Abstract: Asymmetric warming refers to the difference in temperature increase between day and night. Night temperature is increasing faster than day temperature. This phenomenon has been discovered in most parts of the world. However, most of the previous studies were based on the equivalent warming throughout the day, which did not consider the different effects of daytime and nighttime warming. Some studies have showed that daytime and nighttime warming lead to various effects due to different mechanisms. We reviewed the effects of asymmetric warming on plant phenology, ecosystem carbon cycle, biological community, and primary productivity as well as the mechanisms. We summarized the possible effects of asymmetric warming on carbon cycle of alpine ecosystems. Based on the current researches, we propose that future research on asymmetric warming should be paid attention to validate the universality of some ecological laws, such as “photosynthetic compensation” under nighttime warming. Furthermore, we should pay more attention to soil carbon accumulation and release in alpine permafrost regions, and the relationships between biodiversity and the stability of ecosystem productivity. Therefore, we will acquire more understanding and cognition of the impacts of global warming.

Key words: diurnal asymmetric warming, plant phenology, ecosystem carbon cycle, biological community, vegetation productivity.