Moderate grazing promotes the root biomass in <i>Kobresia</i> meadow on the northern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Dai, Licong; Guo, Xiaowei; Ke, Xun; Zhang, Fawei; Li, Yikang; Peng, Chengbin; Shu, Kai; Li, Qian; Lin, Li; Cao, Guangmin; Du, Yangong

doi:10.1002/ece3.5494

Cited by 38 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 54 publications

(70 reference statements)

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“…Breaking down the results by management regime, rhizome biomass was strongly and disproportionally (in relation to aboveground biomass) affected by high intensity. We suggest that this disparity is generated by the use of stored resources for regrowth after damage (Klimeš and Klimešová 2002, Dai et al 2019) and by top‐down control constraining plant capacity to acquire new resources (Iwasa and Kubo 1997, Wigley et al 2020). Lower biomass allocation belowground into rhizomes may decrease the capability of temperate grassland plants to store resources and carbon below the soil surface (Zhou et al 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strong impact of management regimes on rhizome biomass across Central European temperate grasslands

Ottaviani

Lubbe

Lepš

et al. 2021

Ecological Applications

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Grassland ecosystems account for approximately 40% of terrestrial biomes globally. These communities are characterized by a large allocation to belowground biomass, often exceeding its aboveground counterpart. However, this biomass investment cannot be entirely attributed to the acquisitive function of roots. Grassland plants also allocate to non-acquisitive, stem-derived, belowground organs, such as rhizomes. These organs are responsible for the key plant functions of space occupancy, resprouting after damage, and seasonal rest. However, biomass investment to rhizomes has rarely been studied. Here we gathered community-level aboveground and rhizome biomass data for 52 temperate grasslands in Czech Republic (Central Europe), differing in management intensity. We found that rhizome biomass scaled linearly with aboveground biomass, and more intensive management disproportionally (negatively) affected rhizome biomass. This finding may have important implications for the persistence of temperate grassland plants and their provision of ecosystem services (e.g., soil carbon sequestration, soil stabilization) in relation to changing environments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strong impact of management regimes on rhizome biomass across Central European temperate grasslands

Ottaviani

Lubbe

Lepš

et al. 2021

Ecological Applications

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“…Alpine and subalpine grasslands suffer from reduced nutrient availability and harsh environmental conditions, and plants growing in these habitats presumably develop adaptive coping strategies (Chapagain et al, 2019). Disturbance regimes, such as harvesting, grazing, trampling, and fire, also play influential positive (Chen et al, 2014;Dai et al, 2019) or negative (Chapagain et al, 2019;Kreziou et al, 2015) roles in determining the growth and persistence of plants and could be important elements of an optimal grassland management strategy for alpine meadows.…”

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confidence: 99%

Illegal harvesting and livestock grazing threaten the endangered orchid Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D. Don) Soó in Nepalese Himalaya

Chapagain

Meilby

Baniya

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

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Harvesting of orchids for medicine and salep production is a traditional practice, and increasing market demand is spurring illegal harvest. Ethno‐ecological studies in combination with the effect of anthropogenic disturbance are lacking for orchids. We compared population density and structure, and tuber biomass of Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D. Don) Soó for three years in two sites: Manang, where harvesting of medicinal plants was locally regulated (protected), and Darchula, where harvesting was locally unregulated (unprotected). Six populations were studied along an elevation gradient by establishing 144 temporary plots (3 × 3 m 2 ) from 3,400 to 4,600 m elevations. Mean density of D. hatagirea was significantly higher in the locally protected (1.31 ± 0.17 plants/m 2 ) than in the unprotected (0.72 ± 0.06 plants/m 2 ) site. The protected site showed stable population density with high reproductive fitness and tuber biomass over the three‐year period. A significant negative effect ( p < .1) of relative radiation index (RRI) on the density of the adult vegetative stage and a positive effect of herb cover on juvenile and adult vegetative stages were found using mixed zero‐inflated Poisson (mixed ZIP) models. The densities of different life stages were highly sensitive to harvesting and livestock grazing. Significant interactions between site and harvesting and grazing indicated particularly strong negative effects of these disturbances on densities of juvenile and adult reproductive stages in the unprotected site. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with informants ( n = 186) in the villages and at the ecological survey sites. Our interview results showed that at the protected site people are aware of the conservation status and maintain sustainable populations, whereas the opposite was the case at the unprotected site where the populations are threatened. Sustainability of D. hatagirea populations, therefore, largely depends on controlling illegal and premature harvesting and unregulated livestock grazing, thus indicating the need for permanent monitoring of the species.

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“…Previous studies have shown that herbivores induce underground effects by changing the composition of vegetation and have an ecosystem‐specific impact on soil nematode communities (Andriuzzi & Wall, 2017; Bardgett & Wardle, 2003; Wang et al, 2018). Moderate grazing disturbance can promote soil fertility (Li et al, 2019), maximize aboveground biodiversity (Dai et al, 2019; Pulungan et al, 2019; Souther et al, 2020; Yan et al, 2020), and significantly increase underground biomass and diversity (Dai et al, 2019; Liu et al, 2021; López‐Mársico et al, 2015; Wu et al, 2014). There may be two reasons for the discrepancy between the findings of these studies and our research results.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Compared to grazing exclusion, light grazing results in a high soil carbon–nitrogen ratio, whereas the carbon–nitrogen ratio associated with heavy grazing is low (He et al, 2019; Zhang et al, 2017; Zhou et al, 2017). Additionally, the belowground biomass of plants changes in response to grazing intensity and shows a substantial increase with moderate grazing (Dai et al, 2019; Liu et al, 2021; López‐Mársico et al, 2015; Wu et al, 2014). Furthermore, moderate grazing disturbance promotes soil fertility (Li et al, 2019) and increases aboveground biodiversity (Pulungan et al, 2019; Souther et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, moderate grazing disturbance promotes soil fertility (Li et al, 2019) and increases aboveground biodiversity (Pulungan et al, 2019;Souther et al, 2020). Studies conducted on the meadow and alpine steppe ecosystems have reported that the biodiversity of a moderate disturbance treatment is higher compared to that observed with other degrees of grazing disturbance (Dai et al, 2019;Yan et al, 2020). Deng et al (2014) have found that different grazing intensities produce no significant differences in desert steppe environments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring the optimal grazing intensity in desert steppe based on soil nematode community and function

et al. 2022

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Grazing is a key regulator of the biodiversity of the desert steppe in Inner Mongolia and has important ecological significance for the sustainable development of underground ecosystems. In a 14-year grazing intensity experiment, we systematically explored the changes in soil nematode communities in desert steppe soils and comprehensively evaluated the optimal grazing intensity for the sustainability of the desert steppe underground ecosystem. Using high-throughput sequencing, we analyzed the soil nematode communities and their relationships with environmental factors. The 14-year grazing experiment revealed a significant impact on the diversity and composition of the soil nematode community in the surface layer (0-10 cm) and on the soil nematode community in the whole soil layer (0-20 cm). Based on LEfSe multilevel discriminant analysis, we found that the relative abundances of Acrobeles,

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Moderate grazing promotes the root biomass in Kobresia meadow on the northern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Cited by 38 publications

References 54 publications

Strong impact of management regimes on rhizome biomass across Central European temperate grasslands

Strong impact of management regimes on rhizome biomass across Central European temperate grasslands

Illegal harvesting and livestock grazing threaten the endangered orchid Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D. Don) Soó in Nepalese Himalaya

Exploring the optimal grazing intensity in desert steppe based on soil nematode community and function

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