Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of grazing management system on plant community structure and functioning in a semiarid steppe: scaling from species to community

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

Abstract

Under the aim of searching for a more sustainable grazing management system, a mixed management system (grazing and haymaking alternate annually) was proposed and tested against traditional management system (used consistently either for grazing or haymaking) in the semiarid grassland of Inner Mongolia with a field manipulation experiment. The responses of aboveground biomass to the two grazing management systems were examined across different levels of organization (i.e., species, plant functional group, and community) and in five consecutive years from 2005 to 2009. The effects of the two systems on seed production potential of four dominant species (Leymus chinensis, Stipa grandis, Agropyron cristatum, Cleistogenes squarrosa) were also investigated. Our results demonstrate that, in the traditional system, aboveground biomass production across all the levels of organization was reduced by grazing. In mixed system, however, no significantly negative relationship between the biomass response and stocking rate was detected at all organization levels. Precipitation fluctuation had strong influence on biomass responses, and compared to the traditional system the slope of the biomass-precipitation relationship tends to be higher in the mixed system. This effect might be attributed to the more positive response of L. chinensis and A. cristatum to increase in precipitation. In the traditional system, both the ratio and the density of reproductive tillers of the grazing subplots were significantly reduced compared to the haymaking or ungrazed control plots. In the mixed system, there was no significant difference between the haymaking subplots and the ungrazed control plots, regardless of the grazing pressures imposed on the haymaking subplots in the previous growing season. Our findings suggest that the mixed system mitigates the sheep grazing-induced species shift and it tends to be more responsive to increasing precipitation as compared to the traditional system. Therefore, replacement of the traditional grazing strategy with the mixed system could provide an important contribution to sustainable land-use of the Inner Mongolia grasslands.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

AB:

Aboveground biomass

AS:

Annuals and biennials

IRT:

Intact reproductive tiller

PB:

Perennial bunchgrasses

PF:

Perennial forbs

PR:

Perennial rhizomes

RB:

Relative aboveground biomass

References

  • Adams VM, Marsh DM, Knox JS (2005) Importance of the seed bank for population viability and population monitoring in a threatened wetland herb. Biol Conserv 124:425–436

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson VJ, Briske DD (1995) Herbivore-induced species replacement in grasslands: is it driven by herbivory tolerance or avoidance? Ecol Appl 5:1014–1024

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Archer S (1989) Have southern Texas savannas been converted to woodlands in recent history? Am Nat 134:545–561

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Augustine DJ, McNaughton SJ (1998) Ungulate effects on the functional species composition of plant communities: herbivore selectivity and plant tolerance. J Wildl Manage 62:1165–1183

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bai YF, Han XG, Wu JG, Chen ZZ, Li LH (2004) Ecosystem stability and compensatory effects in the Inner Mongolia grassland. Nature 431:181–184

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bai YF, Wu JG, Pan QM, Huang JH, Wang QB, Li FS, Buyantuyev A, Han XG (2007) Positive linear relationship between productivity and diversity: evidence from the Eurasian steppe. J Appl Ecol 44:1023–1034

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bai YF, Wu JG, Xing Q, Pan QM, Huang JH, Yang DL, Han XG (2008) Primary production and rain use efficiency across a precipitation gradient on the Mongolia plateau. Ecology 89:2140–2153

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Belsky AJ (1992) Effects of grazing, competition, disturbance and fire on species composition and diversity in grassland communities. J Veg Sci 3:187–200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biondini ME, Patton BD, Nyren PE (1998) Grazing intensity and ecosystem processes in a northern mixed-grass prairie, USA. Ecol Appl 8:469–479

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bosch OJH (1989) Degradation of the semi-arid grasslands of Southern-Africa. J Arid Environ 16:165–175

    Google Scholar 

  • Briske DD, Derner JD, Brown JR, Fublendor SD, Teague WR, Havstad KM, Gillen RL, Ash AJ, Willms WD (2008) Rotational grazing on rangelands: reconciliation of perception and experimental evidence. Rangeland Ecol Manag 61:3–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coupland RT (1993) Ecosystems of the World 8B. Natural grasslands: eastern hemisphere and résumé. Elsevier, Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • Del-Val EK, Crawley MJ (2005) Are grazing increaser species better tolerators than decreasers? An experimental assessment of defoliation tolerance in eight British grassland species. J Ecol 93:1005–1016

    Article  Google Scholar 

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

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellison L (1960) Influence of grazing on plant succession of rangelands. Bot Rev 26:1–78

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fenner M, Thompson K (2005) The ecology of seeds. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez-Gimenez M, Allen-Diaz B (2001) Vegetation change along gradients from water sources in three grazed Mongolian ecosystems. Plant Ecol 157:101–118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grime JP (1974) Vegetation classification by reference to strategies. Nature 250:26–31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris W (1978) Defoliation as a determinant of the growth, persistense and composition of pasture. In: Wilson JR (ed) Plant relations in pastures. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, East Melbourne

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris RB (2010) Rangeland degradation on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau: a review of the evidence of its magnitude and causes. J Arid Environ 74:1–12

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hodgson J, Illius AW (1996) The ecology and management of grazing systems. CAB International Wallingford, Oxon

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalamees R, Zobel M (2002) The role of the seed bank in gap regeneration in a calcareous grassland community. Ecology 83:1017–1025

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li Y (1988) The divergence and convergence of Leymus chinensis steppe and Stipa grandis steppe under the grazing Influence in Xilin River Valley, Inner Mongolia. J Plant Ecol 12:189–196

