Changes in plant, soil, and microbes in a typical steppe from simulated grazing: explaining potential change in soil C

Liu, N.; Kan, Haiming; Yang, Gaowen; Zhang, Yingjun

doi:10.1890/14-1368.1

Cited by 156 publications

(118 citation statements)

References 80 publications

(147 reference statements)

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“…Grazing may directly affect soil microbes through altering resource availability such as soil TC and TN, soil moisture, and pH. One direct effect of grazing is through production of dung and urine (Liu et al, ; McNaughton et al, ). Our study showed that the relative abundance of Bacteroidia , an obligate anaerobic gut microbe in animals (Eckburg, ; Winter & Bäumler, ), was higher in WG, likely due to accumulation of dung and urine by intensive grazing in WG (Barik & Murugan, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Grazing with large herbivores is a common land use strategy for livestock production as well as maintaining plant species diversity and ecosystem functioning (Bardgett & Wardle, ; Koerner & Collins, ; Liu, Kan, Yang, & Zhang, ). Many previous studies focus on grazing impacts on plant productivity, community composition, and allocation of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) between aboveground and belowground parts (Dong et al, ; Doust, ; Kotzé, Sandhage‐Hofmann, Amelung, Oomen, & du Preez, ; McNaughton, Banyikwa, & McNaughton, ; Zechmeister, Schmitzberger, Steurer, Peterseil, & Wrbka, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Grazing may directly affect the soil microbial community by altering soil physical and/or chemical properties via animal trampling and manure deposition (Liu et al, ; McNaughton et al, ; Yang et al, ; Figure ). Animal trampling may compact soil and change soil aeration, redox conditions, soil water‐holding capacity, and water potential (Kauffman, Thorpe, & Brookshire, ; Kobayashi, Hori, & Nomoto, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since the mid‐20th century, however, the meadows of the Tibetan Plateau have suffered severe degradation and desertification due to climate warming, altered precipitation, and overgrazing (Klein, Harte, & Zhao, , ). Overgrazing could lead to temporary or permanent decreases in biodiversity, shifts in plant community composition, and reduction in soil quality, further resulting in declines in the productive capacity of the grasslands and the sustainability of landscapes (i.e., land degradation; Bardgett & Wardle, ; Harris, ; N. Liu et al, ; McNaughton, Oesterheld, Frank, & Williams, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Grazing practices affect the soil microbial community composition in a Tibetan alpine meadow

et al. 2018

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Grazing is the primary land‐use activity on the Tibetan Plateau and can affect soil microbes and their function through aboveground vegetation removal, animal trampling, and manure deposition. Two distinct grazing systems (i.e., winter grazing [WG] and annual grazing [AG]) dominate on the Tibetan Plateau, but their effects on soil microbes have rarely been assessed. Taking advantage of a 5‐year field experiment that controlled timing and density of grazers via fence exclosures, we examined impacts of different grazing practices on the biomass, diversity, and composition of the soil microbial community in a Tibetan alpine meadow. On the basis of high‐throughput sequencing, we found that grazing had no significant effects on bacterial and fungal α‐diversities but altered their community compositions. Although total soil carbon (TC), total soil nitrogen (TN), and carbon/nitrogen (C/N) were related to both bacterial and fungal community compositions, plant shoot biomass only correlated with bacteria, and soil pH and moisture significantly influenced fungi under grazing. Also, grazing altered plant community composition but did not lead to corresponding changes in bacterial or fungal community composition. Moreover, grazing practices affected the relative abundance of specific bacterial and fungal taxa, reducing Actinobacteria but increasing Basidiomycete fungi in WG. Soil TC and TN were higher, and the soil microbial community was more stable in AG than WG, likely due to more stable litter inputs in AG. Together, these results showed that AG was less disruptive to soil microbes, suggesting that AG may provide a viable option for sustainable utilization and conservation of these fragile alpine systems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Grazing practices affect the soil microbial community composition in a Tibetan alpine meadow

