Effects of grazing on spatiotemporal variations in community structure and ecosystem function on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, China

Abstract Grasslands worldwide are suffering from overgrazing, which greatly alters plant community structure and ecosystem functioning. However, the general effects of grazing on community structure and ecosystem function at spatial and temporal scales has rarely been examined synchronously in the s...

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Autores principales:	Rina Su, Junhui Cheng, Dima Chen, Yongfei Bai, Hua Jin, Lumengqiqige Chao, Zhijun Wang, Junqing Li
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2017
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/2faab4eb29394ff6b9b2d4034964d6c9
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:2faab4eb29394ff6b9b2d4034964d6c92021-12-02T15:05:15ZEffects of grazing on spatiotemporal variations in community structure and ecosystem function on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, China10.1038/s41598-017-00105-y2045-2322https://doaj.org/article/2faab4eb29394ff6b9b2d4034964d6c92017-02-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-00105-yhttps://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Grasslands worldwide are suffering from overgrazing, which greatly alters plant community structure and ecosystem functioning. However, the general effects of grazing on community structure and ecosystem function at spatial and temporal scales has rarely been examined synchronously in the same grassland. Here, during 2011–2013, we investigated community structure (cover, height, and species richness) and aboveground biomass (AGB) using 250 paired field sites (grazed vs. fenced) across three vegetation types (meadow, typical, and desert steppes) on the Inner Mongolian Plateau. Grazing, vegetation type, and year all had significant effects on cover, height, species richness, and AGB, although the primary factor influencing variations in these variables was vegetation type. Spatially, grazing significantly reduced the measured variables in meadow and typical steppes, whereas no changes were observed in desert steppe. Temporally, both linear and quadratic relationships were detected between growing season precipitation and cover, height, richness, or AGB, although specific relationships varied among observation years and grazing treatments. In each vegetation type, the observed community properties were significantly correlated with each other, and the shape of the relationship was unaffected by grazing treatment. These findings indicate that vegetation type is the most important factor to be considered in grazing management for this semi-arid grassland.Rina SuJunhui ChengDima ChenYongfei BaiHua JinLumengqiqige ChaoZhijun WangJunqing LiNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 7, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2017)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Rina Su Junhui Cheng Dima Chen Yongfei Bai Hua Jin Lumengqiqige Chao Zhijun Wang Junqing Li Effects of grazing on spatiotemporal variations in community structure and ecosystem function on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, China
description	Abstract Grasslands worldwide are suffering from overgrazing, which greatly alters plant community structure and ecosystem functioning. However, the general effects of grazing on community structure and ecosystem function at spatial and temporal scales has rarely been examined synchronously in the same grassland. Here, during 2011–2013, we investigated community structure (cover, height, and species richness) and aboveground biomass (AGB) using 250 paired field sites (grazed vs. fenced) across three vegetation types (meadow, typical, and desert steppes) on the Inner Mongolian Plateau. Grazing, vegetation type, and year all had significant effects on cover, height, species richness, and AGB, although the primary factor influencing variations in these variables was vegetation type. Spatially, grazing significantly reduced the measured variables in meadow and typical steppes, whereas no changes were observed in desert steppe. Temporally, both linear and quadratic relationships were detected between growing season precipitation and cover, height, richness, or AGB, although specific relationships varied among observation years and grazing treatments. In each vegetation type, the observed community properties were significantly correlated with each other, and the shape of the relationship was unaffected by grazing treatment. These findings indicate that vegetation type is the most important factor to be considered in grazing management for this semi-arid grassland.
format	article
author	Rina Su Junhui Cheng Dima Chen Yongfei Bai Hua Jin Lumengqiqige Chao Zhijun Wang Junqing Li
author_facet	Rina Su Junhui Cheng Dima Chen Yongfei Bai Hua Jin Lumengqiqige Chao Zhijun Wang Junqing Li
author_sort	Rina Su
title	Effects of grazing on spatiotemporal variations in community structure and ecosystem function on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, China
title_short	Effects of grazing on spatiotemporal variations in community structure and ecosystem function on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, China
title_full	Effects of grazing on spatiotemporal variations in community structure and ecosystem function on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, China
title_fullStr	Effects of grazing on spatiotemporal variations in community structure and ecosystem function on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, China
title_full_unstemmed	Effects of grazing on spatiotemporal variations in community structure and ecosystem function on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, China
title_sort	effects of grazing on spatiotemporal variations in community structure and ecosystem function on the grasslands of inner mongolia, china
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2017
url	https://doaj.org/article/2faab4eb29394ff6b9b2d4034964d6c9
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Effects of grazing on spatiotemporal variations in community structure and ecosystem function on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, China

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