    Google Scholar 

  • Li YH (1989) Impact of grazing on Aneurolepidium chinense steppe and Stipa grandis steppe. Acta Oecol Oecol Appl 10:31–46

    Google Scholar 

  • McPherson K, Williams K (1998) The role of carbohydrate reserves in the growth, resilience, and persistence of cabbage palm seedlings (Sabal palmetto). Oecologia 117:460–468

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milchunas DG, Sala OE, Lauenroth WK (1988) A generalized model of the effects of grazing by large herbivores on grassland community structure. Am Nat 132:87–106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milton SJ, Dean WRJ (1995) South Africa’s arid and semiarid rangelands: why are they changing and can they be restored? Environ Monit Assess 37:245–264

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchley J (1988) Control of relative abundance of perennials in chalk grassland in Southern England. II. Vertical canopy structure. J Ecol 76:341–350

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Noy-Meir I, Briske DD (1996) Fitness components of grazing-induced population reduction in a dominant annual, Triticum dicoccoides (wild wheat). J Ecol 84:439–448

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Noy-Meir I, Gutman M, Kaplan Y (1989) Responses of Mediterranean grassland plants to grazing and protection. J Ecol 77:290–310

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor TG (1991) Local extinction in perennial grasslands—a life-history approach. Am Nat 137:753–773

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor TG, Pickett GA (1992) The influence of grazing on seed production and seed banks of some African Savanna grasslands. J Appl Ecol 29:247–260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patton BD, Dong XJ, Nyren PE, Nyren A (2007) Effects of grazing intensity, precipitation, and temperature on forage production. Rangeland Ecol Manag 60:656–665

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sala OE, Chapin FS, III AJJ, Berlow E, Bloomfield J, Dirzo R, Huber-Sanwald E, Huenneke LF, Jackson RB, Kinzig A, Leemans R, Lodge DM, Mooney HA, Oesterheld M, Poff NL, Sykes MT, Walker BH, Walker M, Wall DH (2000) Global biodiversity scenarios for the year 2100. Science 287:1770–1774

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sample AT (1970) Grassland improvement. Leonard Hill Books, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmid B (1985) Clonal growth in grassland perennials: II. Growth form and fine-scale colonizing ability. J Ecol 73:809–818

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schönbach P, Wan H, Schiborra A, Gierus M, Bai Y, Müller K, Glindemann T, Wang C, Susenbeth A, Taube F (2009) Short-term management and stocking rate effects of grazing sheep on herbage quality and productivity of Inner Mongolia steppe. Crop Pasture Sci 60:963–974

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schönbach P, Wan H, Gierus M, Bai Y, Müller K, Lin L, Susenbeth A, Taube F (2010) Grassland responses to grazing: Effects of grazing intensity and management system in an Inner Mongolian steppe ecosystem. Plant Soil (special issue)

  • Sternberg M, Gutman M, Perevolotsky A, Kigel J (2003) Effects of grazing on soil seed bank dynamics: an approach with functional groups. J Veg Sci 14:375–386

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tong C, Wu J, Yong S, Yang J, Yong W (2004) A landscape-scale assessment of steppe degradation in the Xilin River Basin, Inner Mongolia, China. J Arid Environ 59:133–149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang SP (2000) The dietary composition of fine wool sheep and plant diversity in Inner Mongolia steppe. Acta Ecol Sin 20:951–957

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang SP (2001) The dietary composition of fine wool sheep under different stocking rates and relationship between dietary diversity and plant diversity in Inner Mongolia steppe. Acta Ecol Sin 21:237–243

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang R, Ripley EA (1997) Effects of grazing on a Leymus chinensis grassland on the Songnen plain of north-eastern China. J Arid Environ 36:307–318

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang YS, Shiyomi M, Tsuiki M, Tsutsumi M, Yu XR, Yi RH (2002) Spatial heterogeneity of vegetation under different grazing intensities in the northwest Heilongjiang steppe of China. Agr Ecosyst Environ 90:217–229

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whalley RDB, Hardy MB (2000) Measuring botanical composition of grasslands. In: Mannetje LT, Jones RM (eds) Field and laboratory methods for grassland and animal production research. CABI, Wallingford

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for funding the research group 536 MAGIM (Matter fluxes of grasslands in Inner Mongolia as influenced by stocking rate) project. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30825008 and 30770370). We also appreciate the Inner Mongolia Grassland Ecosystem Research Station (IMGERS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences for providing lab and field facilities, accommodation, and precious long term climatic dataset.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Crop Science and Plant Breeding - Grass and Forage Science/Organic Agriculture, Christian-Albrechts-University, Hermann-Rodewald-Str. 9, 24118, Kiel, Germany

    Hongwei Wan, Philipp Schönbach, Martin Gierus & Friedhelm Taube

  2. State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China

    Yongfei Bai

Authors
  1. Hongwei Wan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yongfei Bai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Philipp Schönbach
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Martin Gierus
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Friedhelm Taube
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hongwei Wan.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Ingrid Koegel-Knabner.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary Figure S1

Layout of the grazing experiment in 2005. (DOC 226 kb)

Supplementary Figure S2

Layout of the grazing experiment in 2006. (DOC 226 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wan, H., Bai, Y., Schönbach, P. et al. Effects of grazing management system on plant community structure and functioning in a semiarid steppe: scaling from species to community. Plant Soil 340, 215–226 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-010-0661-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-010-0661-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation