Invasive Weeds Dynamics, Plant-Microbes Interactions, and Carbon-Nitrogen Cycles in Sino-Pakistan’s Grasslands Perspectives

Abstract

In China and Pakistan, grasslands serve as carbon sink, ecological barriers, watershed for low riparian regions, feedstock, and minerals extraction sites for drilling and mining and offer numerous associated benefits like wool, herbs for traditional medicines, tourism and leisure, and so forth. However, grassland ecosystems have been persistently degraded by anthropogenic disturbances (land use changes, tourism, intensive grazing, uncontrolled fire, vegetation clearance, invasive weeds, and climate change drivers (heat, drought, chilling, salinity, and shifting of rainfall patterns). To conserve and develop grasslands, soil nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) hold pertinence for maintaining the primary productivity of grass species. Hence, estimating the extent of numerous interventions on N and C cycling along with grass-microbe interactions has become imperative from socioeconomic and environmental perspectives. Thus, to achieve this goal, this chapter has been tailored to compile recent knowledge on the productivity status and persistent degradation of grasslands in China and Pakistan. Additionally, invasive weeds’ prevalence in grasslands, grass–microbe interactions and their influence on the growth of plant species, microclimate, and availability of nutrients have been objectively analyzed along with synthesizing the recent advances on C and N dynamics in grasslands ecosystems.