Grazing exclusion mediates the trade-off between plant diversity and productivity in Leymus chinensis meadows along a chronosequence on the Songnen Plain, China

Gao, Yang; An, Yu; Qi, Baolin; Liu, Jian; Yu, Hongzhu; Wang, Duojia

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107655

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…We measured plant circumference, plant height using a steel tape measure, and recorded the plant altitude, longitude, and latitude for each location using GPS devices. Plant community characteristics, including plant frequency, plant density, plant coverage, and plant composition, were documented ( Gao et al., 2021 ). For each sampling plot, we collected soil samples (at depths of 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm) from five points, which were subsequently mixed thoroughly to create a composite sample.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mining, as a significant factor, contributes to grassland degradation and alters plant community composition ( Wiegand et al., 2007 ; Chang et al., 2015 ). However, it’s important to note that variations in soil properties primarily define the plant community in mining grasslands ( Zhang et al., 2018 ; Gao et al., 2021 ). Although prior research has acknowledged the impact of excessive mining on alpine grassland ecosystems, there remains a gap in understanding the mechanisms behind the changes in grassland restoration levels ( Guo et al., 2021 ; Huang et al., 2021a ; Castro et al., 2023 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vegetation communities and soil properties along the restoration process of the Jinqianghe mine site in the Qilian Mountains, China

Yang,

Feng,

Zhu

et al. 2024

Front. Plant Sci.

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The study explores the impact of mine grassland restoration on plant communities and soil properties in alpine grasslands, a subject of significant interest due to the observed relationship between grassland changes, plant communities, and soil properties. While prior research has mainly focused on the consequences of grassland degradation on plant diversity and soil characteristics, the specific effects of varying restoration degrees in alpine mining grasslands at the regional scale remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we established 15 sampling plots (0.5m×0.5m) across five different restoration degrees within alpine mining grasslands in the Qilian Mountains, China. Our objective was to assess the variations in plant diversity and soil properties along these restoration gradients. We conducted comprehensive analyses, encompassing soil properties [soil water content (SWC), available nitrogen (AN), total phosphorus (TP), nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N), ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (AP), soil organic carbon (SOC), nitrate nitrogen, soil pH, and electrical conductivity (EC)], plant characteristics (height, density, frequency, coverage, and aboveground biomass), and plant diversity indices (Simpson, Shannon-Wiener, Margalef, Dominance, and Evenness indexes). Our findings included the identification and collection of 18 plant species from 11 families and 16 genera across the five restoration degrees: Very Low Restoration Degree (VLRD), Low Restoration Degree (LRD), Moderate Restoration Degree (MRD), High Restoration Degree (HRD), and Natural Grassland (NGL). Notably, species like Carex duriuscula, Cyperus rotundus, and Polygonum viviparum showed signs of recovery. Principal component analysis and Pearson correlation analysis revealed that soil pH, SWC, SOC, NO3-N, and AN were the primary environmental factors influencing plant communities. Specifically, soil pH and EC decreased as restoration levels increased, while SWC, AN, TP, NH4-N, TN, AP, SOC, and NO3-N exhibited a gradual increase with greater restoration efforts. Furthermore, the HRD plant community demonstrated similarities to the NGL, indicating the most effective natural recovery. In conclusion, our study provides valuable insights into the responses of plant community characteristics, plant diversity, and soil properties across varying restoration degrees to environmental factors. It also elucidates the characteristics of plant communities along recovery gradients in alpine grasslands.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation communities and soil properties along the restoration process of the Jinqianghe mine site in the Qilian Mountains, China

Yang,

Feng,

Zhu

et al. 2024

Front. Plant Sci.

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“…Within each plot, three 1 × 1 m quadrats were established. Vegetation community characteristics, including species composition, richness, cover (estimated visually), abundance (number of individuals per species within the quadrat), and aboveground biomass, were recorded during the surveys [19]. We computed the species diversity of vegetation communities at different restoration levels based on their relative abundance.…”

Section: Plotting and Sample Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Artificial Restoration of Alpine Grasslands in the Qilian Mountains on Vegetation, Soil Bacteria, and Soil Fungal Community Diversity

