C4 abundance in an Inner Mongolia grassland system is driven by temperature–moisture interaction, not grazing pressure

Auerswald, K.; Wittmer, M.; Bai, Yongfei; Taube, F.; Susenbeth, A.; Schnyder, H.

doi:10.1016/j.baae.2011.11.004

Cited by 33 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…It is widely considered that higher temperatures are generally associated with greater abundance of C 4 plants (Zheng et al 2011;Auerswald et al 2012). Our data supported this statement in that there was a decrease in the abundance of C 4 species associated with a decrease in temperature over the years 2008-12 (Figs 3 and 5a2).…”

Section: Both Temperature and Grazing Can Promote The Abundance Of C supporting

confidence: 80%

“…However, our results are different from those of Auerswald et al (2012). In their study, the temporal variation in the abundance of C 4 plants was measured at one site that experiences large inter-annual variation in climate (temperature as well as precipitation) but under a small range of grazing intensities (02.25 SU ha -1 ), while our study considered the spatial variation in the abundance of C 4 plants on grasslands across 32 households, where the variation in mean annual temperature was small, and the range of grazing intensities was large (0-5.25 SU ha -1 ).…”

Section: Both Temperature and Grazing Can Promote The Abundance Of C contrasting

confidence: 56%

“…Secondly, the foraging preferences of herbivores caused by the different palatability of C 3 and C 4 plants (McPherson and Rasmussen 1989), as well as differences in their digestibility could mean that the animals select either C 3 or C 4 plants (Whalley 1994;Norman et al 2009). However, other studies suggested that grazing had no effects on the relative abundance of C 4 plants (Derner et al 2006;Auerswald et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Temperature is the most important factor in the evolution of paleoclimates (Zhang et al 2003;Pushkina et al 2010) and the change in relative abundance of C 4 plants on a large scale (Sage 2004;Wittmer et al 2010). Auerswald et al (2012) found that C 4 abundance in an Inner Mongolia grassland system is driven by a temperature-moisture interaction, not grazing pressure. Our study shows that grazing had a greater effect than temperature in altering the abundance of C 4 plants at the small scale across households, which is in agreement with similar conclusions in other studies (Fanselow et al 2011).…”

Section: Both Temperature and Grazing Can Promote The Abundance Of C mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Animal grazing is the most dominant land use of grasslands (Mavromihalis et al 2013). Grazing influence on the relative abundance of C 4 plants has received much attention in the study of grasslands in North and South America (Reeder et al 2004;Altesor et al 2006;Derner et al 2006), Central Asia (Auerswald et al 2012;Ren et al 2012), South Africa (Franz-Odendaal et al 2002), Australia (Bell et al 2012) and New Zealand (Crush and Rowarth 2007). Most of these studies suggest that grazing increases the relative abundance of C 4 species in some plant communities (Reeder et al 2004;Waters et al 2005;Fanselow et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Grazing primarily drives the relative abundance change of C4 plants in the typical steppe grasslands across households at a regional scale

Zhang

Ding

et al. 2014

Rangel. J.

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Abstract. Increases in temperature and grazing intensity are believed to promote the relative abundance of C 4 plants in grassland communities in Inner Mongolia. However, there is a lack of understanding as to which factor is the primary driver at the household scale. The relative abundance of C 4 plants in grassland communities within 32 households was monitored over a 5-year period in the typical steppe region of Inner Mongolia. The relationships between the mean annual temperature, grazing intensity and their combinations on the patterns of the relative abundance of C 4 plants across the land managed by these households were analysed. The results showed that (1) the herbage mass of the typical steppe grassland was mainly composed of C 3 plants (87%); (2) the C 4 plants were more sensitive to, and can be used as indicators of, environmental changes. These C 4 species included Cleistogenes squarrosa (Trin.) Keng, Chenopodium glaucum Linn. and Salsola collina Pall.; (3) both increasing temperature and grazing intensity promoted the relative abundance of C 4 plants. Grazing intensity was the primary driver of the change in relative abundance of C 4 plants in this region. Not only did grazing change the micro-environment of the grasslands, but also the C 3 species were preferentially grazed by the livestock. Comparison of the results with previous studies on the temporal variation in the abundance of C 4 plants suggests that the relative importance of grazing and climatic factors depends on the spatial scales of the studies, with climate being of greater importance at the regional rather than the household scale.

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Section: Both Temperature and Grazing Can Promote The Abundance Of C supporting

confidence: 80%

Section: Both Temperature and Grazing Can Promote The Abundance Of C contrasting

confidence: 56%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Both Temperature and Grazing Can Promote The Abundance Of C mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Grazing primarily drives the relative abundance change of C4 plants in the typical steppe grasslands across households at a regional scale

Zhang

Ding

et al. 2014

Rangel. J.

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Cooperation of Photosynthetic and Nitrogen Metabolism

Иванов

Kosobryukhov

2018

Complex Biological Systems

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Climate and anthropogenic drivers of changes in abundance of C4 annuals and perennials in grasslands on the Mongolian Plateau

et al. 2022

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Background C4 plants have increased substantially during the past several decades in the grasslands of the Mongolian Plateau due to regional warming. Here, we explore how the patterns of abundances of C4 annuals and C4 perennials change over space and time. Methods A total of 280 sites with C4 plants were surveyed in four types of grasslands in 9 years. The relative biomasses of C4 plants (PC4), C4 annuals (PA4), and C4 perennials (PP4) were calculated. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the drivers of changes in PA4 and PP4. Results At the regional scale, PA4 on average was 11% (±19%, SD) and PP4 was 13% (±19%, SD). Spatially, C4 annuals dominated the C4 communities within an east–west belt region along 44° N and tended to spread toward northern latitudes (about 0.5°) and higher altitudes in the east mountainous areas. The abundance of C4 annuals decreased, while that of C4 perennials increased. The patterns of C4 annuals and C4 perennials were mainly controlled by temperature, growing season precipitation, and dynamics between the two life forms. Conclusions C4 annuals exhibited competitive advantages in normal and wet years, while C4 perennials had competitive advantages in dry years. Grazing as a main human disturbance increased C4 annuals, but had no significant effect on C4 perennials.

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C4 abundance in an Inner Mongolia grassland system is driven by temperature–moisture interaction, not grazing pressure

Cited by 33 publications

References 27 publications

Grazing primarily drives the relative abundance change of C4 plants in the typical steppe grasslands across households at a regional scale

Grazing primarily drives the relative abundance change of C4 plants in the typical steppe grasslands across households at a regional scale

Cooperation of Photosynthetic and Nitrogen Metabolism

Climate and anthropogenic drivers of changes in abundance of C4 annuals and perennials in grasslands on the Mongolian Plateau

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