Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Landform and vegetation patch type moderate the effects of grazing-induced disturbance on carbon and nitrogen pools in a semi-arid woodland

  • Regular Article
  • Published:
Plant and Soil Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background and aims

Dryland soil organic carbon (C) pools account for a large portion of soil C globally, but their response to livestock grazing has been difficult to generalize. We hypothesized that some difficulty generalizing was due to spatial heterogeneity in dryland systems. We examined the importance of heterogeneity at vegetation and landform scales on the response of litter and soil C and nitrogen (N) to grazing.

Methods

Litter and soil C and N pools were quantified in different vegetation microsites (tree, shrub, open) and landform elements (dune, swale) across a grazing disturbance gradient in an eastern Australia semi-arid woodland.

Results

Vegetation, landform, and grazing disturbance affected litter and soil C and N pools singly and through interactions. Resource pools were distributed unevenly across vegetation and landforms, and were largest beneath trees in swales. Grazing reduced pools in vegetation-landform combinations where pools were greatest. Pool increases from high to moderate disturbance sites were minimal.

Conclusions

Litter and soil C and N pools are strongly affected by livestock grazing, although responses to grazing relaxation may be non-linear. Accurately predicting C and N responses to grazing in drylands will require accounting for patch differences at multiple spatial scales.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

SOC:

Soil organic carbon

C:

Carbon

N:

Nitrogen

[SOC]:

SOC concentration

[N]:

Soil nitrogen concentration

SOCarea :

SOC mass per area in g m−2

Narea :

Soil N mass per area in g m−2

litterarea :

Litter mass per area in g m−2

References

  • Abanda PA, Compton JS, Hannigan RE (2011) Soil nutrient content, above-ground biomass and litter in a semi-arid shrubland, South Africa. Geoderma 164:128–137

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson MJ, Gorley RN, Clarke KR (2008) PERMANOVA + for PRIMER: guide to software and statistical methods. PRIMER-E, Plymouth, p 214

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrew MH, Lange RT (1986) Development of a new piosphere in arid chenopod shrubland grazed by sheep. 1. Changes to the soil surface. Aust J Ecol 11:395–409

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Archer S, Schimel DS, Holland EA (1995) Mechanisms of shrubland expansion—land-use, climate or CO2. Clim Chang 29:91–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Asner GP, Archer SR (2010) Livestock and the global carbon cycle. In: Steinfeld H, Mooney H, Schneider F, Neville L (eds) Livestock in a changing landscape: drivers, consequences, and responses. Island Press, Washington, D.C., pp 69–82

    Google Scholar 

  • Asner GP, Elmore AJ, Olander LP, Martin RE, Harris T (2004) Grazing systems, ecosystem responses, and global change. Annu Rev Environ Resour 29:261-C–264

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bagchi S, Ritchie ME (2010) Introduced grazers can restrict potential soil carbon sequestration through impacts on plant community composition. Ecol Lett 13:959–968

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bird SB, Herrick JE, Wander MM, Wright SF (2002) Spatial heterogeneity of aggregate stability and soil carbon in semi-arid rangeland. Environ Pollut 116:445–455

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bowker MA, Maestre FT, Escolar C (2010) Biological crusts as a model system for examining the biodiversity - ecosystem function relationship in soils. Soil Biol Biochem 42:405–417

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bowker MA, Mau RL, Maestre FT, Escolar C, Castillo-Monroy AP (2011) Functional profiles reveal unique ecological roles of various biological soil crust organisms. Funct Ecol 25:787–795

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradstock RA (1990) Relationships between fire regimes, plant species and fuels in mallee communities. In: Noble JC, Joss PJ, Jones GK (eds) The mallee lands: a conservation perspective. CSIRO, East Melbourne, pp 218–223

    Google Scholar 

  • Briske DD, Fuhlendorf SD, Smeins FE (2006) A unified framework for assessment and application of ecological thresholds. Rangel Ecol Manag 59:225–236

