Meta-analysis demonstrating that moderate grazing can improve the soil quality across China's grassland ecosystems

Zhan, Tianyu; Zhang, Zhenchao; Sun, Jian; Liu, Miao; Zhang, Xubo; Peng, Fei; Tsunekawa, Atsushi; Zhou, Huakun; Gou, Xiaowei; Shun, Fu

doi:10.1016/j.apsoil.2019.103438

Cited by 72 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Our results indicate that medium grazing significantly increased soil bacterial richness and diversity index compared with extreme grazing in the growing season. This is because soil quality is significantly increased by moderate grazing across China's grasslands, and soil quality was positively related to soil microbe biomass (Qu et al., 2018; Zhan et al., 2020). Furthermore, medium grazing promoted soil water‐holding capacity and litter biomass, both benefit to microorganism's utilization (Che et al., 2018; Guo et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, it was also reported that there were no significant differences in microbial alpha diversity among different degraded alpine steppes (Jing, Sanders, Shi, Chu, & He, 2015; Zhou et al., 2019). Meta‐analysis results indicate that soil microbial biomass has a significant positive association with soil carbon, nitrogen, and water content (Zhan et al., 2020). Furthermore, total nitrogen and pH were also the main factors influencing the bacterial community and biomass of grazed grasslands (Qu et al., 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Moderate grazing increased alpine meadow soils bacterial abundance and diversity index on the Tibetan Plateau

Dai

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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The response of grassland soil bacterial community characteristics to different grazing intensities is central ecological topics. However, the underlying mechanisms between bacterial abundance, diversity index, and grazing intensity remain unclear. We measured alpine meadow soil bacterial gene richness and diversity index under four grazing intensities using 16S rDNA sequence analysis on the Tibetan Plateau. The results suggest that extreme grazing significantly decreased alpine meadow both bacterial gene abundance and diversity index (p < .05). The lowest operational taxonomic unit numbers were 3,012 ± 447 copies under heavy grazing in the growing season. It was significantly lower than heavy grazing with approximately 3,958 ± 119 copies (p < .05). The Shannon index for medium and high grazing grassland bacterial diversity was slightly higher than for light grazing in the growing season. Furthermore, the lowest index was approximately 9.20 ± 0.50 for extreme grazing of grassland in the growing season. The average bacterial gene abundance and diversity index in the dormancy period were slightly higher than that in the growing season. Soil bulk density, pH, ammonium, and nitrate nitrogen were the main positive factors driving grazed grassland bacterial communities. Our study provides insight into the response of alpine meadows to grazing intensity, demonstrating that moderate grazing increases bacterial community diversity in grazed grasslands.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moderate grazing increased alpine meadow soils bacterial abundance and diversity index on the Tibetan Plateau

Dai

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Compared to previous meta-analyses that were limited by region or number of analyzed soil properties [11,12,19,[55][56][57][58], this study provides more insight into global grazing impacts on the soil by combining large-scale data of 15 soil properties.…”

Section: Meanmentioning

confidence: 99%

A global meta-analysis of livestock grazing impacts on soil properties

Lai

Kumar

2020

PLoS ONE

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Grazing effects on soil properties under different soil and environmental conditions across the globe are often controversial. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the overall magnitude and direction of the grazing effects on soils. This global meta-analysis was conducted using the mixed model method to address the overall effects of grazing intensities (heavy, moderate, and light) on 15 soil properties based on 287 papers published globally from 2007 to 2019. Our findings showed that heavy grazing significantly increased the soil BD (11.3% relative un-grazing) and PR (52.5%) and reduced SOC (-10.8%), WC (-10.8%), NO 3-(-23.5%), and MBC (-27.9%) at 0-10 cm depth, and reduced SOC (-22.5%) and TN (-19.9%) at 10-30 cm depth. Moderate grazing significantly increased the BD (7.5%), PR (46.0%), and P (18.9%) (0-10 cm), and increased pH (4.1%) and decreased SOC (-16.4%), TN (-10.6%), and P (-23.9%) (10-30 cm). Light grazing significantly increased the SOC (10.8%) and NH 4 + (28.7%) (0-10 cm). Heavy grazing showed much higher mean probability (0.70) leading to overgrazing than the moderate (0.14) and light (0.10) grazing. These findings indicate that, globally, compared to un-grazing, heavy grazing significantly increased soil compaction and reduced SOC, NO 3-, and soil moisture. Moderate grazing significantly increased soil compaction and alkalinity and reduced SOC and TN. Light grazing significantly increased SOC and NH 4 +. Cattle grazing impacts on soil compaction, SOC, TN, and available K were higher than sheep grazing, but lower for PR. Climate significantly impacted grazing effects on SOM, TN, available P, NH 4 + , EC, CEC, and PR. Heavy grazing can be more detrimental to soil quality based on BD, SOC, TN, C: N, WC, and K than moderate and light grazing. However, global grazing intensities did not significantly impact most of the 15 soil properties, and the grazing effects on them had insignificant changes over the years.

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“…In this case, the soil heats up several times higher than from the effect of global warming alone [15]. In general, most authors [12][13][14][15][16][17] share the opinion that moderate grazing improves the thermal conditions of the soil, increases the duration of the growing season, accelerates the cycle of nutrients, and improves the quality of feed in non-permafrost regions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to many researchers [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17], the physical-hydrological and agrochemical properties of the soil are changed by overgrazing, along with the degradation of vegetation, including the compaction of the sod horizon to critical limits, a sharp decrease in the water permeability, the desiccation of the root-inhabited soil layer, an increase in alkalinity and salinity, and a decrease in humus and nutrients. The effect of grazing on the temperature regime of alas soils in Central Yakutia remains poorly studied to date.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Grazing on the Temperature Regime of the Alas Soils of Central Yakutia

Makarov

Savvinov

Gavrilieva

et al. 2020

Land

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There are numerous studies on the effect of grazing on the physical and chemical parameters of soils. However, the impact of grazing on the temperature regime of the alas soils in Central Yakutia is still poorly understood. This paper presents the results of long-term observations of the state of the soil-and-plant cover of thermokarst basins—i.e., alases—located in the Lena-Amga interfluve and actively used as pastureland. Observations of the process of the self-restoration of grass cover and changes in the temperature regime of alas soils were carried out on different variants (with isolation from grazing and without isolation). A significant increase in the average height of the grass stand and its foliage projective cover was observed with a gradual reduction in the number of species when isolated from grazing. Changes in the structure of the alas vegetation cover influence the microclimate of the soil. As a result of livestock grazing, the mean annual soil temperature rises and the amount and depth of the penetration of active temperatures increase. The most severe changes in the temperature regime occur in years with an abnormally high cover of snow. The soil warming observed during grazing undoubtedly has a favorable effect on soil organisms. However, in conditions of climate warming, grazing, especially overgrazing, can disrupt the permafrost regime and thereby provoke or intensify thermokarst phenomena.

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Meta-analysis demonstrating that moderate grazing can improve the soil quality across China's grassland ecosystems

Cited by 72 publications

References 45 publications

Moderate grazing increased alpine meadow soils bacterial abundance and diversity index on the Tibetan Plateau

Moderate grazing increased alpine meadow soils bacterial abundance and diversity index on the Tibetan Plateau

A global meta-analysis of livestock grazing impacts on soil properties

The Effect of Grazing on the Temperature Regime of the Alas Soils of Central Yakutia

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