Effect of sheep grazing on rangeland plant communities: Case study of landscape depressions within Syrian arid steppes

The arid rangelands of Syria cover over half of the nation's landmass. Punctuating this landscape are broad, dry basins, or wadis, and gentle landscape depressions that exhibit localized elevated vegetation productivity and unique edaphic and hydrologic properties. Historically, continuous heavy grazing and aggressive agricultural activities resulted in excessive ecological degradation within these sensitive environments. Information is needed to determine the influence of livestock grazing on plant communities in landscape depressions and the impact that this has on ecosystem resilience. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effect of short-term sheep grazing on vegetation characteristics and plant community structure within depressions, and to provide recommendations for improved grazing management. Study plots were randomly located within paired topographic depressions located in northwestern Syria. Vegetation samples were collected along transects including plant biomass, plant density, herbaceous cover, and species diversity. In grazed plots, plant biomass was 49 g DM/m² compared to 234.4 g DM/m² in protected plots. Average plant density was 65 plants/m² in grazed plots compared to 1013 plants/m² in protected plots (P = 0.001). Herbaceous cover was 175% higher on protected sites compared to grazed plots. Average diversity (Shannon–Wiener index value) was 0.8 in grazed plots compared to 2.3 in protected plots. These results suggest that plant community structure will be impacted from short-term grazing and that a site's ability to positively respond to disturbance over time may be limited. We conclude that carefully planned grazing management should result in greater plant productivity and diversity.     

Grazing effects on aboveground primary production and root biomass of early-seral,mid-seral,and undisturbed semiarid grassland

Annual/perennial and tall/short plant species differentially dominate early to late successional shortgrass steppe communities. Plant species can have different ratios of above-/below-ground biomass distributions and this can be modified by precipitation and grazing. We compared grazing effects on aboveground production and root biomass in early- and mid-seral fields and undisturbed shortgrass steppe. Production averaged across four years and grazed and ungrazed treatments were 246, 134, and 102 g m⁻² yr⁻¹ for the early-, mid-seral, and native sites, respectively, while root biomass averaged 358, 560, and 981 g m⁻², respectively. Early- and mid-seral communities provided complimentary forage supplies but at the cost of root biomass. Grazing increased, decreased, or had no effect on aboveground production in early-, mid-seral, and native communities, and had no effect on roots in any. Grazing had some negative effects on early spring forage species, but not in the annual dominated early-seral community. Dominant species increased with grazing in native communities with a long evolutionary history of grazing by large herbivores, but had no effects on the same species in mid-seral communities. Effects of grazing in native communities in a region cannot necessarily be used to predict effects at other seral stages.     

科尔沁沙地沙质草地与固定沙丘植物群落结构对极端干旱的响应

为了探究沙地植物群落结构特征对极端干旱的响应,通过野外模拟试验开展了极端干旱(生长季减雨60％与干旱60 d)对沙质草地和固定沙丘植物群落丰富度、地上生物量和叶性状等群落结构特征影响的研究.结果表明:(1)生境变化对植物群落地上生物量和叶干物质含量(LDMC)具有显著影响(P＜0.05),草地地上生物量和LDMC显著高...     

Floods,drought, and seed mass of riparian plant species

Plant communities in dryland riparian ecosystems are influenced by flood disturbance and water availability. As global climate change alters stream flow regimes, there is increasing need to understand which traits allow plant species to persist under increased stress and disturbance. Small seed mass is part of a strategy that adapts for disturbance, but the role of seed mass as an adaptation for drought is less well documented. For dryland riparian plant communities, we asked, does seed mass vary with water availability and flood frequency? We compared community seed mass between sites that vary in flow permanence (longitudinal water gradient) and between hydrogeomorphic surfaces within sites (lateral gradients of moisture and disturbance). Using data from four rivers in Arizona, we contrasted seed mass between plant groups. We found community seed mass to be greater at sites with ephemeral than perennial flow, and to increase laterally from wet, frequently-flooded channel edges to dry, less disturbed terraces. Seed mass varied by moisture group (smallest for hydroriparian species) and by disturbance group (smallest for disturbance species), and showed a trend for being greater in introduced species. We conclude that small seed mass is independently associated with wet and disturbed conditions in dryland riparian ecosystems.     

