Grazing Exclusion, a Choice between Biomass Growth and Species Diversity Maintenance in Beijing—Tianjin Sand Source Control Project

Li, Yuzhe; Fan, Jiangwen; Yu, Hongxian

doi:10.3390/su11071941

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…The overestimation would be further exaggerated if the models were calibrated using the normal-year data only, as in previous efforts [8,25,29]. The GPP reduction caused by drought might have been slightly underestimated at the XL site in this study due to ignorance of the possible vegetation recoveries after grazing exclusion [115] (Table 2). It should be noted that although the current water stress indicators, such as EVI, cannot fully capture the GPP responses to drought, they can still be used to monitor the drought effects, especially over large areas where no other information is available [116].…”

Section: Varying Performances Of the Eight Satellite-based Gpp Modelsmentioning

confidence: 65%

Contrasting the Performance of Eight Satellite-Based GPP Models in Water-Limited and Temperature-Limited Grassland Ecosystems

et al. 2019

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Models constitute the primary approaches for predicting terrestrial ecosystem gross primary production (GPP) at regional and global scales. Many satellite-based GPP models have been developed due to the simple algorithms and the low requirements of model inputs. The performances of these models are well documented at the biome level. However, their performances among vegetation subtypes limited by different environmental stresses within a biome remains largely unexplored. Taking grasslands in northern China as an example, we compared the performance of eight satellite-based GPP models, including three light-use efficiency (LUE) models (vegetation photosynthesis model (VPM), modified VPM (MVPM), and moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer GPP algorithm (MODIS-GPP)) and five statistical models (temperature and greenness model (TG), greenness and radiation model (GR), vegetation index model (VI), alpine vegetation model (AVM), and photosynthetic capacity model (PCM)), between the water-limited temperate steppe and the temperature-limited alpine meadow based on 16 site-year GPP estimates at four eddy covariance (EC) flux towers. The results showed that all the GPP models performed better in the alpine meadow, particularly in the alpine shrub meadow (R2 ≥ 0.84), than in the temperate steppe (R2 ≤ 0.68). The performance varied greatly among the models in the temperate steppe, while slight intermodel differences existed in the alpine meadow. Overall, MVPM (of the LUE models) and VI (of the statistical models) were the two best-performing models in the temperate steppe due to their better representation of the effect of water stress on vegetation productivity. Additionally, we found that the relatively worse model performances in the temperate steppe were seriously exaggerated by drought events, which may occur more frequently in the future. This study highlights the varying performances of satellite-based GPP models among vegetation subtypes of a biome in different precipitation years and suggests priorities for improving the water stress variables of these models in future efforts.

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Section: Varying Performances Of the Eight Satellite-based Gpp Modelsmentioning

confidence: 65%

Contrasting the Performance of Eight Satellite-Based GPP Models in Water-Limited and Temperature-Limited Grassland Ecosystems

et al. 2019

Self Cite

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“…Through the processes of wind erosion and salinization, desertification has caused many detrimental effects on the environment and social economy [11]. A series of desertification control projects (DCPs) represent China's great efforts to combat desertification, such as the Grain for Green Project, the Natural Forest Conservation Project, and the Beijing-Tianjin Wind and Sand Source Control Project [12,13]. At the same time, many lower-level governments have also carried out a number of projects to control desertification on the basis of regional characteristics, which are complementary to the central government's projects [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Effects of Desertification Control Projects from the Farmers’ Perspective: A Case Study of Yanchi County, Northern China

Wang

Zhou

Yang

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Desertification has inflicted severe damage on the natural environment and social economy for decades, particularly in the arid and semi-arid regions of northern China. In Yanchi County, a series of projects were implemented to combat desertification after 2000. To assess the effects of these Desertification Control Projects from the farmers’ perspective, we divided Yanchi County into two regions (the northern and southern regions) according to their different environmental conditions. We collected data including basic family information, farmers’ perceptions and attitudes, and farmers’ suggestions, in a questionnaire investigation following the Participatory Rural Appraisal approach. Data analysis using the Mann–Whitney U test and Fisher’s exact test revealed that the Desertification Control Projects were generally successful, as the local environment and farmers’ incomes were both improved. Farmers were all satisfied with the effects of the projects, but the farmers in the southern region had a higher acceptance of the projects than those in the northern region. In addition, three problems with the Desertification Control Projects were noted: the farmers had a low degree of participation in the projects, the farmer’s low incomes affected the sustainability of the projects, and the implementation of the complete grazing ban had several adverse effects. We provided suggestions for solving these problems. Our findings have important implications for assessing the effects of environmental conservation projects, especially from a participant’s perspective.

