No benefits from warming even for subnival vegetation in the central Himalayas

Global temperature has been increasing at unprecedented rates during the Anthropocene, impacting both natural and human systems. Alpine biomes, among the most sensitive natural ecosystems to climate warming, show rapid shifts of species distribution ranges and modulations of species interactions. The Himalayas (also known as the "water tower" of Asia and a global biodiversity hot spot) are highly sensitive and vulnerable to global warming as this is one of the fastest-warming regions in the world. Such rapid warming is expected to trigger upward shifts of alpine vegetation, because cold temperature limitations on growth and recruitment are being alleviated. However, increasing drought stress may dampen or even reverse this positive response of alpine ecosystems to warming climate. In addition, interactions between alpine plants co-determine the structure and function of subnival vegetation, and thereby stabilize their distribution range