放牧强度对科尔沁沙地沙质草地植被的影响

为了研究科尔沁沙地沙质草地在不同放牧强度下植被特征的变化规律,比较了围封、中度放牧、重度放牧3种条件下的植被盖度、群落组成、物种多样性、地上/地下生物量和凋落物量等植被特征的变化特征。结果表明:(1)围封、中度放牧和重度放牧沙质草地的优势植物均为一年生植物,但围封和中度放牧中多年生禾本科植物优势度高于重度放牧,重度放牧沙质草地一年生植物所占优势度最大;(2)放牧强度对沙质草地植被盖度、地上生物量及凋落物量有显著影响。随着放牧强度的增加,植被盖度、地上生物量和凋落物量均降低;(3)围封、中度放牧和重度放牧沙质草地物种丰富度及多样性差异均不显著;(4)放牧强度和土壤深度及其交互作用均能影响地下生物量。随着放牧强度的增加,总的地下根系生物量减小。而重度放牧草地中, 3个土壤深度间地下根系生物量差异不显著。放牧改变了沙质草地植物群落的组成、极大降低了植被盖度和生产力;尤其是重度放牧急剧增加了一年生植物的优势、且对浅层根分布的减少影响最大。     

天山南麓山前平原土壤盐分空间异质性对植物群落组成及结构的影响

将轮台天山南麓山前平原中下部自北至南分为4个地貌带:洪水剥蚀带、溢出带、三角洲带及两河交汇区带。并以土壤电导作为积盐程度的指标,分析了天山南麓山前平原4个地貌带土壤盐的分布特征:溢出带和三角洲带土壤盐分含量高,两端洪水剥蚀带和两河交汇区带盐分含量低。物种多样性及物种组成分析结果表明,自北至南物种多样性及物种数量都在下降,洪水剥蚀带主要为柽柳群落、琵琶柴群落,溢出带主要为柽柳群落、盐节木群落、盐角草群落,三角洲带及两河交汇区均为柽柳群落。通过相关性分析,土壤盐分与群落物种多样性相关性不显著。但是,土壤盐渍化的变化明显影响到植物群落物种组成的变化、群落类型的空间分布和演替。     

退化沙质草地土壤种子库和地上植被对封育的响应机理

从植物种和植物功能类群两个水平系统探讨退化沙质草地土壤种子库和地上植被对短期封育管理响应机理的研究尚不多。以内蒙古东部的科尔沁沙地退化沙质草地为研究对象,采取随机样方法对禁牧6 a的封育区及与其相邻的自由放牧草地的土壤种子库和地上植物群落的物种密度进行了比较研究,草本植物群落被区分为一年生禾本科植物、非禾本科一年生植物和多年生植物3个主要功能类群。利用测定数据,分析研究了短期禁牧封育对土壤种子库和地上群落不同植物种和各植物功能类群的生态恢复作用机理。主要研究结果是：①短期封育显著促进了退化沙质草地植被的生态恢复,但发现土壤种子库和地上植被对禁牧的响应模式和机理存在明显差异,短期禁牧使土壤种子库中所有3个植物功能类群的密度均得到显著提高,而仅提高了地上植被一年生禾本科植物和多年生植物两个类群的密度;相反,禁牧显著提高了地上植被所有3个功能类群的物种丰富度和多样性,仅提高了土壤种子库中多年生植物类群的物种多样性。②短期禁牧显著增加了地上植物群落组成中可食和优良牧草的比例,提高了草地的经济利用价值。主要结论是：短期禁牧封育是一种经济有效的提高退化沙质草地植被多样性、生产力及对植物群落物种组成和草地品质进行优化调控和改良的重要草地管理手段。研究建议,今后应重点开展不同禁牧时间下对退化沙质草地土壤种子库和地上植被多样性、生产力及其物种组成变化影响的长期生态学控制实验研究。     

微生境尺度上放牧退化草原群落特征与土壤有机质的空间分异性

 格局和过程与异质性有关。以呼伦贝尔克氏针茅草原不同放牧强度下的演替群落为对象,开展群落植被空间分布格局及土壤有机质空间异质性研究。结果显示,不同放牧强度样地群落结构和群落种类组成存在明显差异。轻度放牧样地样方内有8种植物,群落优势种为克氏针茅（Stipa krylovii）;中度放牧样地样方内有12种植物,群落优势种为糙隐子草（Cleistogenes squyarrosa）;而重度放牧样地样方内只有7种植物,群落优势种为多根葱（Allium polyrhizum）。随放牧强度的增强,植被地上生物量及其变异系数逐渐降低;土壤有机质含量表现为轻度放牧>中度放牧>重度放牧,而其变异系数表现为中度放牧>轻度放牧>重度放牧。从植被地上生物量和土壤有机质含量变异函数分析来看,随放牧压力的增大,植被地上生物量空间自相关性增强,空间异质性变大;土壤有机质含量空间分布自相关性先增强,然后减弱,空间变异性先变大,然后变小。在10 cm×10 cm的微尺度上,重牧群落植被地上生物量和土壤有机质含量之间表现出明显的相关性（P<0.05）。     

