Effects of grazing management on spatio-temporal heterogeneity of soil carbon and greenhouse gas emissions of grasslands and rangelands: Monitoring, assessment and scaling-up

Wang, Junye; Li, Yumei; Bork, Edward W.; Richter, G. M.; Chen, Changchun; Shah, Syed Hamid Hussain; Mezbahuddin, Symon

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.125737

Cited by 19 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 110 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Other studies with the EC method have shown that grassland ecosystems have mostly behaved as CO 2 sinks. Plant growth is also stimulated as the animals remove part of the leaves on the soil surface, leading to a more significant GPP increase than Reco [15]. Rutledge et al [52] found an average NEE of −165.3 ± 50.5 g C m −2 y −1 (2008-2011) in an intensively managed pasture with fertilizer addition and year-round rotational grazing in a temperate climate region of New Zealand.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Proper pasture management in cattle grazing can lead to carbon sequestration and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from livestock [15]. Although pasture C exchange can be determined by changes in soil organic carbon stocks, this technique requires long assessment periods and cannot assess C dynamics at seasonal, annual, and interannual scales [16,17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Sustainability in Natural Grassland in the Brazilian Pampa Biome: Livestock Production with CO2 Absorption

Roberti,

Mergen,

Gotuzzo

et al. 2024

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Brazilian Pampa biome has natural pastures that have been used for centuries for cattle grazing. This is considered a sustainable system because it combines the conservation of natural vegetation and high-quality meat production, protecting the biome from commercial agriculture’s advances. However, whether it is a source or a sink of carbon dioxide (CO2) has yet to be evaluated. Hence, this study aimed to quantify the net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of the CO2 of a natural pasture of the Pampa biome used for livestock production. The experimental area is located in a subtropical region of southern Brazil, where eddy covariance (EC) measurements were conducted from 2015 to 2021 in a rotational cattle grazing system. The seven months of the warm season (September to March) were characterized as CO2 absorbers, while the five months of the cold season (April to August) were CO2 emitters. Throughout the six years and with complete data, the ecosystem was an absorber of atmospheric CO2, with an average value of −207.6 g C m−2 year−1. However, the significant interannual variability in NEE was observed, with cumulative values ranging from −82.0 to −385.3 g C m−2 year−1. The results suggest the coupling of climatic conditions to pasture management can be the factor that modulated the NEE interannual variability. The cattle raising system on the natural pastures of the Pampa absorbs CO2, which is further evidence of its sustainability and need for conservation.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability in Natural Grassland in the Brazilian Pampa Biome: Livestock Production with CO2 Absorption

Roberti,

Mergen,

Gotuzzo

et al. 2024

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, high spatial variability in soil carbon flux is not uncommon (Fóti et al., 2016; Wang et al., 2021). Markedly different, simultaneous fluxes can occur centimeters apart (Davidson et al., 2002), with sub‐centimeter “hot spots” due to dynamic incursions: soil aggregates, gaps or cracks, and soil fauna activity or engineering (Ohashi et al., 2007; Stoyan et al., 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fluxbots: A Method for Building, Deploying, Collecting and Analyzing Data From an Array of Inexpensive, Autonomous Soil Carbon Flux Chambers

Forbes,

Benenati,

Frey

et al. 2023

JGR Biogeosciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Soil carbon flux rates are a crucial metric of carbon cycling that contribute to calculating an ecosystem's carbon budget, and thus whether it is a source or sink of atmospheric carbon dioxide. However, soil carbon flux datasets are frequently low‐resolution across either space or time, limiting our abilities to identify small‐scale ecological contexts that influence soil carbon dynamics. Existing datasets are distributed unevenly, with some soil carbon‐rich regions (like tropical grasslands) significantly understudied. We developed an autonomous, inexpensive, do‐it‐yourself (DIY) soil carbon flux chamber (a “fluxbot”) and data processing software. We deployed a distributed array of 12 fluxbots in a long‐term experiment in a central Kenyan savanna where it has been logistically impossible to collect high‐resolution soil carbon flux data. With this array we collected over 10,000 individual flux estimates over almost two months, spanning the end of a dry season and the start of a wet season. With our successful deployment in situ, we demonstrate the potential for low‐cost, autonomous, DIY sensors in improving resolution of soil carbon flux datasets (particularly in under‐studied or logistically challenging systems). If implemented widely, such an improvement in data collection capacities could improve our understanding of ecological and climatic drivers of soil carbon flux dynamics on the local to global scale.

show abstract

“…Extreme climatic events (e.g., droughts, increasing number of short duration heavy rain) and other prevailing ecological conditions (e.g., soil properties, vegetation patterns, and land management) represent driving factors that influence SRs stock‐keeping (Dolek & Geyer, 2002; IUCN‐UNHCR, 2005) with considerable environmental implications (Herrero et al., 2016; Mishra & Singh, 2010; Sejian et al., 2018). The sustainability of grazing lands requires reducing the environmental impacts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (de Klein et al., 2021) and soil degradation (Wang et al., 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Grazing by Small Ruminants on Hillslope Hydrological Processes: A Review of European Current Understanding

Minea

Mititelu-Ionuș

Gyasi‐Agyei

et al. 2022

Water Resources Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Unsustainable grazing of animals exerts pressure on a range of environmental factors. This review assessed the impacts of grazing of small ruminants (SRs; sheep and goats) on hydrological processes (e.g., runoff occurrence and erosion) within European pasture lands. It also considered other effects of SRs grazing, such as water pollution. Our research highlights the lack of evidence‐based European literature on the implications of grazing by SRs on the hydrological processes. The available literature is limited to the Mediterranean belt (some areas of Spain and Greece), the British Isles, and the Austrian Alps. The reasons behind the lack of literature are discussed in detail, and the knowledge gaps dealing with SRs have been enumerated. However, there are several articles on the subject within Oceania‐Pacifica and United States settings. Some of the reasons contributing to the limited literature on Europe are the possible underestimation of the significance of the problem, it being considered an unattractive research direction, and/or a lack of research funding. Thus, more research and funding are required to address the European knowledge gaps and limitations related to the impacts of grazing by SRs on the hydrological processes.

show abstract

Effects of grazing management on spatio-temporal heterogeneity of soil carbon and greenhouse gas emissions of grasslands and rangelands: Monitoring, assessment and scaling-up

Cited by 19 publications

References 110 publications

Sustainability in Natural Grassland in the Brazilian Pampa Biome: Livestock Production with CO2 Absorption

Sustainability in Natural Grassland in the Brazilian Pampa Biome: Livestock Production with CO2 Absorption

Fluxbots: A Method for Building, Deploying, Collecting and Analyzing Data From an Array of Inexpensive, Autonomous Soil Carbon Flux Chambers

Impacts of Grazing by Small Ruminants on Hillslope Hydrological Processes: A Review of European Current Understanding

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About