Abstract
Understanding how the type of land-use affects the relationship between plant communities and soil properties is essential to design suitable grassland management practices. A few studies, however, have explored the trade-off between productivity, species diversity, and soil properties under different management practices in grasslands. We conducted a field experiment to assess the effects of long-term enclosures, enclosure plus nitrogen (N) addition, grazing, and grazing plus N addition on the pattern of biomass allocation in dominant species, community biomass, species richness, and soil properties in a semi-arid grassland on the Loess Plateau of China. Our results indicated that N addition significantly increased the allocation of biomass to leaves in the enclosed grassland but altered the biomass allocation from above-ground to below-ground plant organs in the grazing grassland. Compared to the enclosure plots, a combination of enclosure and N addition significantly increased community biomass, though it detrimentally affected species richness. In contrast, grazing and grazing plus N addition decreased community biomass, but it increased species richness. We also found that soil nitrogen content (TN), soil organic carbon (SOC), and soil phosphorus content (TP) responded differently to all four implemented management practices. A combination of enclosure and N addition significantly increased soil nutrients content, whereas grazing and grazing plus N addition decreased the soil nutrient content. The results from this study showed that a combination of enclosure and N addition can be recommended for improving productivity and soil quality in restored grasslands on the Loess Plateau of China. Taken together, this research provided a theoretical basis for grassland protection and adaptive management.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Balmford A, Bond W (2005) Trends in the state of nature and their implications for human well-being. Ecol Lett 8:1218–1234. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2005.00814.x
Bai YF, Han XG, Wu JG, Chen Z, Li LH (2004) Ecosystem stability and compensatory effects in the Inner Mongolia grassland. Nature 431:181–184. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02850
Boob M, Elsaesser M, Thumm U, Hartung J, Lewandowski I (2021) Different management practices influence growth of small plants in species-rich hay meadows through shading. Appl Veg Sci 24:e12625. https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12625
Boughton EH, Bohlen PJ, Steele C (2013) Season of fire and nutrient enrichment affect plant community dynamics in subtropical semi-natural grasslands released from agriculture. Biol Conserv 158:239–247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2012.09.023
Bloom AJ, Chapin FS, Mooney HA (1985) Resource limitation in plants-an economic analogy. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 16:363–392. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.es.16.110185.002051
Cai M, Chen ZJ, Zhou JB, Han JC, Shi QY (2017) Effects of long-term cultivation practices and nitrogen fertilization rates on carbon stock in a calcareous soil on the Chinese Loess plateau. J Arid Land 10:129–139. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40333-017-0019-1
Chen DM, Jin S, Bai YF, Lan ZC (2015) Effects of nitrogen enrichment on below-ground communities in grassland: relative role of soil nitrogen availability vs. soil acidification. Soil Biol Biochem 89:99–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2015.06.028
Chen Y, Lee G, Lee P, Oikawa T (2007) Model analysis of grazing effect on above-ground biomass and above-ground net primary production of a Mongolian grassland ecosystem. J Hydrol 333:155–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2006.07.019
Cleveland CC, Liptzin D (2007) C: N: P stoichiometry in soil: is there a “Redfield ratio” for the microbial biomass? Biogeochemistry 85:235–252. https://doi.org/10.2307/20456544
Congreves KA, Hooker DC, Hayes A, Verhallen EA, Van Eerd LL (2017) Interaction of long-term nitrogen fertilizer application, crop rotation, and tillage system on soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics. Plant Soil 410:113–127. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-016-2986-y
