Grasslands of China

Li, Frank Y.; Jäschke, Yun; Guo, Ke; Wesche, Karsten

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-409548-9.12120-7

Cited by 9 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…The present day QTP supports various alpine vegetation types that include meadow, steppe, cold desert and subnival cushion plant communities [2,5] at elevations ranging from 3500 to nearly 6000 m above sea level (m ASL). The southern and eastern edges of the steppe have grasslands which can sustainably support populations of nomadic herdsmen.…”

Section: Origin Of the Grasslandsmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…In the recent review by Li et al [5] it is argued that much of the contemporary natural grassland region was covered by subtropical forests and savanna woodlands during the Tertiary period. The grasslands formed as a consequence of the uplift of the QTP that blocked the monsoon rains from the south.…”

Section: Origin Of the Grasslandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within the QTP, moisture determines whether a specific subregion supports meadow, steppe or alpine desert vegetation. Alpine (Here the word "alpine" does not strictly refer to a mountain climate which is not warm enough to allow for tree growth, here it indicates high-elevation distribution (see Box 1) Grassland is the dominant ecosystem covering over 50 per cent of the QTP [2,4,5,7]. Alpine steppes are commonly found on the QTP [8].…”

Section: Origin Of the Grasslandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Li et al [5] the QTP vegetation region has a very rich, diverse and often endemic flora. It comprises species of Central Asian (semi-) deserts, as well as temperate East Asian and Himalayan elements [8].…”

Section: Origin Of the Grasslandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Marshy meadows are, according to [5] "primarily composed of hygrophilous herbs and have transitional characteristics between a typical meadow and a marsh. Their occurrence is generally associated with high soil moisture regulated by special topographic factors, most often at poorly drained sites, thus with humid and poorly aerated soil".…”

Section: Types and Categories Of Alpine Grasslandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Socio-Environmental Dynamics of Alpine Grasslands, Steppes and Meadows of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, China: A Commentary

Hai-ying

Squires

2020

Applied Sciences

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Alpine grasslands are a common feature on the extensive (2.6 million km2) Qinghai–Tibet plateau in western and southwestern China. These grasslands are characterized by their ability to thrive at high altitudes and in areas with short growing seasons and low humidity. Alpine steppe and alpine meadow are the principal plant Formations supporting a rich species mix of grass and forb species, many of them endemic. Alpine grasslands are the mainstay of pastoralism where yaks and hardy Tibetan sheep and Bactrian camels are the favored livestock in the cold arid region. It is not only their importance to local semi nomadic herders, but their role as headwaters of nine major rivers that provide water to more than one billion people in China and in neighboring countries in south and south-east Asia and beyond. Grasslands in this region were heavily utilized in recent decades and are facing accelerated land degradation. Government and herder responses, although quite different, are being implemented as climate change and the transition to the market economy proceeds apace. Problems and prospects for alpine grasslands and the management regimes being imposed (including sedentarization, resettlement and global warming are briefly discussed.

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Section: Origin Of the Grasslandsmentioning

confidence: 68%

Section: Origin Of the Grasslandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Origin Of the Grasslandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Origin Of the Grasslandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Types and Categories Of Alpine Grasslandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Socio-Environmental Dynamics of Alpine Grasslands, Steppes and Meadows of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, China: A Commentary

Hai-ying

Squires

2020

Applied Sciences

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Asymmetric effects of grazing intensity on macroelements and microelements in grassland soil and plants in Inner Mongolia Grazing alters nutrient dynamics of grasslands

