Contrasting responses of seedling and sapling densities to livestock density in the Mongolian forest-steppe

Khishigjargal, Mookhor; Dulamsuren, Choimaa; Lkhagvadorj, Dorjburgedaa; Leuschner, Christoph; Hauck, Markus

doi:10.1007/s11258-013-0259-x

Cited by 35 publications

(38 citation statements)

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“…Additional biomass removal from the forest occurs through occasional forest grazing by livestock, which is widespread in many areas of the forest‐steppe (Lkhagvadorj et al ., ). The combination of selective logging by the local population (Dulamsuren et al ., ) and the suppression of tree regeneration by livestock and goats in particular (Khishigjargal et al ., ) reduces the tree biomass and thus carbon stock density in the vegetation more dramatically (but with heterogeneous distribution) at forest edges than in the interior. As forests in the forest‐steppe ecotone are typically small, it is important to account for the proportion of forest edges in the total forested area in biomass and carbon stock estimates for the forest‐steppe.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The forest‐steppe is populated by pastoral nomads with several million pieces of livestock, including a steadily increasing number of goats (by roughly 300% from 1990–2010; Lkhagvadorj et al ., ), which graze both grasslands and forests and are little herded. Livestock grazing inhibits forest regeneration in many areas (Khishigjargal et al ., ) and wood consumption for fuel and construction has reduced the density of many forest stands especially at the better accessible forest edges (Dulamsuren et al ., ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Afterward, 1–5 trees per height class were selected for measuring stem diameter at the tree base. Sapling‐sized trees in the L. sibirica forests of the forest‐steppe do not necessarily represent young trees, but can also be decade‐old suppressed individuals (Khishigjargal et al ., ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Carbon pool densities and a first estimate of the total carbon pool in the Mongolian forest‐steppe

Dulamsuren

Klinge

Degener

et al. 2016

Global Change Biology

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The boreal forest biome represents one of the most important terrestrial carbon stores, which gave reason to intensive research on carbon stock densities. However, such an analysis does not yet exist for the southernmost Eurosiberian boreal forests in Inner Asia. Most of these forests are located in the Mongolian forest-steppe, which is largely dominated by Larix sibirica. We quantified the carbon stock density and total carbon pool of Mongolia's boreal forests and adjacent grasslands and draw conclusions on possible future change. Mean aboveground carbon stock density in the interior of L. sibirica forests was 66 Mg C ha(-1) , which is in the upper range of values reported from boreal forests and probably due to the comparably long growing season. The density of soil organic carbon (SOC, 108 Mg C ha(-1) ) and total belowground carbon density (149 Mg C ha(-1) ) are at the lower end of the range known from boreal forests, which might be the result of higher soil temperatures and a thinner permafrost layer than in the central and northern boreal forest belt. Land use effects are especially relevant at forest edges, where mean carbon stock density was 188 Mg C ha(-1) , compared with 215 Mg C ha(-1) in the forest interior. Carbon stock density in grasslands was 144 Mg C ha(-1) . Analysis of satellite imagery of the highly fragmented forest area in the forest-steppe zone showed that Mongolia's total boreal forest area is currently 73 818 km(2) , and 22% of this area refers to forest edges (defined as the first 30 m from the edge). The total forest carbon pool of Mongolia was estimated at ~ 1.5-1.7 Pg C, a value which is likely to decrease in future with increasing deforestation and fire frequency, and global warming.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Carbon pool densities and a first estimate of the total carbon pool in the Mongolian forest‐steppe

Dulamsuren

Klinge

Degener

et al. 2016

Global Change Biology

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“…Due to the characteristic type of land use in the Mongolian forest steppe with mobile pastoralists, who house with their livestock in the grasslands around the forests and make their living off the use of local ecosystem services, forest stand size can also be assumed to influence land use intensity. Small forests are likely to be more severely affected by forest grazing which contributes to the suppression of forest regeneration (Khishigjargal, Dulamsuren, Lkhagvadorj, Leuschner, & Hauck, ). Furthermore, pastoralists in Mongolia satisfy their needs for fuel and construction wood preferentially from forests in the neighborhood of their dwellings and from forest edges in particular (Dulamsuren, Khishigjargal, Leuschner, & Hauck, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Higher climate warming sensitivity of Siberian larch in small than large forest islands in the fragmented Mongolian forest steppe

