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12 May 2021 Effects of Grazing on the Grassland Vegetation Community Characteristics in Inner Mongolia
Guo Caiyun, Zhao Dongsheng, Zheng Du, Zhu Yu
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Abstract

The continuous increase of livestock production in Inner Mongolia has caused severe degradation of the grassland ecosystems in recent years. Previous grazing experiments have shown a wide range of vegetation responses between the biome types on a global scale, but there is still a lack of sufficient studies to discern the relative responses of a given biome type. We conducted a meta-analysis of vegetation coverage (VC), plant density (PD), total biomass (TB), above-ground biomass (AGB), under-ground biomass (UGB) and Shannon–Weaver Index (SI) in different grassland types in Inner Mongolia obtained under conditions of different grazing intensities and durations. The results showed that grazing decreased VC, TB, AGB, UGB, and PD significantly. Compared to the global and national average values, the negative effects of grazing to steppe biomass in Inner Mongolia were higher than that on the global scale, while less pronounced than that in China. TB of the meadow steppe in Inner Mongolia increased by 40% under moderate grazing intensity and duration because of compensatory growth. SI of the desert and meadow steppe showed negative linear relationships with the grazing intensity in Inner Mongolia. The percentage changes in AGB, PD, and SI to grazing showed quadratic relationships with the mean annual temperature of the experimental year. With increasing mean annual precipitation, the negative effects of grazing on UGB and SI first decreased and then increased, with that of VC and grazing showing a cubic relationship.

Guo Caiyun, Zhao Dongsheng, Zheng Du, and Zhu Yu "Effects of Grazing on the Grassland Vegetation Community Characteristics in Inner Mongolia," Journal of Resources and Ecology 12(3), 319-331, (12 May 2021). https://doi.org/10.5814/j.issn.1674-764x.2021.03.002
Received: 31 August 2020; Accepted: 24 February 2021; Published: 12 May 2021
KEYWORDS
grazing duration
grazing intensity
inner Mongolia
meta-analysis
vegetation community characteristics
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