Species co‐occurrence shapes spatial variability in plant diversity–biomass relationships in natural rangelands under different grazing intensities

Author(s):  
Anvar Sanaei ◽  
Emma J. Sayer ◽  
Hugo Saiz ◽  
Zuoqiang Yuan ◽  
Arshad Ali
2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (No. 1) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhu Guangyu ◽  
Tang Zhuangsheng ◽  
Chen Lei ◽  
Shangguan Zhouping ◽  
Deng Lei

This study mainly estimates the effect of grazing on plant diversity and soil storages on the northern Loess Plateau of China. Four grazing intensities of ungrazed (UG), light (LG), moderate (MG), and heavy (HG) grassland were selected according to the vegetation utilization across the study area, in which plant diversity, heights, above- and belowground biomass, and soil carbon (C) stock were investigated. The results showed that overgrazing negatively affected plant growth and soil C stock. Plant cover, height, litter, above- and belowground productivity, as well as soil C stock significantly decreased with the increasing grazing intensity. Meanwhile, the UG and LG had higher grasses biomass together with lower forbs (P < 0.01) compared with MG and HG. The abundance of dominating grasses species, such as Stipa bungeana and S. grandis were decreased through long-term grazing as grasses species are palatable for herbivores, and the dominating forbs species, such as Artemisia capillaries and Thymus mongolicus were significantly increased with increasing grazing intensities. The results indicated that grazing exclusion or light grazing had positive effects on the sustainable development of grassland ecosystems. Therefore, a balanced use and a long-term efficient management of grasslands were better measures to counteract their local degradations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. e181942595
Author(s):  
Patrick Bezerra Fernandes ◽  
Rodrigo Amorim Barbosa ◽  
Maria da Graça Morais ◽  
Cauby de Medeiros-Neto ◽  
André Fischer Sbrissia ◽  
...  

The behavior of variables related to defoliation dynamics was evaluated, and their respective oscillations in two intercropping of tropical climate grasses managed under two grazing intensities. We used pastures formed with two intercropping (BRS Zuri, Xaraés and Basilisk; BRS Quênia, Marandu and BRS Paiaguás), managed in two grazing intensities: 40 and 60% of the pre-grazing height. In the consortium between BRS Zuri, Xaraés and Basilisk, the first canonical variable explained 72.1 and 79.2% of the total variation of the defoliation pattern for the grazing intensity levels of 40 and 60%. In the consortium between BRS Quênia, Marandu and BRS Paiaguás, the first canonical variable explained 84.3 and 89.0% of the total variation of the defoliation pattern for the grazing intensity levels of 40 and 60%. The choice of forage species of tropical climate to form the consortium may be decisive in order to perpetuate plant diversity. From the population density of tillers, it is possible to observe that grasses belonging to functional groups A and B (Zuri, Xaraés, BRS Quênia and Marandu) have a higher probability of coexisting in the same area. The choice of forage species for the establishment of intercropped pastures is important to ensure the coexistence between them and the persistence of the consortium. The analysis of canonical variables assists in explaining the dynamics of defoliation of intercropping through the estimates of severity and frequency of defoliation of extended tiller and pseudostem.


2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (12) ◽  
pp. 2295-2313
Author(s):  
Yoko Higuchi ◽  
Yoshiyuki Ueda ◽  
Kazuhisa Shibata ◽  
Jun Saiki

2019 ◽  
Vol 629 ◽  
pp. 207-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
V Hamilton ◽  
K Evans ◽  
B Raymond ◽  
E Betty ◽  
MA Hindell

2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Sinkovč

The botanical composition of grasslands determines the agronomic and natural values of swards. Good grassland management usually improves herbage value, but on the other hand it frequently decreases the plant diversity and species richness in the swards. In 1999 a field trial in a split-plot design with four replicates was therefore established on the Arrhenatherion type of vegetation in Ljubljana marsh meadows in order to investigate this relationship. Cutting regimes (2 cuts — with normal and delayed first cut, 3 cuts and 4 cuts per year) were allocated to the main plots and fertiliser treatments (zero fertiliser — control, PK and NPK with 2 or 3 N rates) were allocated to the sub-plots. The results at the 1 st cutting in the 5 th trial year were as follows: Fertilising either with PK or NPK had no significant negative effect on plant diversity in any of the cutting regimes. In most treatments the plant number even increased slightly compared to the control. On average, 20 species were listed on both unfertilised and fertilised swards. At this low to moderate level of exploitation intensity, the increased number of cuts had no significant negative effect on plant diversity either (19 species at 2 cuts vs. 20 species at 3 or 4 cuts). PK fertilisation increased the proportion of legumes in the herbage in the case of 2 or 3 cuts. The proportion of grasses in the herbage increased in all the fertilisation treatments with an increased numbers of cuts. Fertiliser treatment considerably reduced the proportion of marsh horsetail ( Equisetum palustre ) in the herbage of the meadows. This effect was even more pronounced at higher cut numbers. The proportion of Equisetum palustre in the herbage was the highest in the unfertilised sward with 2 cuts (26.4 %) and the lowest in the NPK-fertilised sward with 4 cuts (1.4%).


Irriga ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 120-127
Author(s):  
Reginaldo Ferreira Santos ◽  
Antonio Evaldo Klar

DISTRIBUIÇÃO DA EVAPORAÇÃO EM ESTUFA PLÁSTICA NA PRIMAVERA  Reginaldo Ferreira SantosCentro de Ciências Exatas e Tecnológica da UNIOESTE- CP 711CEP 858114-110, Cascavel, PR - Fone: 0XX45 2203155.  E-mail: [email protected] Evaldo KlarDepartamento de Engenharia Rural - Faculdade de Ciências Agronômica- UNESP - CEP 18603-970 - Botucatu, SP. CP: 237.  E-mail:  [email protected]  1  RESUMO O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a distribuição da evaporação no interior de uma estufa plástica, com uma cultura de pimentão, através da variabilidade espacial e comparar a evaporação dos microevaporímetros com os valores do Tanque classe "A". O experimento foi conduzido no Campus da Universidade Estadual Paulista - FCA/UNESP, no período de primavera, em estufa plástica de polietileno de baixa densidade (PEBD). Na distribuição da evaporação em estufa com orientação norte/sul, verificou-se que as maiores evaporações ocorreram nas extremidades sul e norte tendente ao lado oeste. Já as menores evaporações localizaram-se no centro. No período de primavera, a evaporação média nos microevaporímetros superestimou em 55% a evaporação determinada no Tanque classe "A". UNITERMOS: evaporação, geoestatística, estufa.  SANTOS, R.F, KLAR, A.E.  EVAPORATION DISTRIBUTION INSIDE A PLASTIC TUNNEL IN THE SPRING SEASON  2  ABSTRACT                 The main aim of this study was to verify the evaporation distribution inside a plastic tunnel, with pepper crop, oriented to north/south, through spatial variability and to compare Class A Pan evaporation to punctual evaporations of 40 equidistant microevaporimeters placed from 50cm the soil. The study was carried out at the College of Agricultural Sciences/UNESP, Botucatu – SP in the spring season.  The highest evaporation occurred next to north and to south sides of the tunnel, with tendency to west. Consequently, the lowest evaporations occurred at the center area. The microevaporimeter evaporations were 55% higher than those obtained from Class A Pan. KEYWORDS: evaporation distribution, microevaporimeter.


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