Mowing Facilitated Shoot and Root Litter Decomposition Compared with Grazing

Abstract

Shoot and root litter are two major sources of soil organic carbon, and their decomposition is a crucial nutrient cycling process in the ecosystem. Altitude and land use could affect litter decomposition by changing the environment in mountain grassland ecosystems. However, few studies have investigated the effects of land use on litter decomposition in different altitudes. We examined how land-use type (mowing vs. grazing) affected shoot and root litter decomposition of a dominant grass (Bromus inermis) in mountain grasslands with two different altitudes in northwest China. Litterbags with 6 g of shoot or root were fixed in the plots to decompose for one year. The mass loss rate of the litter, and the environmental attributes related to decomposition, were measured. Litter decomposed faster in mowing than grazing plots, resulting from the higher plant cover and soil moisture but lower bulk density, which might promote soil microbial activities. Increased altitude promoted litter decomposition, and was positively correlated with soil moisture, soil organic carbon (SOC), and β-xylosidase activity. Our results highlight the diverse influences of land-use type on litter decomposition in different altitudes. The positive effects of mowing on shoot decomposition were stronger in lower than higher altitude compared to grazing due to the stronger responses of the plant (e.g., litter and aboveground biomass) and soil (e.g., soil moisture, soil bulk density, and SOC). Soil nutrients (e.g., SOC and soil total nitrogen) seemed to play essential roles in root decomposition, which was increased in mowing plots at lower altitude and vice versa at higher altitude. Therefore, grazing significantly decreased root mass loss at higher altitude, but slightly increased at lower altitude compared to mowing. Our results indicated that the land use might variously regulate the innate differences of the plant and edaphic conditions along an altitude gradient, exerting complex impacts in litter decomposition and further influencing carbon and nutrient cycling in mountain grasslands.

Divergence in the soil and rhizosphere microbial communities of monoculture and silvopastoral traditional C. dodecandra agroforestry systems in Yucatan, Mexico

“…In contrast, in the Monoc the main source of organic matter is the leaf litter of C. dodecandra trees. Furthermore, it is likely that the moisture from the occasional irrigation in Silvo promotes a higher decomposition of the organic residues, thus releasing more N and P (Zhang et al, 2022). The rest of the properties showed only minor or no significant differences.…”

Grazing Impacts on Soil Enzyme Activities Vary with Vegetation Types in the Forest-Steppe Ecotone of Northeastern China

“…The impacts of grazing disturbance on plant cover, soil physicochemical properties, and microbial activities have been extensively studied [45][46][47]. Grazing animals consume aboveground vegetation and excrete feces, which can increase bacterial growth [48].…”

An Intelligent Grazing Development Strategy for Unmanned Animal Husbandry in China

“…Li et al [44] designed a soil breaking and root cutting machine, for increasing grassland iteration through root cutting to increase forage yield. Zhang et al [45] showed that compared with grazing, cutting promoted the decomposition of ground and root litter and promoted the growth of forage in the next year, and the forage harvested by cutting can be used for supplementary feeding, further increasing the yield of grassland forage.…”