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bromham L, Cardillo M, Bennett AF, Elgar MA (1999) Effects of stock grazing on the ground invertebrate fauna of woodland remnants. Aust J Ecol 24:199–207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Derner JD, Schuman GE (2007) Carbon sequestration and rangelands: a synthesis of land management and precipitation effects. J Soil Water Conserv 62:77–85

    Google Scholar 

  • Derner JD, Briske DD, Boutton TW (1997) Does grazing mediate soil carbon and nitrogen accumulation beneath C4, perennial grasses along an environmental gradient? Plant Soil 191:147–156

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Diaz S, Lavorel S, McIntyre SUE, Falczuk V, Casanoves F, Milchunas DG, Skarpe C, Rusch G, Sternberg M, Noy-Meir I, Landsberg J, Zhang WEI, Clark H, Campbell BD (2007) Plant trait responses to grazing—a global synthesis. Glob Chang Biol 13:313–341

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eldridge DJ, Mensinga A (2007) Foraging pits of the short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) as small-scale patches in a semi-arid Australian box woodland. Soil Biol Biochem 39:1055–1065

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eldridge DJ, Val J, James AI (2011) Abiotic effects predominate under prolonged livestock-induced disturbance. Aust Ecol 36:367–377

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FAO (2007) Reconciling livestock and environment. In: Food and agriculture organisation of the United Nations: agriculture and consumer protection department. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations

  • Field JP, Breshears DD, Whicker JJ, Zou CB (2011) Interactive effects of grazing and burning on wind- and water-driven sediment fluxes: rangeland management implications. Ecol Appl 21:22–32

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia-Moya E, McKell CM (1970) Contribution of shrubs to the nitrogen economy of a desert-wash plant community. Ecology 51:81–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Golluscio R, Austin A, García Martínez G, Gonzalez-Polo M, Sala O, Jackson R (2009) Sheep grazing decreases organic carbon and nitrogen pools in the Patagonian steppe: combination of direct and indirect effects. Ecosystems 12:686–697

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Golodets C, Boeken B (2006) Moderate sheep grazing in semiarid shrubland alters small-scale soil surface structure and patch properties. Catena 65:285–291

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez-Polo M, Austin AT (2009) Spatial heterogeneity provides organic matter refuges for soil microbial activity in the Patagonian steppe, Argentina. Soil Biol Biochem 41:1348–1351

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harris D, Horwáth WR, van Kessel C (2001) Acid fumigation of soils to remove carbonates prior to total organic carbon or CARBON-13 isotopic analysis. Soil Sci Soc Am J 65:1853–1856

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Houghton RA, Hackler JL, Lawrence KT (1999) The US carbon budget: contributions from land-use change. Science 285:574–578

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • James AI, Eldridge DJ, Hill BM (2009) Foraging animals create fertile patches in an Australian desert shrubland. Ecography 32:723–732

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • James AI, Eldridge DJ, Moseby KE (2010) Foraging pits, litter and plant germination in an arid shrubland. J Arid Environ 74:516–520

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King EG, Hobbs RJ (2006) Identifying linkages among conceptual models of ecosystem degradation and restoration: towards an integrative framework. Restor Ecol 14:369–378

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee J, Hopmans JW, Rolston DE, Baer SG, Six J (2009) Determining soil carbon stock changes: simple bulk density corrections fail. Agric Ecosyst Environ 134:251–256

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Loginow W, Wisniewski W, Gonet SS, Ciescinska B (1987) Fractionation of organic carbon based on susceptibility to oxidation. Pol J Soil Sci 20:47–52

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McClaran MP, Moore-Kucera J, Martens DA, van Haren J, Marsh SE (2008) Soil carbon and nitrogen in relation to shrub size and death in a semi-arid grassland. Geoderma 145:60–68

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McKeon GM, Stone GS, Syktus JI, Carter JO, Flood NR, Ahrens DG, Bruget DN, Chilcott CR, Cobon DH, Cowley RA, Crimp SJ, Fraser GW, Howden SM, Johnston PW, Ryan JG, Stokes CJ, Day KA (2009) Climate change impacts on northern Australian rangeland livestock carrying capacity: a review of issues. Rangel J 31:1–29