Hou

Guo

Changcheng

2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Grazing is a traditional grassland management technique and greatly alters ecosystem nutrient cycling. The effects of grazing intensity on the nutrient dynamics of soil and plants in grassland ecosystems remain uncertain, especially among microelements. A 2‐year field grazing experiment was conducted in a typical grassland with four grazing intensities (ungrazed control, light, moderate, and heavy grazing) in Inner Mongolia, China. Nutrient concentration was assessed in soil and three dominant plant species (Stipa krylovii, Leymus chinensis, and Cleistogenes squarrosa). Assessed quantities included four macroelements (carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and magnesium (Mg)) and four microelements (copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn)). Soil total C, total N, total P, available N, and available P concentrations significantly increased with grazing intensity but soil Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn concentrations had no significant response. Plant C concentration decreased but plant N, P, Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn concentrations significantly increased with grazing intensity. In soil, macroelement dynamics (i.e., C, N, and P) exhibited higher sensitivity with grazing intensity, conversely in plants, microelements were more sensitive. This result indicates macroelements and microelements in soil and plants had asymmetric responses with grazing intensity. The slopes of nutrient linear regression in C. squarrosa were higher than that of S. krylovii and L. chinensis, indicating that C. squarrosa had higher nutrient acquisition capacity and responded more rapidly to heavy grazing. These findings indicate that short‐term heavy grazing accelerates nutrient cycling of the soil–plant system in grassland ecosystems, elucidate the multiple nutrient dynamics of soil and plants with grazing intensity, and emphasize the important function of microelements in plant adaptation in grazing management.

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How climate, topography, soils, herbivores, and fire control forest–grassland coexistence in the Eurasian forest‐steppe

et al. 2022

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Recent advances in ecology and biogeography demonstrate the importance of fire and large herbivoresand challenge the primacy of climateto our understanding of the distribution, stability, and antiquity of forests and grasslands. Among grassland ecologists, particularly those working in savannas of the seasonally dry tropics, an emerging fire-herbivore paradigm is generally accepted to explain grass dominance in climates and on soils that would otherwise permit development of closed-canopy forests. By contrast, adherents of the climate-soil paradigm, particularly foresters working in the humid tropics or temperate latitudes, tend to view fire and herbivores as disturbances, often human-caused, which damage forests and reset succession. Towards integration of these two paradigms, we developed a series of conceptual models to explain the existence of an extensive temperate forest-grassland mosaic that occurs within a 4.7 million km 2 belt spanning from central Europe through eastern Asia. The Eurasian forest-steppe is reminiscent of many regions globally where forests and grasslands occur side-by-side with stark boundaries. Our conceptual models illustrate that if mean climate was the only factor, forests should dominate in humid continental regions and grasslands should prevail in semi-arid regions, but that extensive mosaics would not occur. By contrast, conceptual models that also integrate climate variability, soils, topography, herbivores, and fire depict how these factors collectively expand suitable conditions for forests and grasslands, such that grasslands may occur in more humid regions and forests in more arid regions than predicted by mean climate alone. Furthermore, boundaries between forests and grasslands are reinforced by vegetation-fire, vegetationherbivore, and vegetation-microclimate feedbacks, which limit tree establishment in grasslands and promote tree survival in forests. Such feedbacks suggest that forests and grasslands of the Eurasian forest-steppe are governed by ecological dynamics that are similar to those hypothesised to maintain boundaries between tropical forests and savannas. Unfortunately, the grasslands of the Eurasian forest-steppe are sometimes misinterpreted as deforested or otherwise degraded vegetation. In fact, the grasslands of this region provide valuable ecosystem services, support a high diversity of plants and animals, and offer critical habitat for endangered large herbivores. We suggest that a better understanding of the fundamental ecological controls that permit forest-grassland coexistence could help us prioritise conservation and restoration of the Eurasian forest-steppe for biodiversity, climate adaptation, and pastoral livelihoods. Currently, these

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Grasslands of China

Cited by 9 publications

References 41 publications

Socio-Environmental Dynamics of Alpine Grasslands, Steppes and Meadows of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, China: A Commentary

Socio-Environmental Dynamics of Alpine Grasslands, Steppes and Meadows of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, China: A Commentary

Asymmetric effects of grazing intensity on macroelements and microelements in grassland soil and plants in Inner Mongolia Grazing alters nutrient dynamics of grasslands

How climate, topography, soils, herbivores, and fire control forest–grassland coexistence in the Eurasian forest‐steppe

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