Yang,

Feng,

Zhu

et al. 2024

Microorganisms

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To understand how the soil microbial community structure responds to vegetation restoration in alpine mining areas, this study specifically examines the grassland ecosystem in the Qianmalong mining area of the Qilian Mountains after five years of artificial restoration. High-throughput sequencing methods were employed to analyze soil bacteria and fungi microbial characteristics in diverse grassland communities. Combined with modifications in vegetation diversity as well as soil physicochemical properties, the impact of vegetation restoration on soil microbiome diversity in this alpine mining area was investigated. The findings indicated that the dominant plants were Cyperus rotundus, Carex spp., and Elymus nutans. As the extent of the grassland’s restoration increased, the number of plant species, importance values, and plant community diversity showed an increasing trend. The plant functional groups were mainly dominated by Cyperaceae, followed by Poaceae. Plant height, density, plant cover, frequency, and aboveground biomass showed an increasing trend, and soil water content (SWC) increased. While soil pH and soil electrical conductivity (EC) exhibited a declining trend, available phosphorus (AP), total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N), soil organic carbon (SOC), and soil water content (SWC) showed an increasing trend. The dominant bacterial communities were Actinobacteriota, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteriota, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, and Gemmatimonadota, while the dominant fungal communities were Ascomycota, Mortierellomycota, Basidiomycota, unclassified_k_Fungi, and Glomeromycota. Significant differences were detected within soil microbial community composition among different degrees of restoration grasslands, with bacteria generally dominating over fungi. SWC, TP, and TN were found to be the main soil physicochemical factors affecting the distribution of soil bacterial communities’ structure; however, SOC, TN, and NO3-N were the primary factors influencing the soil distribution of fungal communities. The results of this study indicate that different degrees of vegetation restoration in alpine mining areas can significantly affect soil bacterial and fungal communities, and the degree of restoration has varying effects on the soil bacteria and fungi community structure in alpine mining areas.

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“…Grazing, through livestock foraging and trampling behaviours, can affect grassland plant species composition and abundance [1][2][3], leading to changes in species richness or abundance in grazing and nongrazing areas and impacting the species richness or abundance of the soil seed bank [4]. A soil seed bank refers to the sum of active, dormant, and nondormant seeds in a specific soil volume [5]. Soil seed banks provide diversity and are a driving force for all plant communities, and they are also critical to fully understanding vegetation dynamics and mechanisms, maintaining populations [6,7], and restoring natural vegetation [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is generally believed that moderate grazing can promote grassland plant growth, maintain biodiversity and productivity, and regulate the dynamics and spatial distribution of dominant populations of plant communities [25][26][27]. A corresponding grazing prohibition study found that long-term grazing prohibition was unfavourable to dominant plant community populations, species diversity, and plant community productivity functions [5]. Therefore, more empirical research is needed to determine whether the germination seed bank in the soil is consistent with the constructive species under the conditions of long-term moderate grazing and long-term nongrazing (grazing prohibition).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Free-Grazing versus Enclosure Lead to an Increase in the Germination of the Leymus chinensis Seed Bank in the Hulunbuir Grassland

Li¹,

et al. 2022

Agronomy

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Leymus chinensis is a primary plant in the meadow steppe and typical steppe of China. With global warming and increasing grazing intensity, grassland degradation is being exacerbated. To better protect the L. chinensis grassland in this area and provide a theoretical basis for restoring it, this paper compared the germinable seed bank in the soil and the germination characteristics of L. chinensis (including initial germination time, duration of germination, germination termination time, germination dynamics, and germination index) in free-grazing and enclosed areas. At the same time, combining information about the density of L. chinensis on the ground and previous research results, a comprehensive analysis was conducted. The major results were: (1) there was no significant difference in the number of germinable seeds in the soil between the free-grazing area and the enclosed area, and these seeds were mainly concentrated in the 0–2 cm soil layer. (2) The free-grazing area resulted in a significant increase in the number of germinable L. chinensis seeds and advanced the initial germination time. (3) The number of soil germinated seeds and the number of L. chinensis germinated seeds decreased with the increase in soil depth. (4) Livestock grazing behaviours increased seed burial, thus improving the L. chinensis germination rate. At the same time, the L. chinensis seed bearing percentage and seed quality and the number of germinable L. chinensis seeds were significantly higher in the free-grazing area than in the enclosed area. However, this result still needs to be further explored.

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Grazing exclusion mediates the trade-off between plant diversity and productivity in Leymus chinensis meadows along a chronosequence on the Songnen Plain, China

Cited by 13 publications

References 43 publications

Vegetation communities and soil properties along the restoration process of the Jinqianghe mine site in the Qilian Mountains, China

Vegetation communities and soil properties along the restoration process of the Jinqianghe mine site in the Qilian Mountains, China

The Impact of Artificial Restoration of Alpine Grasslands in the Qilian Mountains on Vegetation, Soil Bacteria, and Soil Fungal Community Diversity

Free-Grazing versus Enclosure Lead to an Increase in the Germination of the Leymus chinensis Seed Bank in the Hulunbuir Grassland

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