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Midgley GF, Bond WJ, Kapos V, Ravilious C, Scharlemann JPW, Woodward FI (2010) Terrestrial carbon stocks and biodiversity: key knowledge gaps and some policy implications. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 2:264–270

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morton SR (1990) The impact of European settlement on the vertebrate animals of arid Australia: a conceptual model. Proc Ecol Soc Aust 16:201–213

    Google Scholar 

  • Piñeiro G, Paruelo JM, Oesterheld M, Jobbágy EG (2010) Pathways of grazing effects on soil organic carbon and nitrogen. Rangel Ecol Manag 63:109–119

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scholes RJ, Archer SR (1997) Tree-grass interactions in savannas. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 28:517–544

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schuman GE, Reeder JD, Manley JT, Hart RH, Manley WA (1999) Impact of grazing management on the carbon and nitrogen balance of a mixed-grass rangeland. Ecol Appl 9:65–71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scurlock JMO, Hall DO (1998) The global carbon sink: a grassland perspective. Glob Chang Biol 4:229–233

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soliveres S, Eldridge DJ, Maestre FT, Bowker MA, Tighe M, Escudero A (2011) Microhabitat amelioration and reduced competition among understory plants as drivers of facilitation across environmental gradients: towards a unifying framework. Perspect Plant Ecol Evol Syst 13:247–258

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suding KN, Gross KL, Houseman GR (2004) Alternative states and positive feedbacks in restoration ecology. Trends Ecol Evol 19:46–53

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Throop HL, Archer SR (2008) Shrub (Prosopis velutina) encroachment in a semidesert grassland: spatial-temporal changes in soil organic carbon and nitrogen pools. Glob Chang Biol 14:2420–2431

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Throop HL, Archer SR, Monger HC, Waltman S (2012) When bulk density methods matter: implications for estimating soil organic carbon pools in rocky soils. J Arid Environ 77:66–71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tiver F, Andrew MH (1997) Relative effects of herbivory by sheep, rabbits, goats and kangaroos on recruitment and regeneration of shrubs and trees in eastern South Australia. J Appl Ecol 34:903–914

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • VandenBygaart AJ, Angers DA (2006) Towards accurate measurements of soil organic carbon stock change in agroecosystems. Can J Soil Sci 86:465–471

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Walker PJ (1991) Land systems of western New South Wales: technical report no. 25. Soil Conservation Service of NSW, Sydney

  • Weil RR, Islam KR, Stine MA, Gruver JB, Samson-Liebig SE (2003) Estimating active carbon for soil quality assessment: a simplified method for laboratory and field use. Am J Altern Agric 18:3–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Witt GB, Noël MV, Bird MI, Beeton RJS, Menzies NW (2011) Carbon sequestration and biodiversity restoration potential of semi-arid mulga lands of Australia interpreted from long-term grazing exclosures. Agric Ecosyst Environ 141:108–118

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (DEB 0953864 to HT and DEB 0680412 to the Jornada Basin LTER). We appreciate laboratory assistance from E. Morrison and R. Pardee. This study was made possible by funding and logistic support of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC), who own and manage Australia’s largest mainland feral-free area at Scotia Sanctuary. We thank the University of Ballarat and the surrounding landholders for allowing us to work on their land. We thank M. Hayward (AWC) for comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, New Mexico State University, MSC 3AF, Las Cruces, NM, 88003-0032, USA

    Jane G. Smith & Heather L. Throop

  2. Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia

    David J. Eldridge

Authors
  1. Jane G. Smith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David J. Eldridge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Heather L. Throop
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jane G. Smith.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Zucong Cai.

Appendix

Appendix

Significant effects on litter and soil C and N of grazing disturbance (low, moderate, high), landform (dune, swale), and microsite (open, shrub, tree) factors, and their interactions. *For litter composition F values represent Pseudo F and P values represent P (perm)

Table 4
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Smith, J.G., Eldridge, D.J. & Throop, H.L. Landform and vegetation patch type moderate the effects of grazing-induced disturbance on carbon and nitrogen pools in a semi-arid woodland. Plant Soil 360, 405–419 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1288-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1288-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation