Impacts of climate change on fractional vegetation coverage of temperate grasslands in China from 1982 to 2015

Ma, Rong; Zhang, Jiaqi; Shen, Xiangjin; Liu, Binhui; Lu, Xianguo; Jiang, Ming

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119694

Cited by 11 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 62 publications

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“…Located in the eastern part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the Hulunbuir Grassland is one of the largest natural grasslands in the world and an important ecological barrier in China; this region is highly sensitive to climate change (21)(22)(23) and is also facing grassland degradation (24). In this study, which was informed by current local grassland livestock husbandry practices, a survey of herdsmen, and measurements of grassland productivity and livestock production, the GrazFeed and GRAZPLAN models were used to (1) investigate the energy demand of local livestock at different physiological stages and at different times and (2) explore the energy balance between grassland and livestock during the grazing period on the Hulunbuir grassland to provide a theoretical basis for resourceefficient utilization of grassland and livestock husbandry at the pasture scale.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulation of the nutritional requirements and energy balance of adult cows in a northern temperate grassland

Yu,

Yan,

Xin

et al. 2024

Front. Vet. Sci.

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The forage-livestock balance is an important component of natural grassland management, and realizing a balance between the nutrient energy demand of domestic animals and the energy supply of grasslands is the core challenge in forage-livestock management. This study was performed at the Xieertala Ranch in Hulunbuir City, Inner Mongolia. Using the GRAZPLAN and GrazFeed models, we examined the forage-livestock energy balance during different grazing periods and physiological stages of livestock growth under natural grazing conditions. Data on pasture conditions, climatic factors, supplemental feeding, and livestock characteristics, were used to analyze the metabolizable energy (ME), metabolizable energy for maintenance (MEm), and total metabolizable energy intake (MEItotal) of grazing livestock. The results showed that the energy balance between forage and animals differed for adult cows at different physiological stages. In the early lactation period, although the MEItotal was greater than MEm, it did not meet the requirement for ME. MEItotal was greater than ME during mid-lactation, but there was still an energy imbalance in the early and late lactation periods. In the late lactation period, MEItotal could meet ME requirements from April–September. Adult gestational lactating cows with or without calves were unable to meet their ME requirement, especially in the dry period, even though MEItotal was greater than MEm. Adult cows at different physiological stages exhibited differences in daily forage intake and rumen microbial crude protein (MCP) metabolism, and the forage intake by nonpregnant cows decreased as follows: early lactation > mid-lactation > late lactation, pregnant cows’ lactation > dry period. For the degradation, digestion and synthesis of rumen MCP, early-lactation cows were similar to those in the mid-lactation group, but both were higher than those in the late-lactation group, while pregnant cows had greater degradation, digestion, and synthesis of MCP in the lactation period relative to the dry period. For lactating cows, especially those with calves, grazing energy requirements, methane emission metabolism and heat production were highest in August, with increased energy expenditure in winter. Overall, grazing energy, methane emissions and heat production by dry cows were low. In the context of global climate change and grassland degradation, managers must adopt different strategies according to the physiological stages of livestock to ensure a forage-livestock balance and the sustainable utilization and development of grasslands.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%