Deng L, Zhang Z, Shang GZ (2014) Long-term fencing effects on plant diversity and soil properties in China. Soil till Res 137:7–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2013.11.002
Derner JD, Boutton TW, Briske DD (2006) Grazing and ecosystem carbon storage in the North American Great Plains. Plant Soil 280:77–90. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-005-2554-3
Diekmann M, Jandt U, Alard D, Bleeker A, Corcket E, Gowing DJG, Stevens CJ, Dupre C (2014) Long-term changes in calcareous grassland vegetation in North-western Germany-No decline in species richness, but a shift in species composition. Biol Conserv 172:170–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2014.02.038
Duan Y, Chen L, Zhang J, Li D, Huang P (2021) Long-term fertilisation reveals close associations between soil organic carbon composition and microbial traits at aggregate scales. Agr Ecosyst Environ 306:107169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2020.107169
Fowler MS, Laakso J, Kaitala V, Ruokolainen L, Post D (2012) Species dynamics alter community diversity–biomass stability relationships. Ecol Lett 15(1387):1396. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01862.x
Foster BL, Gross KL (1998) Species richness in a successional grassland: effects of nitrogen enrichment and plant litter. Ecology 79:2593–2602. https://doi.org/10.2307/176503
Goodwillie C, McCoy MW, Peralta AL (2020) Long-term nutrient enrichment, clipping, and ditch drainage interact in the dynamics of a wetland plant community. Ecosphere 11:e03252. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3252
Gilliam FS, Lu XK, Mo JM (2006) Response of the herbaceous layer of forest ecosystems to excess nitrogen deposition. J Ecol 94:1176–1191. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2006.01155.x
Gregorich EG, Monreal CM, Schnitzer M, Schulten HR (1996) Transformation of plant residues into soil organic matter: chemical characterization of plant tissue, isolated soil fractions, and whole soils. Soil Sci 161:680–693. https://doi.org/10.1097/00010694-199610000-00005
Grime JP (1973) Competitive exclusion in herbaceous vegetation. Nature 242:344–347. https://doi.org/10.1038/242344a0
Guo Q, Wen ZM, Ghanizadeh H, Zheng C, Fan YM, Yang X, Yan XH, Li W (2022) Shift in microbial communities mediated by vegetation-soil characteristics following subshrub encroachment in a semi-arid grassland. Ecol Indic 137:108768. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.108768
Hautier Y, Niklaus PA, Hector A (2009) Competition for light causes plant biodiversity loss after eutrophication. Science 324:636–638. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1169640
Heinsoo K, Sammul M, Kukk T, Kull T, Melts I (2020) The long-term recovery of a moderately fertilised semi-natural grassland. Agri Ecosyst Environ 289:106744. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2019.106744
Hoffmann C, unk R, Li Y, Sommer M, (2008) Effect of grazing on wind driven carbon and nitrogen ratios in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. Catena 75(182):190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2008.06.003
Huston M (1979) A general hypothesis of species diversity. Am nat 113(81):101. https://doi.org/10.1086/283366
Joshi J, Matthies D (1996) Effects of mowing and fertilization on succession in an old-field plant community. Bulletin of the Geobotanical Institute Eth 62:13–26
Jing ZB, Cheng JM, Su JS, Bai Y, Jin JW (2014) Changes in plant community composition and soil properties under 3-decade grazing exclusion in semiarid grassland. Ecol Eng 64:171–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2013.12.023
Johnson DW, Curtis PS (2001) Effects of forest management on soil C and N storage: meta analysis. Forest Ecol Manag 140:227–238. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1127(00)00282-6
Laclau JP, Almeida JCR, Goncalves JLM, Saint-Andre L, Ventura M, Ranger J, Moreira RM, Nouvellon Y (2009) Influence of nitrogen and potassium fertilization on leaf lifespan and allocation of above-ground growth in eucalyptus plantations. Tree Physiol 29:111–124. https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpn010
Lal R (2004) Soil carbon sequestration impacts on global climate change and food security. Science 304:1623–1627. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1097396
