Effects of grazing intensity on organic carbon stock characteristics in Stipa breviflora desert steppe vegetation soil systems
Heyun Wang A , Zhi Dong A B , Jianying Guo C D , Hongli Li A B D , Jinrong Li C , Guodong Han B and Xinchuang Chen A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Forestry College of Shandong Agricultural University, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Ecological Restoration, Taishan Mountain Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Tai’an 271018, PR China.
B College of Ecology and Environmental Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010019, PR China.
C State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, Institute of Water Resources for Pastoral Area, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Hohhot 010020, PR China.
D Corresponding authors. Emails: guojianying1980@163.com; lhl@sdau.edu.cn
The Rangeland Journal 39(2) 169-177 https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ16007
Submitted: 21 January 2016 Accepted: 15 February 2017 Published: 20 March 2017
Abstract
Grassland ecosystems, an important component of the terrestrial environment, play an essential role in the global carbon cycle and balance. We considered four different grazing intensities on a Stipa breviflora desert steppe: heavy grazing (HG), moderate grazing (MG), light grazing (LG), and an area fenced to exclude livestock grazing as the Control (CK). The analyses of the aboveground biomass, litter, belowground biomass, soil organic carbon and soil light fraction organic carbon were utilised to study the organic carbon stock characteristics in the S. breviflora desert steppe under different grazing intensities. This is important to reveal the mechanisms of grazing impact on carbon processes in the desert steppe, and can provide a theoretical basis for conservation and utilisation of grassland resources. Results showed that the carbon stock was 11.98–44.51 g m–2 in aboveground biomass, 10.43–36.12 g m–2 in plant litters, and 502.30–804.31 g m–2 in belowground biomass (0–40 cm). It was significantly higher in CK than in MG and HG. The carbon stock at 0–40-cm soil depth was 7817.43–9694.16 g m–2, and it was significantly higher in LG than in CK and HG. The total carbon stock in the vegetation-soil system was 8342.14–10494.80 g m–2 under different grazing intensities, with the largest value in LG, followed by MG, CK, and HG. About 90.54–93.71% of the total carbon in grassland ecosystem was reserved in soil. The LG and MG intensities were beneficial to the accumulation of soil organic carbon stock. The soil light fraction organic carbon stock was 484.20–654.62 g m–2 and was the highest under LG intensity. The LG and MG intensities were beneficial for soil nutrient accumulation in the desert steppe.
Additional keywords: biomass, degradation, grassland ecosystems, LFOC, plant community, SOC.
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