Effects of fire on rangeland vegetation in south-western Mendoza plains (Argentina): composition,frequency, biomass,productivity and carrying capacity

The effect of both a non-prescribed summer fire and grazing at high stocking rate following fire on plant community composition, the frequency of occurrence of bare soil, grasses and shrubs, species diversity and biomass of herbaceous forage were evaluated for three growing seasons after fire. Changes in community composition occurred as a consequence of both fire and grazing. Communities were dominated by unpalatable shrubs and grasses in unburned sites as a result of a long history of overgrazing. Fire contributed to a conversion of those shrublands to communities with a more favourable balance between woody and herbaceous species. The frequency of palatable grasses and herbaceous forage biomass increased by a factor ofc. 3 at the expense of woody vegetation. Grazing after fire had significant positive (i.e. decrease in undesirable grasses) and negative (i.e. increase in bare soil) effects.     

呼伦贝尔沙质草甸草原洼地植物群落变化分析

选择呼伦贝尔沙质草甸草原上的干洼地,采用系统取样方法对不同微地貌部位的植物群落变化进行研究。发现,草原区微地貌变化对生境异质性的控制作用明显。在洼地中旱生植物和旱生植物占优势,中旱生植物在阴(N)坡和下坡位或坡底占优势,旱生植物在阳(S)坡最占优势。下坡位或坡底的多年生植物比例最高,其次是阴(N)坡和中坡位,上坡位和阳(S)坡最少。洼地内出现了12个不同类型的群落。同一坡向的植被覆盖度、地上生物量、草层高度呈现下坡位＞中坡位＞上坡位的趋势。主要物种的重要值波动很大,表明洼地内的地形因子分配不均匀。SW上坡位植物群落特征各项指标均出现低值,导致局部恶劣环境的微地貌产出部位,与风蚀坑集中分布区耦合。表明SW坡上部风蚀沙漠化的高发生率与该微地貌部位植被发育差有关。     

Biological soil crusts exhibit a dynamic response to seasonal rain and release from grazing with implications for soil stability

In Northern Mexico, long-term grazing has substantially degraded semiarid landscapes. In semiarid systems, ecological and hydrological processes are strongly coupled by patchy plant distribution and biological soil crust (BSC) cover in plant-free interspaces. In this study, we asked: 1) how responsive are BSC cover/composition to a drying/wetting cycle and two-year grazing removal, and 2) what are the implications for soil erosion? We characterized BSC morphotypes and their influence on soil stability under grazed/non-grazed conditions during a dry and wet season. Light- and dark-colored cyanobacteria were dominant at the plant tussock and community level. Cover changes in these two groups differed after a rainy season and in response to grazing removal. Lichens with continuous thalli were more vulnerable to grazing than those with semi-continuous/discontinuous thalli after the dry season. Microsites around tussocks facilitated BSC colonization compared to interspaces. Lichen and cyanobacteria morphotypes differentially enhanced resistance to soil erosion; consequently, surface soil stability depends on the spatial distribution of BSC morphotypes, suggesting soil stability may be as dynamic as changes in the type of BSC cover. Longer-term spatially detailed studies are necessary to elicit spatiotemporal dynamics of BSC communities and their functional role in biotically and abiotically variable environments.     

Climatic change and rainfall patterns: Effects on semi-arid plant communities of the Iberian Southeast

The structure and functioning of semi-arid ecosystems are strongly influenced by precipitation patterns. Water availability in such environments is highly pulsed, and discrete rainfall events interspersed with drought periods are important components of the annual water supply. Plant communities do not only respond to rainfall quantity, but also to variations in time, so that relatively small changes in rainfall frequency (i.e., pulsed inputs) may have strong effects on communities. Within the Mediterranean basin, climate change models forecast a decrease in mean annual precipitation and more extreme events (i.e., less rainy days and longer drought periods between events), along with seasonal changes. However, little is known on the consequences of these future precipitation changes on plant communities, especially in semi-arid environments. Here, we summarize the few experiments that have manipulated rainfall patterns in arid and semi-arid areas worldwide, and introduce the first results of a pioneer, long-term rainfall exclusion in the semi-arid southeast region of the Iberian Peninsula. The experiment is not only manipulating the amount of rainfall, but also its frequency and seasonal distribution in a grassland-shrubland in the Tabernas desert (Almería, Spain). This work monitored the effect of precipitation changes on different ecosystem processes for five years, at the species and community level, concluding that this plant community (as other communities studied in the same area) exhibited great resilience to changes in rainfall availability, likely caused by plant adaptation to large intra- and inter-annual precipitation variability.     