Lepš J (2014) Scale- and time-dependent effects of fertilization, clipping and dominant removal on a grassland community during a 15-year experiment. J Appl Ecol 51:978–987. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12255
Li J, Li YT, Yang XD, Zhang JJ, Lin ZA, Zhao BQ (2015) Microbial community structure and functional metabolic diversity are associated with organic carbon availability in an agricultural soil. J Integr Agr 14:2500–2511. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2095-3119(15)61229-1
Li WH, Hooper DU, Wu LJ, Bakker JD, Gianuca AT, Wu XB, Taube F, Wang CN, Bai YF (2021) Grazing regime alters plant community structure via patch-scale diversity in semiarid grasslands. Ecosphere 12:e03547. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3547
Li W, Wen SJ, Hu WX, Du GZ (2011) Root-shoot competition interactions cause diversity loss after fertilization: a field experiment in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau. J Plant Ecol 4:138–146. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtq031
Li Y, Gao ZL, Tang L (2016) Soil-plant characteristics in an age sequence of Coronilla varia L. plantations along embankments. J Soil Sci Plant Nut 16(187):199. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-95162016005000015
Liu C, Li ZW, Dong YT, Chang XF, Nie XD, Liu L, Xiao HB, Zeng GM (2017) Do check dam construction and land use change affect a real estimate of soil carbon and nitrogen stocks on the Loess Plateau of China? Ecol Eng 101:220–226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2017.01.036
Liu J, Yang X, Ghanizadeh H, Guo Q, Fan YM, Zhang B, Yan XH, Wen ZM, Li W (2021) Long-term enclosure can benefit grassland community stability on the Loess Plateau of China. Sustainability 13:213. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010213
Liu Y (2014) National Grassland Monitoring Report. China Animal Husbandry 8:14
Louhaichi M, Ghassali F, Salkini AK, Petersen SL (2012) Effect of sheep grazing on rangeland plant communities: case study of landscape depressions within Syrian arid steppes. J Arid Environ 79:101–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2011.11.024
Lu X, Yan Y, Sun JY, Zhang X, Chen YC, Wang X, Cheng G (2015) Short-term grazing exclusion has no impact on soil properties and nutrients of degraded alpine grassland in Tibet, China. Solid Earth 7:2413–2444. https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1195-2015
Luo YJ, Qin GL, Du GZ (2006) Importance of assemblage-level thinning: a field experiment in an alpine meadow on the Tibet plateau. J Veg Sci 17:417–424. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2006.tb02462.x
Mando A, Bonzi M, Wopereis MCS, Lompo F, Stroosnijder L (2006) Long-term effects of mineral and organic fertilization on soil organic matter fractions and sorghum yield under Sudano-Sahelian conditions. Soil Use Manage 21:396–401. https://doi.org/10.1079/SUM2005339
Molina CD, Tognetti PM, Graff P, Chaneton EJ (2021) Mowing does not redress the negative effect of nutrient addition on alpha and beta diversity in a temperate grassland. J Ecol 109:1501–1510. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13573
Niu KC, Choler P, de Bello F, Mirotchnick N, Du GZ, Sun SC (2014) Fertilization decreases species diversity but increases functional diversity: a three-year experiment in a Tibetan alpine meadow. Agri Ecosyst Environ 182:106–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2013.07.015
Niu KC, Luo YJ, Choler P, Du GZ (2008) The role of biomass allocation strategy in diversity loss due to fertilization. Basic Appl Ecol 9:485–493. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2007.06.015
Ortas I (2014) Long-term fertilization effect on agronomic yield and soil organic carbon under semi-arid Mediterranean region. Fac Agri 125:35–48. https://doi.org/10.9734/AJEA/2014/8670
Qiu LP, Wei XR, Zhang XC, Cheng JM (2013) Ecosystem carbon and nitrogen accumulation after grazing exclusion in semiarid grassland. PloS one 8:e55433. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0055433
Pei S, Fu H, Wan CG (2008) Changes in soil properties and vegetation following exclosure and grazing in degraded Alxa desert steppe of Inner Mongolia, China. Agr Ecosyst Environ 124:33–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2007.08.008
