Assessment of biotic and abiotic factors controlling herbaceous biodiversity in Mongolian steppes

Narantsetseg, Amartuvshin; Kang, Sinkyu; Lkhamsuren, Bolor-Erdene; Jang, Keunchang; Ko, Dongwook W.

doi:10.1016/j.ecoinf.2014.11.003

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Among various climate factors, precipitation is particularly important to control the vegetative composition of plant communities in semi-arid and arid rangelands (Fujita et al 2013;Graetz et al 1988). Along the precipitation gradient from arid to semi-arid, the vegetation becomes dense and diverse and steppe-type varies gradually from desert steppe to typical steppe and to forest steppe in the Mongolian rangelands, where aridity primarily controls the composition of plant life forms (Fernandez-Gimenez and Allen-Diaz 1999; Narantsetseg et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For examples, above-ground standing biomass increases from arid to semi-arid steppes (Fernandez-Gimenez and Allen-Diaz 1999). Perennial herbaceous plant is the dominant life form in semi-arid steppes, but this changes to annual or biennial life form in arid steppe of Mongolia (Fujita et al 2012;Narantsetseg et al 2015). Climate also affects vegetation indirectly by regulating number and composition of local livestock.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Local and regional steppe vegetation palatability at grazing hotspot areas in Mongolia

et al. 2022

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Background: Climate and livestock grazing are key agents in determining current Mongolian steppe vegetation communities. Together with plant coverage or biomass, palatability of steppe community is regarded as a useful indicator of grassland degradation, in particular, at grazing hotspots in arid and semi-arid grasslands. This study analyzed relationships between livestock grazing pressure and steppe vegetation palatability at three summer pastures with different aridity (dry, xeric, and mesic) and livestock numbers (1,100, 1,800, and 4,100 sheep units, respectively). At each site, it was surveyed coverage, biomass, and species composition of different palatability groups (i.e., palatable [P], impalatable [IP], and trampling-tolerant [TT]) along a 1-km transect from grazing hotspots (i.e., well) in every July from 2015 to 2018. Results: In results, total vegetation coverage increased with wetness, 7 times greater at mesic site than dry one in averages (33.1% vs. 4.5%); biomass was 3 times higher (47.1 g m -2 vs. 15.7 g m -2 ). Though P was the dominant palatability group, the importance of IP in total coverage increased with aridity from mesic (0.6%) to dry (40.2%) sites. Whereas, TT increased with livestock numbers across sites. Locally, IP was observed more frequently near the wells and its spatial range of occurrence becomes farther along the transects with aridity across sites from mesic (< 100 m) to dry (< 700 m from the well). Conclusions: Our results showed that the importance of IP and its spatial distribution are different at both local and regional scales, indicating that the palatability parameters are sensitive to discern balance between selective-grazing demand and climate-driven foraging supply in Mongolian rangelands.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local and regional steppe vegetation palatability at grazing hotspot areas in Mongolia

et al. 2022

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“…As a result, Reference [20] tested 168 metrics of spectral diversity. Among them, however, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) or its variances (NDVI Sill, NDVI Range, CVNDVI) are the most commonly applied, mainly in biodiversity analysis [21,22]. The third type of landscape metrics, which allow one to quantify, among others, the functioning and stability of ecosystems, their biodiversity and degree of fragmentation [23,24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Methodology of Landscape Quality (LQ) Indicators Analysis Based on Remote Sensing Data: Polish National Parks Case Study

Sowińska-Świerkosz

Michalik-Śnieżek

2020

Sustainability

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Landscape quality (LQ) encompasses diverse characteristic of the natural and cultural environment. The most effective tool to analyze LQ is the use of indicators. The main problem in the assessment of LQ is not the lack of indicators, but its multitude. That is why, the indicators’ categorization is a problematic issue. The paper aims to introduce and test the methodology for selecting the suitable indicators based on the example of two national parks located in the south-east part of Poland. The method composed of the following stages: (1) Selection of spatial units being analyzed; (2) selection of indicators type(s); (3) selection of specific indicators; (4) calculation of indicator set no 1; (5) analysis of the correlation between indicators’ pairs; (6) selection of a final set of indicators; (7) analysis of effectiveness. The latter stage, refers to the statistical analysis of significance between results obtained dependently on the data sources, a spatial unit of analysis and analyzed regions. The results showed that the categorization composed of ten, mainly composite indicators, can be applied to conclude on different levels of LQ of protected areas. The differences between two analyzed data sources, different spatial units, as well as diverse regions, occurred to be statistically insignificant. Generally, the results of the effectiveness analysis showed that a final categorization of LQ indicators is adequate to conclude on the diverse dimensions of LQ of analyzed protected areas.

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“…In arid grasslands, though climate-driven, inter-annual variations of plant biodiversity and biomass are strong (Fernandez-Gimenez and Allen-Diaz 1999; Stumpp et al 2005), it is also clear that livestock have critical impacts on plant communities and locally participate in pasture land degradation . Because the daily feeding distance of livestock is generally constrained to a few kilometers in Mongolia (Cérénhand 2005), livestock impacts can produce finer-scale pasture heterogeneity of plant composition and standing biomass than that caused by regional climate gradients (Narantsetseg et al 2014;Narantsetseg et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Livestock grazing and trampling effects on plant functional composition at three wells in the desert steppe of Mongolia

Narantsetseg

Kang

2018

j ecology environ

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Backgrounds: In arid grasslands, wells are subject to heavy trampling and grazing pressure, which can increase vulnerability to local land degradation. To investigate trampling and grazing, we surveyed plant communities at three well sites in the desert steppe of Mongolia, using 1600-m line transects from the wells. The sites (Bshrub, Sshrub, and shrubL) differed by concomitant shrub type (big shrub, small shrub, and shrub-limited) and livestock pressure (light, medium, and heavy). A plant classification scheme based on edibility and morphology (rosette or creeping type) was used to separate grazing and trampling effects on plant communities. Results: Edible plants were dominant at all sites but a fraction of grazing-and trampling-tolerant plants increased in the order Bshrub, Sshrub, and shrubL, following livestock pressure. Clear transition zones from inedible to edible plant groups were recognized but at different locations and ranges among the sites. Trampling-tolerant plants explained 90% of inedible plants at Sshrub with camels and horses, but grazing-tolerant plants prevailed (60%) at shrubL with the largest livestock number. Plant coverage increased significantly along the transects at Bshrub and Sshrub but showed no meaningful change at shrubL. Herbaceous plant biomass showed significant positive and negative trends at Bshrub and shrubL, respectively. Conclusions: Both grazing and trampling can produce larger fractions of inedible plants; in this, camel and horses can have considerable effects on desert-steppe plant communities through trampling.

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Assessment of biotic and abiotic factors controlling herbaceous biodiversity in Mongolian steppes

Cited by 11 publications

References 32 publications

Local and regional steppe vegetation palatability at grazing hotspot areas in Mongolia

Local and regional steppe vegetation palatability at grazing hotspot areas in Mongolia

The Methodology of Landscape Quality (LQ) Indicators Analysis Based on Remote Sensing Data: Polish National Parks Case Study

Livestock grazing and trampling effects on plant functional composition at three wells in the desert steppe of Mongolia

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