et al. 2018

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“…A coupled climate‐carbon cycle model predicted an accelerated loss of soil organic carbon to the atmosphere if the warming continues on the plateau [ Zhuang et al , ]. In addition to climate changes, the shift of land use pattern can directly or indirectly influence carbon inputs, turnover, and retention in the grassland soil on the plateau [ Liu et al , ]. For example, the enhancing grazing may have substantially increased the respiration rate of the alpine meadow soil, which releases 1530–2040 g CO 2 to the atmosphere annually [ Cao et al , ], much higher than that of the natural alpine meadow soil [ Bosch et al , ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depth heterogeneity of soil organic carbon dynamics in a heavily grazed alpine meadow on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau: A radiocarbon-based approach

Cheng

et al. 2017

J. Geophys. Res. Biogeosci.

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A deep understanding of soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics on the Tibetan Plateau is crucial for predicting the response of the alpine carbon pool to future climate changes. Here we present information about SOC stocks and turnover time in a heavily grazed alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau based on radiocarbon (14C) measurements and inverse modeling. Our results reveal that the alpine meadow soil is composed of three distinct carbon pools. The topsoil represents the active carbon pool, which has a carbon inventory‐weighted mean turnover time of 64 years. The CO2 efflux due to the mineral soil respiration from this pool is approximately 48.45 g C m−2 yr−1, accounting for 91% of the total heterotrophic soil respiration. The intermediate carbon pool has an inventory‐weighted mean turnover time of 780 years, and the rate of mineral soil respiration in this pool is an order of magnitude lower than that in the active carbon pool. The parental materials feature the passive carbon pool, which has millennia‐long turnover time and the mineral soil respiration is trivial. Comparing our results with other 14C‐based studies suggests that grazing intensity may alter not only the SOC stocks but also the soil respiration rate in the alpine grassland ecosystem. The heavily grazed alpine meadow broadly fits the exponential relationship between turnover time and mean annual air temperature identified by meta‐analysis of published data from the Tibetan Plateau, alpine grassland, and forest sites elsewhere.

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Litter addition decreases plant diversity by suppressing seeding in a semiarid grassland, Northern China

Zhang

Wang

Wan

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Plant community diversity is conducive to maintain the regional ecosystems stability and ecosystem services. Seed germination is one of the main ways to regulate plant diversity, owing to seedling recruitment as a basis for plant community renewal. However, the exact mechanism of how plant litter affects seedling recruitment, and species richness is not yet fully understood. Therefore, a litter addition and removal experiment was established in a semiarid grassland to study the effects of plant litter on seedling recruitment and species richness from April to August in 2016 and 2017 in Northern China. The positive correlation between species richness and seedling recruitment indicated that a guarantee of seedling recruitment was the main precondition to protect species richness. Adding rather than removing litter significantly reduced species richness. Litter addition inhibited species richness by directly increasing mechanical damage or indirectly reducing photosynthetically active radiation and seedling recruitment. The results of this study are conducive to understand the evolutionary and regulatory mechanisms of community species richness and seedling recruitment in grassland ecosystems after adding or removing plant litter. OPEN RESEARCH BADGES This article has been awarded Open Data, Open Materials and Preregistered research design Badges. All materials and data are publicly accessible via the Open Science Framework at https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.5dj3jg5 and http://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.13gj03s

show abstract

Changes in plant, soil, and microbes in a typical steppe from simulated grazing: explaining potential change in soil C

Cited by 156 publications

References 80 publications

Grazing practices affect the soil microbial community composition in a Tibetan alpine meadow

Grazing practices affect the soil microbial community composition in a Tibetan alpine meadow

Depth heterogeneity of soil organic carbon dynamics in a heavily grazed alpine meadow on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau: A radiocarbon-based approach

Litter addition decreases plant diversity by suppressing seeding in a semiarid grassland, Northern China

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