China 2 Ecosystems 2 Precipitation gradients Soils 2 Algal crust 1 Alpine grassland 1 Alpine grasslands 1 Arid and semi-arid regions 1 Arid regions 1 Background environment 1 Biodiversity 1 Biological soil crusts 1 Biomass 1 Carbon dioxide 1 Changing rainfall regimes 1 Climate models 1 Coefficient of variation 1 Desert ecosystem 1 Digital storage 1 Economic and social effects 1 Ecosystem functioning 1 Ecosystem functions 1 Ecosystem structure 1 Grassland ecosystems 1 Humid zones 1 Individual rainfall event 1 Location 1 Moisture 1 Moisture index 1 Moss crust 1