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“…Consequently, there was an increase in the species diversity of herbaceous plants 24 . A decrease in species diversity with increasing elevations is a more familiar pattern for herbaceous plants in temperate 56 and tropical 22 forests.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The major factors that control the distribution areas of species differ among different families and genera, and thus the vertical distribution patterns of species diversity differ 22 . We concluded that the family number of the tree species had a maximum distribution at lower elevations, unlike herb and shrub species; meanwhile, the responses of the importance values to the altitudinal gradient in the tree community were also different among evergreen coniferous trees, deciduous coniferous trees, and deciduous broad-leaved trees.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, research has yielded conflicting results on species diversity variation patterns in mountainous plant communities along altitudinal gradients. The correlations between species diversity and elevation can be divided into five groups: negative correlation 22 , positive correlation 23 , or no correlation 24 , and the highest 25 or lowest 26 values that can occur at medium elevations. In recent years, considerable research conducted on various mountains has verified the conclusion that the species diversity of mountainous plant communities reaches a maximum at intermediate elevations, which supports the mid-domain effect (MDE) hypothesis 27 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The mid-domain effect of mountainous plants is determined by community life form and family flora on the Loess Plateau of China

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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The mid-domain effect (MDE) explains altitudinal patterns of species diversity of mountainous plants at different elevations. However, its application is limited by the species life form and family flora in different layers of plant communities. To verify the MDE hypothesis at the plant community level, we chose a mountain with representative characteristics of the study area in the east of the Loess Plateau, China, such as obvious elevation (from 1324 to 2745 m) and latitude (from 36° 23′ to 39° 03′) gradients and considerable vegetation types (mainly coniferous and broad-leaved forests). We measured the life forms, families, and species diversity indices of tree, shrub, and herb communities along different elevations. We determined that the family numbers of the herb and shrub communities presented unimodal patterns across an altitudinal gradient, and the highest values occurred at intermediate elevations. The importance values of dominant families in the shrub and tree communities presented unimodal patterns, but the lowest values occurred at intermediate elevations. The species diversity indices of the herb, shrub, and tree communities conformed to unimodal change patterns following an altitudinal gradient, but the greatest diversity occurred at high, low, and intermediate elevations, respectively. At higher elevations, forbs and grasses grew well, whereas sedges grew well at lower elevations. Responses of different tree life forms to the altitudinal gradient were greater for evergreen coniferous tree species than for deciduous coniferous and deciduous broad-leaved tree species. We concluded that the MDE hypothesis of species diversity for mountainous plants is influenced greatly by the community life form and family at the plant community level in a temperate semi-arid region of the Loess Plateau, China. This conclusion tested and modified the MDE hypothesis and may be valuable for fueling prediction of biodiversity models and for the comparison with similar studies in arid and semi-arid mountainous regions.

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Grazing Exclusion, a Choice between Biomass Growth and Species Diversity Maintenance in Beijing—Tianjin Sand Source Control Project

Cited by 7 publications

References 35 publications

Contrasting the Performance of Eight Satellite-Based GPP Models in Water-Limited and Temperature-Limited Grassland Ecosystems

Contrasting the Performance of Eight Satellite-Based GPP Models in Water-Limited and Temperature-Limited Grassland Ecosystems

Assessing the Effects of Desertification Control Projects from the Farmers’ Perspective: A Case Study of Yanchi County, Northern China

The mid-domain effect of mountainous plants is determined by community life form and family flora on the Loess Plateau of China

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