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Response of dominant grassland species in the temperate steppe of Inner Mongolia to different land uses at leaf and ecosystem levels

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Photosynthetica

Abstract

In order to study the responses of dominant species to different land uses in the semiarid temperate grassland of Inner Mongolia, we tested the physiological responses of Stipa grandis, Leymus chinensis, and Artemisia frigida to mowing, grazing exclusion, and grazing land uses at the leaf and ecosystem levels. The grazing-exclusion and mowing sites released CO2, but the grazing site was a net carbon sink. L. chinensis and S. grandis contributed more to the ecosystem CO2 exchange than A. frigida. At the grazing-exclusion and mowing sites, Leymus chinensis and Stipa grandis both exhibited a higher light-saturation point and higher maximum photosynthetic rate than that at the grazing site, which increased photosynthesis and growth compared to those at the grazing site. In contrast, A. frigida possessed a higher nitrogen content than the other species, and more of the light energy used for photosynthesis, particularly at the grazing site.

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Abbreviations

AQY:

apparent quantum yield

Chl:

chlorophyll

D:

thermal dissipation

E :

transpiration rate

EE:

excess excitation energy

ET:

evapotranspiration

Fm :

maximum fluorescence yield in the dark-adapted state

Fm′:

maximum fluorescence yield in the light-adapted state

Fo :

minimum fluorescence yield in the dark-adapted state

Fo′:

minimum fluorescence yield in the light-adapted state

Fs :

steady-state fluorescence

Fv′:

variable fluorescence in the light-adapted state

GPP:

gross primary production

LCP:

lightcompensation point

LSP:

light-saturation point

NEE:

net ecosystem exchange

PET:

photosynthetic electron transport

P N :

net photosynthetic rate

P Nmax :

maximum photosynthetic rate

qP:

photochemical quenching coefficient

R eco :

ecosystem respiration

S1:

grazing-exclusion site

S2:

mowing site

S3:

grazing site

WUE:

water-use efficiency

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, College of Resources Science and Technology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

    M. Liu, J. R. Gong, Y. Pan, Q. P. Luo, Z. W. Zhai, L. L. Yang & S. Xu

Authors
  1. M. Liu
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  2. J. R. Gong
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  3. Y. Pan
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  4. Q. P. Luo
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  5. Z. W. Zhai
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  6. L. L. Yang
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  7. S. Xu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. R. Gong.

Additional information

Acknowledgements: We thank Professor Baoyin of Inner Mongolia University for field assistance and Inner Mongolia University for its substantial support during our experiment. This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41571048), the Key National R & D program of China (Grant No. 2016YFC0500502), and the State Key Basic Research and Development Plan of China (Grant No. 2014CB138803).

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Liu, M., Gong, J.R., Pan, Y. et al. Response of dominant grassland species in the temperate steppe of Inner Mongolia to different land uses at leaf and ecosystem levels. Photosynthetica 56, 921–931 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-017-0711-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-017-0711-6

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