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Mowing succession of species composition is determined by plant growth forms, not photosynthetic pathways in Leymus chinensis grassland of Inner Mongolia

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Abstract

Context

Previous studies demonstrate that mowing inhibits tall species but facilitates short species and C4 species. However, as each species has a growth-form and simultaneously a C-pathway, it is important to know whether the effects of mowing on a species is determined only or majorly by its growth-from or C-pathway.

Objective

We test the hypothesis that mowing facilitates the growth of short species and of C4 species, and disentangle the interactive effects of plant growth-forms and C-pathways on plant responses to mowing.

Methods

We monitored plant production species by species in the grassland under mowing versus intact natural conditions over 30 years. We clustered all species into six plant growth-form groups and two C-pathways, and examined their dynamics.

Results

Mowing significantly (P < 0.05) increased short bunchgrasses (SG) and annual and biannual (AB) species and decreased tall grasses; mowing also significantly increased C4 species (P < 0.01). However, as the C4 species in the grassland are majorly SG and AB, and the mowing enhancement on C4 SG and AB are respectively not greater than that on C3 SG and AB, the C4-pathway does not show a growth advantage under mowing, which suggests other plant traits such as phenology my also play an important role in plant response to mowing.

Conclusions

Plant growth-forms instead of C-pathways play a dominant role in determining plant response to mowing disturbance in the grassland dominated by C3-species. Our results provide new insights into the mechanisms of grassland succession, and have implications for management of the Inner Mongolia grassland.

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Acknowledgments

The long-term project site was maintained by the Inner Mongolia Grassland Ecosystem Research Station of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This research was supported by the Special Fund for the National Basic Research Program of China (2014CB138805), the Agricultural Science Research in the Public Interest (201303060), the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2011BAC07B01).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010021, China

      Taogetao Baoyin, Frank Yonghong Li, Hugjiltu Minggagud, Qinghai Bao & Yankai Zhong

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    1. Taogetao Baoyin
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    2. Frank Yonghong Li
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    3. Hugjiltu Minggagud
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    4. Qinghai Bao
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    5. Yankai Zhong
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    Correspondence to Hugjiltu Minggagud.

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    Taogetao Baoyin and Frank Yonghong Li have contributed equally to this work.

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    Baoyin, T., Li, F.Y., Minggagud, H. et al. Mowing succession of species composition is determined by plant growth forms, not photosynthetic pathways in Leymus chinensis grassland of Inner Mongolia. Landscape Ecol 30, 1795–1803 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-015-0249-6

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