Plant Diversity-Environment Relationships in Xeric Grasslands of North-Eastern Romania

Xinguo

et al. 2018

PeerJ

Excluding grazers is one of most efficient ways to restore degraded grasslands in desert-steppe communities, but may negatively affect the recovery of plant species diversity. However, diversity differences between grazed and fenced grasslands in desert-steppe are poorly known. In a Stipa breviflora desert steppe community in Northern China, we established six plots to examine spatial patterns of plant species diversity under grazed and fenced conditions, respectively. We addressed three aspects of species diversity: (1) The logistic, exponential and power models were used to describe the species-area curve (SAR). Species richness, abundance and Shannon diversity values change differently with increasing sampling areas inside and outside of the fence. The best fitted model for SAR was the logistic model. Excluding grazers had a significant impact on the shape of SAR. (2) Variograms was applied to examine the spatial characteristics of plant species diversity. We found strong spatial autocorrelations in the diversity variables both inside and outside the fence. After grazing exclusion, the spatial heterogeneity decreased in species richness, increased in abundance and did not change in Shannon diversity. (3) We used variance partitioning to determine the relative contributions of spatial and environmental factors to plant species diversity patterns. Environmental factors explained the largest proportion of variation in species diversity, while spatial factors contributed little. Our results suggest that grazing enclosures decreased species diversity patterns and the spatial pattern of the S. breviflora desert steppe community was predictable.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A six-year grazing exclusion changed plant species diversity of a Stipa breviflora desert steppe community, northern China

Xinguo

et al. 2018

PeerJ

“…Therefore, the community is the ideal unit for the development of a livable city. During the recent years, Taiwan has been proactively incorporated CO 2 emission reduction into community-based environmental protection policies such as the policy of forest plantation (Cabarga-Varona et al, 2016) with the purpose of improving air quality and building carbon stock of trees and providing incentives for plant diversity in idle spaces and parks within communities (Mardari and Tănase, 2016). Other policies provide incentives for green roof installation, roof-top solar power generation, and replacement with water-saving/power saving facilities.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Discussion of Environmental Education Based on the Social and Cultural Characteristics of the Community‒an McDm Approach

Hsueh¹,

Su²

2017

Appl Ecol Env Res

Abstract. Because of its geographic location, local characteristics and interconnections among its members, a community is often the basic unit for policy advocacy and implementation. With the worsening environmental pollutions nowadays around the world, problems such as greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, melting polar ice, and endangered species all demand the most urgent attention. In particular, high CO 2 emissions have caused unpredictable climate anomalies and disasters, posing as a severe and direct threat to the lives and properties of some people in the world. It is now an urgent priority to arouse higher awareness of the importance of environmental protection through education. In this study, the multi-criteria decision making methods of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the quantification functions of fuzzy logic theory are used to build a quantitative evaluation model for community-based environmental education.

“…For example, Schultz et al [32] found that the effects of GE on plant species richness and phytomass accumulation varied across a regional productivity gradient. Species richness is scaledependent [33][34][35], especially the species-area relationship [36]. Li et al [37] reported that moderate grazing was a possible reason for the use of RG as a sustainable grazing management strategy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant Community and Soil Properties Regulate Space-Scale Dependence of Species Diversity under Grazing Exclusion and Rest Grazing in the Qilian Mountains of China

Liu,

Han,

Liu

et al. 2023

Agriculture

Grazing exclusion (GE) and rest grazing (RG) are important management systems for the restoration of degraded grassland ecosystems. In order to evaluate the effects and mechanisms of different grazing management systems on the scale dependency of species diversity, plant community indices and soil variables were determined in 32 plots in the Qilian Mountains in Gansu Province. The results show that diversity effects and their regulating mechanisms had space-scale dependence under different grazing management systems. The species richness and species diversity indices of RG grassland were significantly higher than those of GE at the regional scale. Species richness for RG and GE plots was 128 and 98, respectively, and the Shannon–Wiener and Simpson indices for RG and GE plots were 2.26 and 2.16, and 0.85 and 0.83, respectively. Additionally, three grazing management systems had a significant effect on species richness in mountain meadows, but different management systems had significantly different effects on species diversity indices in mountain meadows and temperate steppes. Meanwhile, soil variables only influenced species diversity at the regional scale. Most of the plant and soil variables at each scale had positive effects on species diversity. However, a negative correlation was seen between biodiversity and species coverage, mean plant height, soil porosity (SP) and bulk density (BD) under the two contrasting grazing management systems. In conclusion, choosing RG at the regional scale and selecting grazing management systems according to different grassland types at the local scale can help to restore degraded grassland vegetation.