Plant responses following grazing removal at different stocking rates in an Inner Mongolia grassland ecosystem

Liu, Yanshu; Pan, Qingmin; Liu, Hongde; Bai, Yongfei; Simmons, Matthew; Dittert, Klaus; Han, Xingguo

doi:10.1007/s11104-010-0458-3

Cited by 39 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 49 publications

(65 reference statements)

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“…Frequent, heavy grazing or overgrazing reduces the vegetation cover, plant height and biomass in grasslands, while excluding herbivores can be an effective way to restore vegetation (Pei et al, 2008;Wu et al, 2009;Liu et al, 2011). In our study, excluding grazing by fencing gradually increased ground cover and belowground biomass at the depth of 0-20 cm over time.…”

Section: Vegetation Restoration Under Fencingsupporting

confidence: 47%

Effects of fencing on vegetation and soil restoration in a degraded alkaline grassland in northeast China

Zhou

Jin

et al. 2013

J. Arid Land

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In order to restore a degraded alkaline grassland, the local government implemented a large restoration project using fences in Changling county, Jilin province, China, in 2000. Grazing was excluded from the protected area, whereas the grazed area was continuously grazed at 8.5 dry sheep equivalent (DSE)/hm 2. In the current research, soil and plant samples were taken from grazed and fenced areas to examine changes in vegetation and soil properties in 2005, 2006 and 2008. Results showed that vegetation characteristics and soil properties improved significantly in the fenced area compared with the grazed area. In the protected area the vegetation cover, height and above-and belowground biomass increased significantly. Soil pH, electrical conductivity and bulk density decreased significantly, but soil organic carbon and total nitrogen concentration increased greatly in the protected area. By comparing the vegetation and soil characteristics with pre-degraded grassland, we found that vegetation can recover 6 years after fencing, and soil pH can be restored 8 years after fencing. However, the restoration of soil organic carbon, total nitrogen and total phosphorus concentrations needed 16, 30 and 19 years, respectively. It is recommended that the stocking rate should be reduced to 1/3 of the current carrying capacity, or that a grazing regime of 1-year of grazing followed by a 2-year rest is adopted to sustain the current status of vegetation and soil resources. However, if N fertilizer is applied, the rest period could be shortened, depending on the rate of application.

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Section: Vegetation Restoration Under Fencingsupporting

confidence: 47%

Effects of fencing on vegetation and soil restoration in a degraded alkaline grassland in northeast China

Zhou

Jin

et al. 2013

J. Arid Land

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“…This hypothesis, which is also referred as herbivore-stimulated overcompensation, suggests that grazing may stimulate plant over-growth and over-reproduction (Agrawal, 2000; Siddappaji et al, 2015) via mechanisms that plants may use to minimize the negative effects of tissue loss (Jaremo et al, 1999; Leriche et al, 2003; Charles et al, 2017). This hypothesis has been supported by studies conducted in diverse pasture ecosystems, including North American salt marshes and mixed prairies (Hik and Jefferies, 1990; Alward and Joern, 1993), African savannas (McNaughton, 1989; Leriche et al, 2003) and Inner Mongolian grasslands (Liu et al, 2011). However, other studies have suggested that the degree of plant overcompensation varies greatly (Olff and Ritchie, 1998; Bakker et al, 2006; Liu et al, 2015; Charles et al, 2017) due to factors including (1) the formation of plant communities and their co-evolution with the level of herbivore pressure historically present in ecosystems (Vermeire et al, 2005; Holdo et al, 2007; Knapp et al, 2012; Augustine and Derner, 2014; Hanke et al, 2014); (2) the species composition of plant communities and the available resources (Anderson et al, 2007; Borer et al, 2014; Lezama et al, 2014; Eldridge et al, 2016); and (3) the herbivore species and grazing intensities (Eldridge et al, 2011; Charles et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Productive Overcompensation of Alpine Meadows in Response to Yak Grazing in the Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

et al. 2019

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Understanding the interaction between large herbivores and pasture production, especially with respect to the grazing optimization hypothesis, is critical for pasture management and generating theoretical and testable predictions. However, the optimization hypothesis remains contradictory in alpine meadows on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). In this study, we tested the grazing optimization hypothesis using four yak-grazing intensities (no grazing, light grazing, moderate grazing and heavy grazing) in alpine meadow habitats from 2015 to 2017. The results indicated that species diversity did not differ significantly among grazing regimes during the experimental period. However, the aboveground net primary production (ANPP) under moderate grazing consistently significantly exceeded that in control enclosures over 3 years, confirming the grazing optimization hypothesis. Levels of overcompensation varied among grazing intensities and years, and grazing-induced plant compensation may only occur in the short term. The enhanced regrowth of Poaceae and Cyperaceae induced by yak grazing might contribute to the overall level of overcompensation by plant community. Our results strongly support the grazing optimization hypothesis in the context of alpine meadows grazed by yaks, emphasizing the complex interactions between ANPP, herbivores and other ecological factors in alpine meadows on the QTP. These findings provide new insights for the development of an ecological conservation strategy that will help restore this fragile ecosystem and balance the seemingly incompatible requirements of animal husbandry.

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“…This region experiences a typical semi‐arid continental climate with annual average temperature being about 0.3 °C and annual average rainfall 350 mm (Table ; Kong et al , ). Vegetation is dominated by Leymus chinensis , Agropyron michnoi and Stipa grandis ; more descriptions about the study area can be clearly found in Kong et al () and Liu et al ().…”

Section: Sites Measurements and Data Quality Controlmentioning

confidence: 97%

Estimation of hourly and daily photosynthetically active radiation in Inner Mongolia, China, from 1990 to 2012

Wang

Gong

Feng

et al. 2014

Intl Journal of Climatology

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Measurements of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) in Inner Mongolia, China, from 2005 to 2012 were used to investigate its relationship with global solar radiation (G) under various sky conditions. Monthly mean daily PAR generally increased from 13.98 mol m −2 d −1 in December to 40.48 mol m −2 d −1 in June with annual mean value being 29.02 mol m −2 d −1 . Monthly daily F p (ratio of PAR to G) increased from 1.68 mol MJ -1 in December to 1.88 mol MJ -1 in August with annual average of 1.80 mol MJ -1 . Clearness index (K t ) was used for characterizing sky conditions and it was discovered that clear skies (49.4%) were the dominated sky conditions. By studying the dependence of PAR on optical air mass, K t and cosine of solar zenith angle, two different models have been introduced and tested at four other sites in China. The model performances have been analysed and the daily PAR values during 1990-2012 at Inner Mongolia, China, have been reconstructed. It was found that PAR increased at the rate of 0.54 mol m −2 d −1 decade -1 since 1990 and the most evident increases were observed in summer (1.96 mol m −2 d −1 decade -1 ). However, PAR decreased at the rate of -0.37 mol m −2 d −1 decade -1 in spring during 1990-2012. KEY WORDS photosynthetically active radiation; clearness index; optical air mass; Inner

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Plant responses following grazing removal at different stocking rates in an Inner Mongolia grassland ecosystem

Cited by 39 publications

References 49 publications

Effects of fencing on vegetation and soil restoration in a degraded alkaline grassland in northeast China

Effects of fencing on vegetation and soil restoration in a degraded alkaline grassland in northeast China

Productive Overcompensation of Alpine Meadows in Response to Yak Grazing in the Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Estimation of hourly and daily photosynthetically active radiation in Inner Mongolia, China, from 1990 to 2012

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