Ecological Effects of Grazing in the Northern Tianshan Mountains

Huang, Xiaotao; Luo, Geping; He, Haijun; Wang, Xinxin; Amuti, Tureniguli

doi:10.3390/w9120932

Cited by 8 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…Quantifying the spatio‐temporal variation in NPP is extremely important for ecosystem maintenance and related policy‐making in Kyrgyzstan (Huang, Luo, He, Wang, & Amuti, 2017; Sagynbekova, 2017). NPP in terrestrial ecosystems has been widely investigated at both global and regional scales using integrated and advanced techniques (Awaya et al, 2004; Luo et al, 2018; Running et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent responses of grassland net primary productivity to climatic and anthropogenic factors in Kyrgyzstan

et al. 2020

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Net primary productivity (NPP) is an essential indicator of ecosystem function and sustainability and plays a vital role in the carbon cycle, especially in arid and semiarid grassland ecosystems. Quantifying trends in NPP and identifying the contributing factors are important for understanding the relative impacts of climate change and human activities on grassland degradation. For our case-study of Kyrgyzstan, we quantified from 2000 to 2014 the spatial and temporal patterns in climate-driven potential NPP (NPP P) using the Zhou Guangsheng model specifically developed for Asian grasslands, and actual NPP (NPP A) using the globally calibrated MOD17A3 NPP data product. By calculating the difference between NPP P and NPP A , we inferred human-induced NPP (NPP H) and thereby characterized changes in grassland NPP attributable to anthropogenic activities. The results showed that grassland NPP A in Kyrgyzstan experienced a slight decrease over time at an average rate of −0.87 g CÁm −2 Áyr −1 but patterns varied between provinces. Nearly 60% of Kyrgyzstan's grass

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent responses of grassland net primary productivity to climatic and anthropogenic factors in Kyrgyzstan

et al. 2020

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“…The Tianshan Mountains are located in the hinterland of Eurasia; arid grasslands are widely distributed in this region (Luo et al, 2012;Huang et al, 2017a; and are an important base for animal husbandry production (Liu et al, 2016). They also provide a natural laboratory for studying how precipitation influences the ecological functioning of drought-prone grasslands (Luo et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Luo et al (2012) used model simulations to show that moderate grazing can increase the ANPP of grasslands under water stress conditions, but their results have not been verified by experimental data. There has been no systematic and explicit investigation into how precipitation and grazing influence AGB, SVWC, and PUE in the Tianshan Mountains, although it is known that precipitation is the most significant factor limiting plant growth in the region (Huang et al, 2017a;Gherardi and Sala, 2019). Moreover, the relatively large interannual variation in precipitation observed in the Tianshan Mountains (Xu et al, 2018) may result in interannual differences in plant growth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, the relatively large interannual variation in precipitation observed in the Tianshan Mountains (Xu et al, 2018) may result in interannual differences in plant growth. The increase in grazing intensity has led to serious degradation of grasslands in this region (Huang et al, 2017a. Thus, there is an urgent need to understand how both precipitation and grazing affect interannual plant growth in drought-prone grasslands of the Tianshan Mountains.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How precipitation and grazing influence the ecological functions of drought-prone grasslands on the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains, China?

et al. 2020

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Drought-prone grasslands provide a critical resource for the millions of people who are dependent on livestock for food security. However, this ecosystem is potentially vulnerable to climate change (e.g., precipitation) and human activity (e.g., grazing). Despite this, the influences of precipitation and grazing on ecological functions of drought-prone grasslands in the Tianshan Mountains remain relatively unexplored. Therefore, we conducted a systematic field investigation and a clipping experiment (simulating different intensities of grazing) in a drought-prone grassland on the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains in China to examine the influences of precipitation and grazing on aboveground biomass (AGB), soil volumetric water content (SVWC), and precipitation use efficiency (PUE) during the period of 2014-2017. We obtained the meteorological and SVWC data using an HL20 Bowen ratio system and a PR2 soil profile hydrometer, respectively. We found that AGB was clearly affected by both the amount and seasonal pattern of precipitation, and that PUE may be relatively low in years with either low or excessive precipitation. The PUE values were generally higher in the rapid growing season (April-July) than in the entire growing season (April-October). Overall, moderate grazing can promote plant growth under water stress conditions. The SVWC value was higher in the clipped plots than in the unclipped plots in the rapid growing season (April-July), but it was lower in the clipped plots than in the unclipped plots in the slow growing season (August-October). Our findings can enhance the understanding of the ecological effects of precipitation and grazing in drought-prone grasslands and provide data that will support the effective local grassland management.

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“…The Tianshan Mountains are an important region for animal husbandry, and low-mountain dry grasslands (LMDG) are widely distributed in this area [7]. Because of the influence of the arid climate, these grasslands are ecologically fragile.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aboveground Biomass Dynamics in the Low-Mountain Dry Grasslands of the Tianshan Mountains

Huang¹,

Luo²,

Wang³

et al. 2019

IJEMA

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Identifying the dynamics of aboveground biomass (AB) is vital for effective grassland management, yet knowledge on this phenomenon remains limited in the low-mountain dry grasslands (LMDG) of the Tianshan Mountains. In this study, systematic observations were conducted from 2014 to 2017 to determine AB dynamics in the LMDG of the Tianshan Mountains. To accomplish this, a cutting experiment, an HL20 Bowen ratio system, and TDR300 and WatchDog1400 systems were used. AB dynamics had unique characteristics, because of the influence of the unique environment of this region. AB increased rapidly in spring (April-May), and then increased slowly in summer (June-August) and autumn (September-October). Plants entered dormancy in summer (primarily August). In autumn, plants continued to grow after dormancy, except in years with low precipitation which limited plant growth. Plants generally suffered from water stress in this region. However, in spring, the limiting factor for plant growth was heat, not water. Heat might also be the limiting factor for plant growth in autumn. The results are expected to enhance the understanding of AB dynamics in the LMDG of the Tianshan Mountains, providing data to support local grassland management.

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Ecological Effects of Grazing in the Northern Tianshan Mountains

Cited by 8 publications

References 53 publications

Recent responses of grassland net primary productivity to climatic and anthropogenic factors in Kyrgyzstan

Recent responses of grassland net primary productivity to climatic and anthropogenic factors in Kyrgyzstan

How precipitation and grazing influence the ecological functions of drought-prone grasslands on the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains, China?

Aboveground Biomass Dynamics in the Low-Mountain Dry Grasslands of the Tianshan Mountains

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