Ecological and species diversity of arid Mediterranean grazing land vegetation

This study was conducted in the arid Mediterranean Reserve located in northern Jordan, representing a continuous grazed arid rangeland ecosystem. Quantitative analyses on species diversity in addition to phytogeographical analysis were conducted. Some ecological parameters such as, life forms, growth forms, species density and frequency were investigated. A total of 93 vascular plant taxa belonging to 78 genera and 26 families were reported. This constitutes about 4.3% of the total flora of Jordan. Reported taxa include 13 species of grasses, 69 forbs and 10 shrubs and semi-shrubs. The botanical survey pointed to the presence of four rare species in Jordan. Plant species were classified into 28 functional groups. Pairwise correlation analyses among the most abundant species, showed that neutral associations dominated (75%) those communities, followed by positive associations (19%), while only (6%) showed negative association. Positive association may be attributed to direct facultative mutualism, or to physical environmental heterogeneity. Such a positive cooperation in the plant community can significantly maintain species diversity in adverse environments.The relationship between primary productivity and species richness showed a humpbacked pattern. Maximum richness corresponded to a biomass level of 300–400 g m⁻². However, a sinusoidal curve-fitting model explained the relationship between graminoids biomass and species richness. These findings pointed to the adaptation of plant taxa to livestock grazing and to the small-scale spatial and environmental heterogeneity in arid Middle Eastern Mediterranean rangelands. Results suggest that optimal biodiversity conservation for the arid Middle Eastern grazing lands should consider their high level of spatial heterogeneity. Rangeland managers should adopt grazing plans that apply a range of grazing pressure across the area so as to maintain diversity at local and regional scales.     

Influence of soil, tree cover and large herbivores on field layer vegetation along a savanna landscape gradient in northern Botswana

The response of the field layer vegetation to co-varying resource availability (soil nutrients, light) and resource loss (herbivory pressure) was investigated along a landscape gradient highly influenced by elephants and smaller ungulates at the Chobe River front in Botswana. TWINSPAN classification was used to identify plant communities. Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) and Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) were used to explore the vegetation-environment relationships. Four plant communities were described: Panicum maximum woodland, Tribulus terrestris woodland/shrubland, Chloris virgata shrubland and Cynodon dactylon floodplain. Plant height, species richness and diversity decreased with increasing resource availability and resource loss. The species composition was mainly explained by differences in soil resources, followed by variables related to light availability (woody cover) and herbivory, and by interactions between these variables. The vegetation structure and species richness, on the other hand, followed the general theories of vegetation responses to herbivory more closely than resource related theories. The results suggest a strong interaction between resource availability and herbivory in their influence on the composition, species richness and structure of the plant communities.     

Is the analysis of plant community structure better than common species-diversity indices for assessing the effects of livestock grazing on a Mediterranean arid ecosystem?

Grazing in arid Mediterranean ecosystems brings about changes in species diversity, but the best way to measure such changes is unclear. In this study we compared various methods in order to identify indicators that might be useful for the management and conservation of grazed arid Mediterranean ecosystems.Changes in community structure and composition were compared along a previously studied grazing gradient in Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park. Plant diversity was measured by calculating diversity (Shannon information index), evenness (Pielou index) and richness (species number). Rarefaction curves were used to measure plant species richness and the results were compared with traditional richness values. Community structure was measured as the percentage of bare ground and the coverage of overall perennial grasses, Stipa tenacissima L., perennial shrubs and annual plants. Our results showed that the proportion of bare ground, the cover of perennial shrubs and the relative abundance of S. tenacissima are good indicators of grazing effects on vegetation. Overall plant community structure was more sensitive to the grazing gradient than were the diversity indices. Finally, the adequacy of standardized methods for comparing species richness (i.e. rarefaction curves) along a grazing gradient are discussed.     