Pfestorf H, Weiss L, Muller J, Boch S, Socher SA, Prati D, Schoning I, Weisser W, Fischer M, Jeltsch F (2013) Community mean traits as additional indicators to monitor effects of land-use intensity on grassland plant diversity. Perspect Plant Ecol 15(1):11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2012.10.003
Piao S, Fang J, Ciais P, Peylin P, Huang Y, Sitch S, Wang T (2009) The carbon balance of terrestrial ecosystems in China. Nature 458:1009–1013. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07944
Pierik M, Van Ruijven J, Bezemer TM, Geerts RHEM, Berendse F (2011) Recovery of plant species richness during long-term fertilization of a species-rich grassland. Ecology 92:1393–1398. https://doi.org/10.2307/23035091
Pineiro G, Paruelo JM, Oesterbeld M, Jobbagy EG (2010) Pathways of grazing effects on soil organic carbon and nitrogen. Rangeland Ecol Manag 63:109–119. https://doi.org/10.2111/08-255.1
Rajaniemi TK (2002) Why does fertilization reduce plant species diversity? Testing three competition-based hypotheses. J Ecol 90:316–324. https://doi.org/10.2307/3072135
Ritchie ME, Tilman D, Knops JMH (1998) Herbivore effects on plant and nitrogen dynamics in oak savanna. Ecology 79(165):177. https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(1998)079 ([0165: HEOPA N]2.0.CO;2)
Salinas-Garcia JR, Matocha JE, Hons FM (1997) Long-term tillage and nitrogen fertilization effects on soil properties of an Alfisol under dryland corn/cotton production. Soil till Res 42:79–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-1987(96)01092-6
Schimel DS, Braswell BH, Holland EA, McKeown R, Ojima DS, Painter TH, Parton WJ, Townsend AR (1994) Climatic, edaphic, and biotic controls over storage and turnover of carbon in soils. Global Biogeochem Cy 8:279–293. https://doi.org/10.1029/94GB00993
Shao XH, Zheng JW (2014) Soil organic carbon, black carbon, and enzyme activity under long-term fertilization. J Integr Agr 13:517–524. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2095-3119(13)60707-8
Shipley B, Meziane D (2010) The balanced-growth hypothesis and the allometry of leaf and root biomass allocation. Func Ecol 16:326–331. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2435.2002.00626.x
Silveira ML, Liu KS, Sollenberger LE, Follett RF, Vendramini JMB (2013) Short-term effects of grazing intensity and nitrogen fertilization on soil organic carbon pools under perennial grass pastures in the southeastern USA. Soil Biol Biochem 58:42–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2012.11.003
Socher SA, Prati D, Boch S, Muller J, Baumbach H, Gockel S, Hemp A, Schoning I, Wells K, Buscot F, Kalko EKV, Linsenmair KE, Schulze ED, Weisser WW, Fischer M (2013) Interacting effects of fertilization, mowing and grazing on plant species diversity of 1500 grasslands in Germany differ between regions. Basic Appl Ecol 14:126–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2012.12.003
Su Y, Ma X, Gong Y, Li K, Liu X (2021) Responses and drivers of leaf nutrients and resorption to nitrogen enrichment across northern China’s grasslands: a meta-analysis. CATENA 199:105110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2020.105110
Sun J, Wang XD, Cheng GW, Wu JB, Hong JT, Niu SL (2014) Effects of grazing regimes on plant traits and soil nutrients in an Alpine Steppe. Northern Tibetan Plateau Plos One 9:e108821. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0108821
Terrer C, Phillips RP, Hungate BA, Rosende J, Jackson RB (2021) A trade-off between plant and soil carbon storage under elevated CO2. Nature 591:599–603. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03306-8
Tessema ZK, de Boer WF, Baars RMT, Prins HHT (2011) Changes in soil nutrients, vegetation structure and herbaceous biomass in response to grazing in a semi-arid savanna of Ethiopia. J Arid Environ 75:662–670. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2011.02.004
Tian H, Chen G, Zhang C, Melillo JM, Hall CAS (2010) Pattern and variation of C: N: P ratios in China’s soils: a synthesis of observational data. Biogeochemistry 98:139–151. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-009-9382-0
Vaieretti MAV, Cingolani MA, Pérez Harguindeguy N, Cabido M (2013) Effects of differential grazing on decomposition rate and nitrogen availability in a productive mountain grassland. Plant Soil 371:675–691. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-1831-9
