Simulating effects of grazing on soil organic carbon stocks in Mongolian grasslands

Chang, Xiaofeng; Bao, Xiaoyu; Wang, Shiping; Wilkes, Andreas; Erdenetsetseg, Baasandai; Baival, Batkhishig; Avaadorj, Danzan-osor; Maisaikhan, Temuujin; Damdinsuren, Bolormaa

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2015.07.014

Cited by 15 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Wang, Lui, et al () proposed a model to assess steppe health, including precipitation, productivity, community structure, and resilience. Grassland degradation has also been estimated using a geographic information system, remote sensing, and modeling (Batunacun, Nendel, Hu, & Lakes, ; Chang et al, ; Jiang, Bi, Huang, & Bai, ; Ren & Zhou, ; Tong, Wu, Yong, Yang, & Yong, ; Wang, Zhou, & Jia, ; Zhou et al, ).…”

Section: Steppe Degradationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of restoration approaches on the Inner Mongolian Steppe based on criteria of the Society for Ecological Restoration

Feng

Zhou

2020

Land Degrad Dev

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Ecological restoration is becoming an increasingly common management tool worldwide. However, a challenge still exists on how to effectively monitor restoration outcomes and evaluate restoration success for ecological restoration managers. In this review, the goal is to evaluate whether the research in a degraded area has been sufficient for fostering efficient restoration measures and follow‐up of restoration success based on the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) criteria. We selected the Inner Mongolian Steppe (IMS) in China as a model system. This area has been the subject of substantial research over the most recent years to understand degradation processes and restoration outcomes. We put together the variables used to assess degradation and restoration needs in the IMS and analyzed restoration results based on SER's nine criteria for evaluating restoration success. We found that the accomplished research in the IMS only partially supplied the data needed for evaluation of restoration success. The available results were sufficient for a proper evaluation of species composition and tentatively supported assessments of another seven criteria but not self‐sustainability. Grazing exclusion led to the fastest and most successful recovery of degraded steppe, but landscape‐scale processes during restoration in the IMS are still incompletely known. Our review supports large‐scale restoration of the IMS and emphasizes the need for long‐time monitoring for a more complete evaluation of the outcome of the IMS restoration following all SER's criteria.

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Section: Steppe Degradationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of restoration approaches on the Inner Mongolian Steppe based on criteria of the Society for Ecological Restoration

Feng

Zhou

2020

Land Degrad Dev

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“…Mechanistic ecosystem models, like the CenW model, are useful tools to gain a better understanding of GHG emissions, yields, and carbon stock dynamics of managed grasslands as they can address, over long time periods, the complex interactions between climate, soil, vegetation and management practices [80][81][82]. Modeling studies have shown that models could achieve high accuracy in simulating greenhouse gas (CO 2 and H 2 O) uptakes and emissions, yields, and carbon source/sink activity of managed grasslands for a wide range of climate and management conditions [17,56,[83][84][85][86].…”

Section: Performances Of the Cenw Model To Simulate Gas Exchanges Of mentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Carbon and Water Fluxes of Managed Grasslands: Comparing Flux Variability and Net Carbon Budgets between Grazed and Mowed Systems

et al. 2019

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The CenW ecosystem model simulates carbon, water, and nitrogen cycles following ecophysiological processes and management practices on a daily basis. We tested and evaluated the model using five years eddy covariance measurements from two adjacent but differently managed grasslands in France. The data were used to independently parameterize CenW for the two grassland sites. Very good agreements, i.e., high model efficiencies and correlations, between observed and modeled fluxes were achieved. We showed that the CenW model captured day-to-day, seasonal, and interannual variability observed in measured CO2 and water fluxes. We also showed that following typical management practices (i.e., mowing and grazing), carbon gain was severely curtailed through a sharp and severe reduction in photosynthesizing biomass. We also identified large model/data discrepancies for carbon fluxes during grazing events caused by the noncapture by the eddy covariance system of large respiratory losses of C from dairy cows when they were present in the paddocks. The missing component of grazing animal respiration in the net carbon budget of the grazed grassland can be quantitatively important and can turn sites from being C sinks to being neutral or C sources. It means that extra care is needed in the processing of eddy covariance data from grazed pastures to correctly calculate their annual CO2 balances and carbon budgets.

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“…There are few related studies on PMC, DOC, and other components of the soil, but the existing results show that grazing has no significant difference in the PMC and DOC [59,63]. Chang et al [64] found that the TOC content in Mongolian grasslands increased with the decrease in grazing intensity, and the cumulative increase of the soil TOC by reducing grazing intensity could reach 21.96-36.91 g C m −2 yr −1 , indicating that an appropriate grazing intensity can solve the problem of the loss of soil carbon due to heavy grazing.…”

Section: Effects Of Grazing On Toc and The Fractionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Grazing on Soil Organic Carbon in the Rhizosphere of Stipa Grandis in a Typical Steppe of Inner Mongolia, China

Zhang

et al. 2022

Sustainability

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The ability of grassland ecosystems to sequester carbon has a great potential to achieve carbon neutralization. Rhizosphere deposition is the most uncertain part of the soil carbon cycle. Since grazing is one of the main ways to utilize grasslands, we conducted experiments to clarify the role of rhizosphere on soil organic carbon (SOC) cycling under grazing in a typical steppe region of Inner Mongolia, China. The experiment was conducted in grasslands under light, moderate, and heavy grazing and in a control (no grazing) in Inner Mongolia, China. Here, we present our analysis of the total soil organic carbon (TOC) and fractions in both the rhizosphere and bulk soil. Light and moderate grazing increased SOC contents in rhizosphere soil, and we found more SOC in rhizosphere soil than in bulk soil. The rhizosphere showed SOC enrichment effect, and this effect increased with an increase in grazing intensity. As grazing intensity increased, microbial biomass carbon content and its percentage of TOC increased in rhizosphere soil and were more stable than those in bulk soil. Dissolved organic carbon content and its percentage of TOC also increased in rhizosphere soil with increasing grazing intensity. These changes were more than those observed in bulk soil. Changes in potentially mineralizable carbon and particulate organic carbon in the rhizosphere and bulk soil were not synchronized in plots under different grazing intensities. Grazing changed the quantity of bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes, as well as the community structure of soil microbes, in rhizosphere soil and bulk soil. It also influenced the content and structure of SOC. Acidic components (e.g., organic acids) of root exudate reduced the pH in rhizosphere soil to less than that in bulk soil, which may have affected SOC cycling. The results can provide support to improve the ecosystem carbon sink function and help to achieve the goal of carbon peaking/carbon neutral target.

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Simulating effects of grazing on soil organic carbon stocks in Mongolian grasslands

Cited by 15 publications

References 39 publications

Evaluation of restoration approaches on the Inner Mongolian Steppe based on criteria of the Society for Ecological Restoration

Evaluation of restoration approaches on the Inner Mongolian Steppe based on criteria of the Society for Ecological Restoration

Modeling Carbon and Water Fluxes of Managed Grasslands: Comparing Flux Variability and Net Carbon Budgets between Grazed and Mowed Systems

Effects of Grazing on Soil Organic Carbon in the Rhizosphere of Stipa Grandis in a Typical Steppe of Inner Mongolia, China

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