Grazing intensifies degradation of a Tibetan Plateau alpine meadow through plant–pest interaction

Cao, Hui; Zhao, Xinquan; Wang, Shiping; Zhao, Liang; Duan, Jianan; Zhang, Zhenhua; Ge, Shaohua; Zhu, Xiaoxue

doi:10.1002/ece3.1537

Cited by 24 publications

(18 citation statements)

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“…Furthermore, grazed plants have been shown to increase chlorophyll and photosynthetic enzymes concentration in remaining or new leaves, which consequently results in a higher total N concentration (Briske, ; Price, ). Indeed, plant nutrient enrichment is a common result of large herbivore grazing and has been reported in many ecosystems including forests (Riipi et al, ) and African savannas (McNaughton, ) and alpine meadows (Cao et al, ). However, it is noted that the effect of large vertebrates on grass N content may vary based on the intensity of grazing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Competition for shared host plants between large grazing mammalian herbivores and smaller herbivores, such as arthropods, is a classic example of interaction among phylogenetically distinct groups. Recent meta‐analytical reviews of the literature find that, on average, the effects of large herbivores on smaller animal taxa are negative, both in terms of abundance and diversity (Foster, Barton, & Lindenmayer, ; Takagi & Miyashita, ; van Klink, van der Plas, van Noordwijk, WallisDeVries, & Olff, ); however, there is considerable variation in the outcome of individual studies including positive (Cao et al, ), negative (Pringle et al, ), and neutral effects (Riipi, Lempa, Haukioja, Ossipov, & Pihlaja, ) of large herbivores on insect populations. While some of this context‐dependency is attributed to differences in the spatial and temporal scale of the study, differences across systems in the processes linking large and small herbivores also play a significant role (Takagi & Miyashita, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…considerable variation in the outcome of individual studies including positive (Cao et al, 2015), negative (Pringle et al, 2007), and neutral effects (Riipi, Lempa, Haukioja, Ossipov, & Pihlaja, 2005) of large herbivores on insect populations. While some of this context-dependency is attributed to differences in the spatial and temporal scale of the study, differences across systems in the processes linking large and small herbivores also play a significant role (Takagi & Miyashita, 2014).…”

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Negative effects of vertebrate on invertebrate herbivores mediated by enhanced plant nitrogen content

et al. 2018

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Classic theory holds that the main interaction within the herbivore guild is competition, based on research focused on co‐occurring, similarly sized species that reduce the quantity of shared plant resources. However, plant quality may also be crucial in mediating herbivore interspecific interactions. This is especially true when competition occurs between distantly related herbivore species, given that small terrestrial herbivores (e.g., insect herbivores) appear to be more sensitive to alterations of plant quality than plant quantity. In this study, we first tested in the field whether large vertebrate herbivores (cattle Bos taurus) exerted a negative effect on smaller insect herbivores (grasshopper Euchorthippus unicolor) through their overlapping foraging preferences for a dominant grass Leymus chinensis. We measured changes in grass quantity, grass quality, and microclimatic conditions in response to vertebrate grazing and conducted additional manipulative studies in the field and the laboratory to identify potential mechanisms underlying the interaction. Our results showed that grazing by large herbivores caused a significant decline in grasshopper population density and individual performance (survival, size, and weight of both female and male E. unicolor), despite a 38% increase in grass nitrogen (N) content in grazed plots. Experiments manipulating N levels of L. chinensis in the field and the laboratory confirmed that enriching plant N had a negative effect on grasshopper individual performance and population size. Therefore, enhanced quality (N content) of plant resources appears to be an important driver in mediating the negative effect of vertebrate grazing on grasshoppers. Synthesis. We document that phylogenetic relatedness and trait similarity can be poor predictors of interaction strength in some cases, since distantly related herbivores of disparate size can interact indirectly via changes in plant quality. Counter‐intuitively, the observed negative effect of cattle on grasshoppers was mediated, at least in part, by an increase in plant quality in cattle grazed areas. The implication is that light to moderate grazing, a common management strategy, may contribute to suppression of grasshoppers in the Eurasian steppe grassland system by altering plant nutrient supplies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Negative effects of vertebrate on invertebrate herbivores mediated by enhanced plant nitrogen content

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“…For example, earlier-flowering plants (e.g., Kh and Cs; Fig. 2) are grazed by animals such as sheep, yaks, mice, and caterpillars (Zhao 2009, Cao et al 2015. A possible strategy of plants in a community for reducing herbivorous pressure is a short period of synchronous production of leaves, buds, and flowers, thereby satiating the herbivores (Aide 1991, Fenner 1998.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relatively stable response of fruiting stage to warming and cooling relative to other phenological events

