Optimizing grazing exclusion practices to achieve Goal 15 of the sustainable development goals in the Tibetan Plateau

Sun, Jian; Fu, Bojie; Zhao, Wenwu; Liu, Shiliang; Liu, Guohua; Zhou, Huakun; Shao, Xinqing; Chen, Youchao; Zhang, Yu; Deng, Yong

doi:10.1016/j.scib.2021.03.014

Cited by 65 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Moderate grazing improved soil fertility, diversity and community productivity in healthy alpine grassland ecosystems (J. Sun et al, 2021). The grazing activities of livestock have been shown to influence the carbon distribution of AGB and BGB in grassland, to which plants respond by transferring fixed photo assimilates from root systems to the stems and leaves as a compensatory mechanism to counter the effects of feeding damage, thereby reducing BGB (Mokany et al, 2010; Zhao et al, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response characteristics of grassland ecosystem biomass to grazing intensity in China

et al. 2021

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Grassland ecosystem functions are affected to a large extent by grazing activities.However, owing to the associated spatial heterogeneity, the influence of grazing intensity on grassland ecosystem biomass and the underlying mechanisms remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed data from 335 field data to clarify the response of grassland ecosystem biomass to grazing activities in China. We established that the

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response characteristics of grassland ecosystem biomass to grazing intensity in China

et al. 2021

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“…Our previous 3-year field experiment at this study site indicated that fertilization influenced plant species richness by increasing aboveground biomass and livestock can neutralize or mask the negative effects of fertilization on plant species diversity via ingesting aboveground biomass ( Li et al, 2017 ). Since competition for light is size asymmetric and increasing aboveground biomass due to fertilization aggravated the light limitation in the understory, we recommend that moderate grazing or mowing should be applied along with the increasing nitrogen deposition or fertilizer application to stabilize the local species diversity in the alpine meadow of the Tibetan Plateau ( Sun et al, 2021a , b ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Alpine meadows within the Tibetan Plateau are a climate-sensitive ecosystem and currently face the selection pressures of increasing nutrient loading ( IPCC, 2014 ; Zhang et al, 2019 ; Ma et al, 2021 ; Sun et al, 2021a , b ). Understanding the mechanism controlling species diversity is essential for maintaining ecological equilibrium in this sensitive ecosystem.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential Mechanisms Drive Species Loss Under Artificial Shade and Fertilization in the Alpine Meadow of the Tibetan Plateau

Charles

Yang

et al. 2022

Front. Plant Sci.

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Fertilization is an effective management strategy to promote community biomass but can simultaneously reduce species diversity in many grassland systems. Shifts in competition for resources have been proposed to explain the decline in plant species diversity due to fertilization, yet the underlying mechanism driving species loss remains controversial. This uncertainty may be driven by variation in aboveground and belowground resource availability. However, experiments simultaneously manipulating both light availability and soil nutrients are rare. Using a 6-year field experiment to manipulate light availability (via shade cloth) and soil nutrients (via fertilizer addition), we tested this resource competition hypothesis in a species-rich alpine meadow by examining the variation of species traits associated with the capacity of light acquisition within these treatments. Our results showed that artificial shade decreased community biomass accumulation whereas fertilization increased it. In contrast, both shade and fertilization reduced species diversity. Extinction of non-Gramineae species (e.g., Fabaceae and Cyperaceae) was the main reason for species diversity decline. Species loss can be explained by the limitation of light availability and predicted by species traits associated with light acquisition capability under fertilization and low light tolerance under artificial shade. Specifically, fertilization eliminated species with lower stature and artificial shade exterminated species with the higher light compensation point (LCP). The findings suggest that light availability is consistently important for plant growth and that low competitiveness for light under fertilization and intolerance of low light conditions under artificial shade trigger species loss process in the alpine meadow. Our experiment helps clarify the mechanisms of how artificial shade and fertilization decreased species diversity and highlight that LCP, which tends to be neglected by most of the studies, is one of the vital drivers in determining species coexistence.

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“…Although the alpine grassland ecosystems on the TP have generally improved in recent years, some grasslands still suffer from varying degrees of degradation. The unique ecological and environmental conditions on the TP present a tremendous challenge to grassland restoration once degradation occurs [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Grassland restoration measures applied to the TP have included fertilization, reseeding, enclosure-assisted afforestation, and manual grassland cultivation. However, enclosure-assisted afforestation is a "double-edged sword," as long-term enclosures may reduce the number of species, nutrient value, and soil fertility and may place stress on non-enclosed areas [3]. In recent years, the concept of close-to-nature (CTN) restoration has garnered extensive attention, and has been effectively applied to vegetation restoration.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Restoration Potential of the Grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau

et al. 2021

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While the alpine grassland ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) have generally improved in recent years, some grasslands still suffer from varying degrees of degradation. Studying the restoration potential (R) of the grasslands on the TP is crucial to the conservation and restoration of its alpine grassland ecosystems. Few studies have assessed the restoration value of the alpine grasslands on the TP. We attempt to estimate the actual (ANPP) and potential net primary productivity (PNPP) of the grasslands on the TP. On this basis, we defined R as the “gap” between the current and highest achievable levels of restoration of a grassland. Then, R estimates were yielded for the alpine grasslands on the TP, which we used to analyze the restoration value of these grasslands. Specifically, based on the meteorological data for the period 2001–2019, in conjunction with remote-sensing imagery acquired by a moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer for the same period, the Carnegie–Ames–Stanford approach model was selected to produce ANPP estimates for the grasslands on the TP. Then, the Thornthwaite memorial model, the principle of similar habitats, and the Chikugo model, were employed to generate PNPP estimates for these grasslands. In addition, the R of these grasslands was then assessed based on the difference between their PNPP and ANPP. The main results are summarized as follows. (1) A multiyear mean R of 332.33 g C·m–2 (81.59% of the ANPP) was determined for the grasslands on the TP over the period 2001–2019. A notable spatial distribution pattern of high Rs in the southwestern, eastern and middle parts of the TP, and low Rs in the northwestern part of the TP were also identified. Most of the grasslands in areas such as the southern part of Nagqu, the southwestern part of Ngari, Xigaze, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture were found to have high restoration value. (2) Grasslands with a stable R account were the highest proportion (76.13%) of all the grasslands on the TP, followed by those with a decreasing R (19.62%) and those with an increasing R (4.24%). Grasslands with an increasing R were mainly concentrated in the southern part of Xigaze, and parts of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. (3) Analysis based on the local conditions of the TP revealed a high restoration value for three types of grassland (i.e., alpine meadows, mountain meadows, and temperate meadow steppes), the grasslands distributed at altitudes of 3000–4000 m, and the grasslands located in the warm temperate zone. The results of this study are expected to provide scientific and theoretical support for the formulation of policies and measures aimed at conserving grasslands, as well as restoring ecosystems and degraded grasslands on the TP.

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Optimizing grazing exclusion practices to achieve Goal 15 of the sustainable development goals in the Tibetan Plateau

Cited by 65 publications

References 13 publications

Response characteristics of grassland ecosystem biomass to grazing intensity in China

Response characteristics of grassland ecosystem biomass to grazing intensity in China

Differential Mechanisms Drive Species Loss Under Artificial Shade and Fertilization in the Alpine Meadow of the Tibetan Plateau

The Restoration Potential of the Grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau

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