科尔沁沙质放牧草地土壤动物多样性特征研究

在科尔沁沙质放牧草地,人为的小面积实验放牧情况下,土壤动物群落结构随放牧强度的提高发生变化,主要体现在动物密度降低、群落丰富度减小。放牧强度提高时,土壤动物生物量、密度季节动态和多样性指数无明显变化规律,重度放牧下以上指标并不明显低于封育区。土壤动物优势类群对放牧扰动的响应各自不同。以相似性指数比较土壤动物对不同牧压的响应,结果为中度放牧区较接近封育区,而重牧区分异最大。     

Influences of land use history and short-term nitrogen addition on community structure in temperate grasslands

Better understanding of plant community structure in relationship to land use history and nitrogen (N) will facilitate grassland conservation and projections of community succession under future N deposition. We conducted a field experiment in northern China to examine the influence of 2-year N addition on species composition and community structure in three temperate grasslands with different land use history: steppe fenced for two years (ST), steppe fenced for five years (SF), and old field grassland fenced for five years (OF). The results showed previous farming reduced species diversity and plant cover, which is mainly caused by decrease in perennial grasses (PG) and forbs (PF). Nitrogen addition increased plant cover, especially the PG cover, but had little effects on species diversity. Nitrogen enrichment also has a tendency to alter community composition by decreasing proportional cover of PF but increasing that of PG and annuals and biennials (AB), suggesting enhanced dominance of PG under increasing N deposition. Irrespective of the short-term (2 years) experimental periods, our findings highlight the dominant role of land use history in structuring plant community, and have valuable implications for grassland conservation and model projections of ecosystem succession under global scenarios of N deposition in the semi-arid grasslands.     

Seasonal changes in the relationship between species richness and community biomass in grassland under grazing and exclosure, Horqin Sandy Land, northern China

How species diversity–productivity relationships respond to temporal dynamics and land use is still not clear in semi-arid grassland ecosystems. We analyzed seasonal changes of the relationships between vegetation cover, plant density, species richness, and aboveground biomass in grasslands under grazing and exclosure in the Horqin Sandy Land of northern China. Our results showed that in grazed and fenced grassland, vegetation cover, richness, and biomass were lower in April than in August, whereas plant density showed a reverse trend. Vegetation cover during the growing season and biomass in June and August were higher in fenced grassland than in grazed grassland, whereas plant density in April and June was lower in fenced grassland than in grazed grassland. A negative relationship between species richness and biomass was found in August in fenced grassland, and in grazed grassland the relationship between plant density and biomass changed from positive in April to negative in August. The relationship between the density of the dominant plant species and the total biomass also varied with seasonal changes and land use (grazing and exclosure). These results suggest that long-term grazing, seasonal changes, and their interaction significantly influence vegetation cover, plant density, and biomass in grasslands. Plant species competition in fenced grassland results in seasonal changes of the relationship between species richness and biomass. Long-term grazing also affects seasonal changes of the density and biomass of dominant plant species, which further affects the seasonal relationship between plant density and biomass in grasslands. Our study demonstrates the importance of temporal dynamics and land use in understanding the relationship between species richness and ecosystem function.     

沙地小叶锦鸡儿群落持续经营的对策

主要研究了极度干旱对小叶锦鸡儿生长的影响及小叶锦鸡儿人工固沙林的密度和现有林的经营利用对策,探讨了干旱条件下土壤水分与植株密度、植被盖度的关系。结果表明:天然群落表现出对干旱条件极强的适应性,人工群落则出现了生长衰退甚至大面积枯萎现象,这主要是由于人工群落密度过大所造成的。轻度放牧可以增加小叶锦鸡儿可食部分,是持续经营利用小叶锦鸡儿群落的有效途径。     

荒漠草原植物群落光合速率对水氮添加的响应

氮沉降和降水格局改变对草原生态系统的结构、功能及关键过程具有重要影响。依托内蒙古乌拉特荒漠草原研究站的全球变化实验平台,研究了氮添加和增减雨（+50%、-50%）及其交互作用对荒漠草原植物群落光合速率和植被特征的影响,分析了荒漠草原植物群落光合速率与植被特征的关系。结果表明：（1）短期氮添加对荒漠草原植物群落光合速率和植被特征没有显著影响（P > 0.05）;（2）降水格局改变显著影响荒漠植物群落光合速率（P < 0.05）,减雨50%显著降低了荒漠草原植物群落光合速率和优势种植物高度（P < 0.05）,而降水增加50%没有改变群落光合速率和植被特征,降水改变下的土壤水分能很好地解释群落光合速率;（3）氮添加和增加降水的交互效应显著提高了群落的光合速率和优势种植物高度（P < 0.05）,而减少降水与氮添加没有显著影响;（4）荒漠草原植物群落盖度、优势种盖度、优势种平均高度与群落的光合速率呈现出指数增加关系,解释率为40%~58%。干旱极大地抑制荒漠草原植物群落光合速率,而氮沉降则依赖于降水增加来提高群落的光合速率,荒漠草原植物群落光合速率与水肥处理下的植物生长特征具有密切的关系。