Jiang

Wang

Meng

et al. 2016

Ecology

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The timing of the fruit-set stage (i.e. start and end of fruit set) is crucial in a plant's life cycle, but its response to temperature change is still unclear. We investigated the timing of seven phenological events, including fruit-set dates during 3 years for six alpine plants transplanted to warmer (+ ~3.5 °C in soils) and cooler (-~3.5 °C in soils) locations along an altitudinal gradient in the Tibetan area. We found that fruit-set dates remained relatively stable under both warming and cooling during the 3-years transplant experiment. Three earlier phenological events (emergence of first leaf, first bud set, and first flowering) and two later phenological events (first leaf coloring and complete leaf coloring) were earlier by 4.8-8.2 days °C -1 and later by 3.2-7.1 days °C -1 in response to warming. Conversely, cooling delayed the three earlier events by 3.8-6.9 days °C -1 and advanced the two later events by 3.2-8.1 days °C -1 for all plant species. The timing of the first and/or last fruit-set dates, however, did not change significantly compared to earlier and later phenological events.Statistical analyses also showed that the dates of fruit set were not significantly correlated or had lower correlations with changes of soil temperature relative to the earlier and later phenological events. Alpine plants may thus acclimate to changes in temperature for their fruiting function by maintaining relatively stable timings of fruit set compared with other phenological events to maximize the success of seed maturation and dispersal in response to short-term warming or cooling.Keywords: phenological sequence; seed-production stage; alpine plants; early-spring flowering plants; mid-summer flowering plants; temperature change; Tibetan plateau Accepted ArticleThis article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. IntroductionMost studies of the response of phenological events to temperature have been based on the analysis of events early or late in the season such as leaf onset, first flowering, and senescence (Walker et al. 2006, Amano et al. 2010, Yu et al. 2010Shen et al. 2011; Piao et al. 2011;Cook et al. 2012;Wolkovich et al. 2012;Wang et al. 2014a). Plants may face trade-offs between the adjustment of one phenological event to temperature and the timing of subsequent events during the growing season (Post et al. 2008;Sherry et al. 2007Sherry et al. , 2011 Haggerty and Galloway 2011; Dorji et al., 2013;CaraDonna et al. 2014;Wang et al. 2014b). This is illustrated by Fig. 1. Changes of flowering dates may alter the timing of fruit maturation, whereas fruit phenology in turn determines seed maturation and dispersal, which further feeds back on the diversity of species in an ecosystem (Primack 1987). The response of timing of fruiting to warming relative to other phenological events is still unclear because of inconsistent results from different plant species (Post et al. 2008; Haggerty and Galloway 2011;Sherry et al. 2007) and because few studies have analyzed the effects from both warming an...

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“…Grime 1979). In Northern Tibet, Cao et al (2015) found that the levels of both plant species diversity and herbage biomass were higher in areas of a grazing ban, than in communal free grazing land with no grazing ban. In this study, interannual variations of standing herbage biomass were mainly determined by local precipitation and temperature (Table 1).…”

Section: Comparing the Benefits Of Grazing Exclusion Vs Grazing On Rmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grazing management options for restoration of alpine grasslands on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau

et al. 2018

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In an attempt to alleviate the problem of grassland degradation on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau in China, state and local authorities in 2003, initiated the “Retire Livestock and Restore Pastures” ecological engineering program, requiring the use of enclosure fencing to enable grazing exclusion and rotational grazing. A five‐year controlled grazing experiment was conducted to determine the effects of this program on (1) sheep live weight gain; and (2a) standing herbage biomass; and (2b) species diversity. Effects of temporal within‐year variation in precipitation and temperature on livestock productivity, standing herbage biomass, and species diversity were also investigated. At the end of 5 yr, grazing exclusion showed no significant difference in standing herbage biomass or in species diversity, compared with either continuous grazing or rotational grazing. Rotational grazing at the high stocking rate significantly promoted sheep live weight gain per hectare, but not per sheep; neither standing herbage biomass, nor species diversity, whether under continuous (i.e., traditional) or rotational grazing, showed a significant difference. Under rotational grazing, higher standing herbage biomass and species diversity were required to maintain or increase sheep liveweight, compared with continuous grazing. Temporal distribution of precipitation and temperature had more influence on alpine grassland parameters, than did grazing. Results of this study suggest that herders’ local traditional knowledge and expertise might be useful in modifying Government guidelines to fine tune grazing management with the dynamics of the alpine meadow ecosystem, and that it is important to consider equilibrium and non‐equilibrium theory in formulating a policy which benefits both herders and grassland. Traditional continuous grazing at a carefully chosen light stocking rate appears to be the most appropriate way to manage livestock and grassland in this region.

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Grazing intensifies degradation of a Tibetan Plateau alpine meadow through plant–pest interaction

Cited by 24 publications

References 31 publications

Negative effects of vertebrate on invertebrate herbivores mediated by enhanced plant nitrogen content

Negative effects of vertebrate on invertebrate herbivores mediated by enhanced plant nitrogen content

Relatively stable response of fruiting stage to warming and cooling relative to other phenological events

Grazing management options for restoration of alpine grasslands on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau

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