Restoration of degraded alpine meadow caused by overgrazing is directly related to land sustainable and economical development in the Tibetan Plateau. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in vegetation and soil characteristics in areas under overgrazing and exclosed for 5 to 10 years for grazing in a degraded alpine meadow on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Results showed that excluding livestock grazing resulted in significant increases in vegetation coverage and plant biomass by enhancing development of perennial grasses and sedges. Soil organic carbon and total nitrogen in the 0-10 cm soil layer increased significantly with increasing exclosure time. Soil clay and water contents were higher in the exclosed sites than in the grazed site. The results suggested that the degraded alpine meadow due to overgrazing in this region can be reversed and significant increases in soil fertility, vegetation diversity, cover, and biomass can be achieved by implementing adequate protecting practices.
The effects of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) addition to peatland ecosystem on emissions of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) were measured using the closed chamber method during one growing season within a peatland on the Tibetan Plateau. The highest N 2 O fluxes occurred during late spring (May), while fluxes of N 2 O were lowest during early autumn (September). No significant correlations were found between N 2 O emissions and soil temperature. Because of the sites stable hydrological conditions no evidence of correlations between N 2 O emissions and water content was found. There was a negative correlation between N 2 O fluxes and vegetation height. It was clearly shown that the emissions of N 2 O were significantly affected by increasing N availability. In contrast to that, no significant effect of P addition on the emissions of N 2 O was found in the present study.
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