Aims:The general effects of grazing by large herbivores on plant species composition and productivity are well known. Meanwhile, how different livestock species affect community structure is not fully understood. In northern China, livestock species composition is changing rapidly and hence, it is imperative to understand the resulting effects on grassland productivity and composition.Location: Xilingol, Inner Mongolia, China. Methods:We studied how grazing by three major livestock species affects typical steppe dominated by Leymus chinensis, Stipa grandis, Cleistogenes squarrosa and Carex korshinskyi, in a 4-year field experiment using a random block-design with four treatments (sheep, goat, cattle, no grazing), under summer grazing at moderate intensity.We calculated above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) and a selectivity index (SI) based on biomass to quantify livestock forage preferences.Result: We found that (i) sheep preferred Leymus chinensis and mixed subordinate species, cattle preferred Stipa grandis, and goat preferred Carex korshinskyi and Cleistogenes squarrosa. (ii) Consistent with these preferences, sheep increased the relative biomass of Stipa grandis, but reduced that of Carex korshinskyi; cattle reduced the relative biomass of Stipa grandis and Carex korshinskyi but increased that of mixed subordinate species; and goats reduced the relative biomass of Cleistogenes squarrosa and Carex korshinskyi but increased that of mixed subordinate species. (iii) Overall, grazing significantly increased ANPP, mainly due to an increase in ANPP of Leymus chinensis and subordinate species, at the cost of Stipa grandis.Conclusions: Summer grazing by different livestock species at moderate intensity can increase ANPP, while livestock forage preferences can drive divergent changes in species composition. Our results also imply that livestock composition can be used as a mean to manage vegetation dynamics.
Aims Grazing different grasslands with seasonal changes is the tradition in pastoral systems in natural grassland regions worldwide. The effects and mechanisms of different grazing seasons on semi‐arid steppe vegetation are less explored on the Mongolian Plateau. Therefore, we assessed the impact and underlying mechanisms of grazing seasons on grassland community structure and production. Location Xilingol, Inner Mongolia, China. Methods We conducted a three‐year experiment to investigate the effects of grazing in four different seasons under the same grazing intensities on plant community structure and production in a typical steppe rangeland. The experiment was a random‐block design, with 20 grassland paddocks of 50 m × 50 m, representing five treatments (i.e., early spring, summer, autumn, mid‐winter, and no grazing), replicated by four blocks. We monitored the changes in soil properties, plant litter mass (i.e., standing dead biomass and dead plant material on the soil surface) and plant species composition and production across grazing treatments. Results Plant community height and above‐ground biomass were higher under early spring and winter grazing than autumn and summer grazing and no grazing. This divergence in plant community structure was mainly mediated by the seasonal patterns of plant litter mass across the grazing regimes. A high plant litter mass enhanced soil moisture by accumulating snow in winter and reducing soil evaporation during the growing season, which benefit plant growth. The removal of plant litter before the growing season increased the reception of solar radiation, thus improving soil temperature and plant production. The changes in community microenvironment and selective grazing led to the changes in plant species composition especially under summer and autumn grazing. Conclusions Our results imply that grazing in winter or in early spring before plants start to turn green is more efficient than the complete animal exclusion for the natural recovery of degraded grassland in Inner Mongolia. It is suitable to incorporate cold‐season grazing in the development of sustainable grassland management systems.
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