by analyzing its physiological responses. The survival rate and non-structural carbohydrate content were significantly increased, but the growth and root/shoot of A. faxoniana were decreased. Seedling survival was significantly positively correlated with non-structural carbohydrate content, especially with soluble sugar. Under the treatment without warming, herbaceous species inhibited the survival of A. faxoniana, increased height growth and aboveground biomass. Grasses and forbs decreased the root length and belowground biomass of A. faxoniana. In the warming treatment, forbs increased the survival of A. faxoniana, sedges decreased root length and belowground biomass of A. faxoniana, and grasses and forbs decreased height growth and aboveground biomass of A. faxoniana. Simulated warming increased the survival of A. faxoniana seedlings, but also made it face stronger competition from herbaceous and thus inhibited its growth.