Vargas RS, Bataiolli R, Da PC, Lisboa B, Passaglia LM, Beneduzi A (2015) Microbial quality of soil from the Pampa biome in response to different grazing pressures. Genet Mol Biol 38:205–212. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1415-475738138120140230
Vargas RS, Bataiolli R, Da Costa PB, Lisboa B, Passaglia LMP, Beneduzi A (2015) Microbial quality of soil from the Pampa biome in response to different grazing pressures. Genet Molecul Biol 38:205–212. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1415-475738138120140230
Vannucchi F, Malorgio F, Pezzarossa B, Pini R, Bretzel F (2015) Effects of compost and mowing on the productivity and density of a purpose-sown mixture of native herbaceous species to revegetate degraded soil in anthropized areas. Ecol Eng 74:60–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2014.09.121
Wang D, Chi Z, Yue B, Huang X, Zhao J, Song H, Liu Y (2020) Effects of mowing and nitrogen addition on the ecosystem C and N pools in a temperate steppe: a case study from northern China. CATENA 185:104332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2019.104332
Wang M, Gong Y, Lafleur P, Wu Y (2021) Patterns and drivers of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometry in southern china’s grasslands. Sci Total Environ 785:147201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147201
Wilsey BJ, Martin LM (2015) Top-down control of rare species abundances by native ungulates in a grassland restoration. Restor Ecol 23:465–472. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.12197
Wilson SD, Tilman D (1993) Plant competition and resource availability in response to disturbance and fertilization. Ecology 74:599–611. https://doi.org/10.2307/1939319
Yan X, Zhou H, Zhu QH, Wang XF, Zhang YZ, Yu XC, Peng X (2013) Carbon sequestration efficiency in paddy soil and upland soil under long-term fertilization in southern China. Soil till Res 130:42–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2013.01.013
Yang XY, Li PR, Zhang SL, Sun BH, Chen XP (2011) Long-term-fertilization effects on soil organic carbon, physical properties, and wheat yield of a loess soil. J Plant Nutr Soil Sc 174:775–784. https://doi.org/10.1002/jpln.201000134
Yimer F, Ledin S, Abdelkadir A (2006) Soil property variations in relation to topographic aspect and vegetation community in the south-eastern highlands of Ethiopia. Forest Ecol Manag 232:90–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2006.05.055
Zhang YH, Feng JC, Loreau M (2019) Nitrogen addition does not reduce the role of spatial asynchrony in stabilising grassland communities. Ecol Lett 22:563–571. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13212
Zhang ZL, Niu KC, Liu XD, Jia P, Du GZ (2014) Linking flowering and reproductive allocation in response to nitrogen addition in an alpine meadow. J Plant Ecol 7(231):239. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtt030
Zhao F, Kang D, Han X, Yang G, Feng Y, Ren G (2015) Soil stoichiometry and carbon storage in long-term afforestation soil affected by understory vegetation diversity. Ecol Eng 74:415–422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2014.11.010
Zheng DZ, Li HM, Zhu XW (2015) Herding behavior in institutional investors: evidence from China’s stock market. J Multinal Financ M 32:59–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mulfin.2015.09.001
Zhou ZY, Li FR, Chen SK, Zhang HR, Li GD (2011) Dynamics of vegetation and soil carbon and nitrogen accumulation over 26 years under controlled grazing in a desert shrubland. Plant Soil 341:257–268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-010-0641-6
Funding
This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41601586), and the Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province (Grant No. 2020JM-162).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing Interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yang, X., Yan, X., Guo, Q. et al. Effects of Different Management Practices on Plant Community and Soil Properties in a Restored Grassland. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 22, 3811–3821 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-022-00932-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-022-00932-7