Khansaritoreh

Dulamsuren

Klinge

et al. 2017

Global Change Biology

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Forest fragmentation has been found to affect biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in multiple ways. We asked whether forest size and isolation in fragmented woodlands influences the climate warming sensitivity of tree growth in the southern boreal forest of the Mongolian Larix sibirica forest steppe, a naturally fragmented woodland embedded in grassland, which is highly affected by warming, drought, and increasing anthropogenic forest destruction in recent time. We examined the influence of stand size and stand isolation on the growth performance of larch in forests of four different size classes located in a woodland-dominated forest-steppe area and small forest patches in a grassland-dominated area. We found increasing climate sensitivity and decreasing first-order autocorrelation of annual stemwood increment with decreasing stand size. Stemwood increment increased with previous year's June and August precipitation in the three smallest forest size classes, but not in the largest forests. In the grassland-dominated area, the tree growth dependence on summer rainfall was highest. Missing ring frequency has strongly increased since the 1970s in small, but not in large forests. In the grassland-dominated area, the increase was much greater than in the forest-dominated landscape. Forest regeneration decreased with decreasing stand size and was scarce or absent in the smallest forests. Our results suggest that the larch trees in small and isolated forest patches are far more susceptible to climate warming than in large continuous forests pointing to a grim future for the forests in this strongly warming region of the boreal forest that is also under high land use pressure.

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“…deer in New Zealand (Husheer et al 2003), rabbits in Australia (Denham and Auld 2004), livestock (e.g. goats in Mongolia; Khishigjargal et al 2013) and native animals where release from predator pressure has led to population increase (e.g. kangaroos in Australia, Koch et al 2004; deer in North America, Anderson and Katz 1993) may limit the recruitment and survival of seedlings.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regeneration failure threatens persistence of Persoonia elliptica (Proteaceae) in Western Australian jarrah forests

et al. 2014

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The severe disruption of herbivore relationships can result in catastrophic, demographic consequences for plant populations. We investigated the potential roles of herbivory, fire and their interaction, in the observed long-term regeneration failure of Persoonia elliptica R.Br. (Proteaceae), an understory tree species of fire-prone jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata Sm.) forests in southwestern Australia. Seed production, storage and viability were assessed, as was seedling recruitment in both the presence and absence of fire (a potential germination cue), using experimental herbivore exclosure plots. We also sought to determine the 'herbivory zone' (height) within which P. elliptica was susceptible to browsing. Herbivores, primarily the western grey kangaroo, preferentially consumed leaves of P. elliptica up to a browsing height of 1.5 m. Viability of fresh seeds was low at ca. 39 % and rapid viability loss was observed in the soil seed bank, with only ca. 5 % of seeds remaining viable for >1 year. Germination was restricted almost solely to burned areas and survival of recruits to the confines of herbivore exclosures. We suggest that an increase in the primary herbivore, combined with low viable seed supply, is the likely cause of continuing regeneration failure in this species. The slow growth of the species suggests that without intervention, seedlings and juvenile plants will be unable to escape the herbivory zone. Management actions to facilitate recruitment might best focus on the combination of managed fires to break seed dormancy, followed by fencing to protect seedlings from large herbivores.

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Contrasting responses of seedling and sapling densities to livestock density in the Mongolian forest-steppe

Cited by 35 publications

References 34 publications

Carbon pool densities and a first estimate of the total carbon pool in the Mongolian forest‐steppe

Carbon pool densities and a first estimate of the total carbon pool in the Mongolian forest‐steppe

Higher climate warming sensitivity of Siberian larch in small than large forest islands in the fragmented Mongolian forest steppe

Regeneration failure threatens persistence of Persoonia elliptica (Proteaceae) in Western Australian jarrah forests

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