Response of the annual biomass production of a typical steppe plant community to precipitation fluctuations

Wang, Zhen; Zhang, Qing; Xin, Xiaoping; Ding, Yulong; Hou, Xiangyang; Sarula,; Li, Xiliang; Chen, Haijun; Yin, Yan; Hu, Jing; Liu, Zhongling

doi:10.1071/rj14065

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 35 publications

(40 reference statements)

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“…Smirn., Achnatherum sibiricum (L.) Keng and Agropyron cristatum (L.) P. Beauv. (Wang et al 2014), but these species are no longer present in the degraded desert steppe used in this study. The sole remaining dominant from this functional group was S. breviflora.…”

Section: The Effect Of Grazing Deferment On Plant Species and Plant Fmentioning

confidence: 87%

Different responses of plant species to deferment of sheep grazing in a desert steppe of Inner Mongolia, China

et al. 2014

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This paper reports the effects of different deferments of sheep grazing on plant variables of desert steppe vegetation in Inner Mongolia during 2010-2012. The study was initiated in May 2010 and comprised five treatments: no grazing (UG), grazing throughout the growing season (G) and grazing deferment for 40, 50 and 60 days (40UG, 50UG and 60UG) from the start of the growing season in a completely randomised block design replicated three times. The plant species were classified into two functional groups (C 3 and C 4 species) and the relationships among species composition, biomass and annual precipitation were examined in different deferments of sheep grazing. Treatment G significantly decreased the biomass of several species compared with some of the deferred treatments and treatment UG, because of differences in grazing preferences, and, consequently, decreased the aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP). Grazing deferment for 40, 50 and 60 days significantly increased C 3 -species richness and biomass compared with treatment UG, whereas grazing sheep's preferences for C 4 plants at some growth stages compared with C 3 plants, resulted in lower species richness and biomass of C 4 plants in treatments G, 40UG and 50UG in a dry year. Similarly, different species responses to treatment 60UG resulted in an increase in ANPP in a year with more precipitation during the growing season. The annual precipitation patterns strongly affected the temporal changes in biomass as well as the responses to grazing, indicating that the plant responses in the desert steppe were co-limited by grazing and precipitation. These findings provide important insights into the management and conservation of desert steppe vegetation in Inner Mongolia.

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Section: The Effect Of Grazing Deferment On Plant Species and Plant Fmentioning

confidence: 87%

Different responses of plant species to deferment of sheep grazing in a desert steppe of Inner Mongolia, China

et al. 2014

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“…Species cover was determined as the proportion (0% to 1%, 1% to 5%, 5% to 10%, 10% to 20%, 20% to 40%, 40% to 60%, 60% to 100%) of the quadrat covered by its canopy [ 11 ]. The biomass production of species was determined by the average weight of all quadrates, and the grasses were oven-dried at 65°C for 48 h to estimate the DM biomass [ 12 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silage preparation and fermentation quality of natural grasses treated with lactic acid bacteria and cellulase in meadow steppe and typical steppe

Hou

Liu

et al. 2016

Asian-Australas J Anim Sci

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ObjectiveIn order to improve fermentation quality of natural grasses, their silage preparation and fermentation quality in meadow steppe (MS) and typical steppe (TS) were studied.MethodsThe small-scale silages and round bale silages of mixed natural grasses in both steppes were prepared using the commercial lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculants Chikuso-1 (CH, Lactobacillus plantarum) and cellulase enzyme (AC, Acremonium cellulase) as additives.ResultsMS and TS contained 33 and 9 species of natural grasses, respectively. Stipa baicalensis in MS and Stipa grandi in TS were the dominant grasses with the highest dry matter (DM) yield. The crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber and water-soluble carbohydrate of the mixed natural grasses in both steppes were 8.02% to 9.03%, 66.75% to 69.47%, and 2.02% to 2.20% on a DM basis, respectively. All silages treated with LAB and cellulase were well preserved with lower pH, butyric acid and ammonia-N content, and higher lactic acid and CP content than those of control in four kinds of silages. Compared with CH- or AC-treated silages, the CH+ AC-treated silages had higher lactic acid content.ConclusionThe results confirmed that combination with LAB and cellulase may result in beneficial effects by improving the natural grass silage fermentation in both grasslands.

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“…According to the competitive exclusion principle (Gause, 1934), a dominant annual species (C . aristatum in this case) can quickly gain dominance and overtake sub-dominant species in plant communities in arid grassland when sufficient soil water and nutrients are present (Wang et al, 2014).…”

Section: Plant Community Compositionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Inter-annual precipitation fluctuation shapes plant communities regardless of fertilization addition and mycorrhizal suppression in desert steppe

Yang

Zang

Feng

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Intensified inter-annual precipitation fluctuation has profoundly altered the structure and functioning of grassland ecosystems. However, it remains elusive how fertilisation and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi affect plant communities under a variable precipitation regime. We tested the interactive effects of inter-annual precipitation fluctuation, nutrient addition (nitrogen, N and phosphorus, P) and suppression of AM fungi on aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and the species composition of plant community of a desert steppe for two consecutive years (2019 and 2020). Our study demonstrated that inter-annual precipitation fluctuation had a greater impact on ANPP and the species composition of plant community than N and P addition and AM fungi, suggesting that the impacts of fertilisation and AM fungi varied by year and may be difficult to predict over time. In a normal year (2019), N and P inputs altered the ANPP and the species composition of plant community via enhancing the biomass and dominance of annual species but had few impacts on the same parameters in a dry year (2020). AM fungi had only a minimal effect on plant communities across the two years. P input alone slightly enhanced plant species richness and diversity. Our results indicate that plant community responses to nutrient enrichment and AM fungi could be changed by inter-annual precipitation fluctuation and that precipitation is a key factor affecting plant communities in desert steppe.

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Response of the annual biomass production of a typical steppe plant community to precipitation fluctuations

Cited by 10 publications

References 35 publications

Different responses of plant species to deferment of sheep grazing in a desert steppe of Inner Mongolia, China

Different responses of plant species to deferment of sheep grazing in a desert steppe of Inner Mongolia, China

Silage preparation and fermentation quality of natural grasses treated with lactic acid bacteria and cellulase in meadow steppe and typical steppe

Inter-annual precipitation fluctuation shapes plant communities regardless of fertilization addition and mycorrhizal suppression in desert steppe

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