Understanding the process and mechanisms of alpine meadow degradation is crucial for restoration and management in the Three-River Headwaters region, Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China. However, little is known about this complex and controversial problem because identification and quantification of the underlying causes is difficult. This research aimed to build a spatiotemporal dynamical model for alpine meadow degradation, capturing the natural process of erosion at the interface of barren patches and undamaged meadow. The model clarified the role of barren patches and meadow connectivity in degradation, and identified the ecological mechanisms and processes accounting for the spatial and temporal pattern of degradation. A fragmentation and percolation threshold exists in the process of meadow degradation, independent of spatial scale. An impulsive differential equation was used to investigate the consequence of periodic restoration of degraded meadow. Both the level of meadow degradation and the restoration period play crucial roles in determining whether the meadow can be successfully restored. This research has demonstrated theoretically that the effectiveness of meadow restoration by periodic effort depends on the degree of degradation.

了解青藏高原三河源头地区恢复和管理高山草甸退化的过程和机制至关重要。但是，由于很难识别和量化潜在原因，因此对这一复杂而有争议的问题知之甚少。这项研究旨在建立一个高空草甸退化的时空动力学模型，捕捉贫瘠斑块和未损坏草甸的界面上的自然侵蚀过程。该模型阐明了荒漠斑块和草甸连通性在退化中的作用，并确定了造成退化时空格局的生态机制和过程。草甸退化过程中存在碎片和渗滤阈值，与空间尺度无关。使用脉冲微分方程研究退化草地定期恢复的结果。草地退化的程度和恢复期在确定草地能否成功恢复中都起着至关重要的作用。这项研究从理论上证明了通过定期努力恢复草地的有效性取决于退化程度。