Monitoring and analysing grassland ecosystem service values in response to grassland area changes – an example from northwest China

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 179
Author(s):  
Asiya Manlike ◽  
Rukeya Sawut ◽  
Fengling Zheng ◽  
Xuesen Li ◽  
Rena Abudukelimu
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Grazing Intensity ◽  
Northwest China ◽  
Grassland Degradation ◽  
Grassland Ecosystem ◽  
Desert Grassland ◽  
Mountain Grassland ◽  
Sensing Technology ◽  
Annual Reduction

Using remote sensing technology, this study evaluates changes in mountain grassland ecosystem service values (ESVs) and the factors driving them. Degraded grasslands in Urumqi city, northwest China, reached 1.22×105 ha in 2000. However, the grassland degradation rate decreased by 387ha annually from 2000 to 2015. Total grassland ESVs decreased unpredictably with an annual reduction of USD$1.64×107. Ecological losses were mainly caused by degradation of mountain desert grassland, mountain desert steppe-type rangeland, and mountain meadow and mountain steppe-type rangeland. Among individual ESVs, grasslands contributed more to regulating and supporting services, while grassland provisioning and cultural services were relatively low, comprising 0. 7 and 0.5% of the total ESV respectively. The mean Moran’s I value was 0.869 for grassland ESVs (from 1994 to 2015), and exhibited high spatial autocorrelation. A driving factor analysis indicated that grassland degradation is continuing as a consequence of meteorological factors and overgrazing. Controlling grazing intensity has a positive impact on growth of grassland ESVs.

What is the main cause of grassland degradation? A case study of grassland ecosystem service in the middle-south Inner Mongolia

CATENA ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 150 ◽  
pp. 100-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhan Wang ◽  
Xiangzheng Deng ◽  
Wei Song ◽  
Zhihui Li ◽  
Jiancheng Chen
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Inner Mongolia ◽  
Grassland Degradation ◽  
Grassland Ecosystem

scholarly journals Plant functional assemblages as indicators of the resilience of grassland ecosystem service provision

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 ◽  
pp. 118-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Kohler ◽  
Caroline Devaux ◽  
Karl Grigulis ◽  
Georg Leitinger ◽  
Sandra Lavorel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Grassland Ecosystem ◽  
Functional Assemblages

Culturable autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria population and nitrification potential in a sheep grazing intensity gradient in a grassland on the Loess Plateau of Northwest China

2011 ◽  
Vol 91 (6) ◽  
pp. 925-934 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianzeng Liu ◽  
Zhibiao Nan ◽  
Fujiang Hou
Keyword(s):  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Grazing Intensity ◽  
Northwest China ◽  
Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Nitrification Potential ◽  
Dry Soil

Liu, T., Nan, Z. and Hou, F. 2011. Culturable autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria population and nitrification potential in a sheep grazing intensity gradient in a grassland on the Loess Plateau of Northwest China. Can. J. Soil Sci. 91: 925–934. Grazing is known to enhance the activity of soil microbial communities in many types of grasslands; however, the potential impacts of rotational grazing activity on soil microbial functional groups remain poorly understood. We investigated the effects of 9 yr of rotational grazing by livestock on culturable autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) population size, nitrification potential and soil properties in a semi-arid grassland of the Loess Plateau in Northwest China. Three stocking rate treatments of 2.7, 5.3 and 8.7 wether lambs ha−1were evaluated in geographically separated paddocks. Grazing increased nitrification potential and culturable AOB populations compared with ungrazed treatments. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria populations increased from 155 bacteria g−1dry soil with 0 sheep ha−1to 16 218 bacteria g−1dry soil with 8.7 sheep ha−1. Grazing led to an increase in population of AOB at 0–10 cm soil depth, but had no effect on AOB at 10–20 cm soil depth. Nitrification potential increased from 1.21 mg NO3-N kg−1soil d−1in ungrazed treatments to 2.86 mg NO3-N kg−1soil d−1at the highest stocking rate. Soil ammonium and nitrate concentrations increased; however, total soil nitrogen and soil moisture content decreased with increased stocking rate for both sampling depths (0–10 cm and 10–20 cm). Soil organic matter was not affected by grazing treatments. Soil nitrification potential and the size of culturable AOB populations were dependent on grazing intensity, soil depth and season. This information is potentially important for the optimal selection of stocking rate for grazed ecosystems.

scholarly journals Birds and Bioenergy within the Americas: A Cross-National, Social–Ecological Study of Ecosystem Service Tradeoffs

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 258
Author(s):  
Jessie Knowlton ◽  
Kathleen Halvorsen ◽  
David Flaspohler ◽  
Christopher Webster ◽  
Jesse Abrams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Bioenergy Feedstock ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Bioenergy Feedstocks ◽  
Feedstock Production

Although renewable energy holds great promise in mitigating climate change, there are socioeconomic and ecological tradeoffs related to each form of renewable energy. Forest-related bioenergy is especially controversial, because tree plantations often replace land that could be used to grow food crops and can have negative impacts on biodiversity. In this study, we examined public perceptions and ecosystem service tradeoffs between the provisioning services associated with cover types associated with bioenergy crop (feedstock) production and forest habitat-related supporting services for birds, which themselves provide cultural and regulating services. We combined a social survey-based assessment of local values and perceptions with measures of bioenergy feedstock production impacts on bird habitat in four countries: Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and the USA. Respondents in all countries rated birds as important or very important (83–99% of respondents) and showed lower enthusiasm for, but still supported, the expansion of bioenergy feedstocks (48–60% of respondents). Bioenergy feedstock cover types in Brazil and Argentina had the greatest negative impact on birds but had a positive impact on birds in the USA. In Brazil and Mexico, public perceptions aligned fairly well with the realities of the impacts of potential bioenergy feedstocks on bird communities. However, in Argentina and the USA, perceptions of bioenergy impacts on birds did not match well with the data. Understanding people’s values and perceptions can help inform better policy and management decisions regarding land use changes.

Evaluation of phase discrimination methods and snow fraction perturbations in arid regions of Northwest China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muattar Saydi ◽  
Guoping Tang ◽  
Yan Qin ◽  
Hong Fang ◽  
Xiaohua Chen
Keyword(s):  
Arid Regions ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Northwest China ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Temperature Threshold ◽  
Phase Discrimination ◽  
Single Temperature ◽  
Meteorological Observations

AbstractSnow fraction has straight impact on water resources in arid regions. The selection of proper methods for estimating snow fraction is thus essential. Two temperature-based and two humidity-based approaches to discriminate precipitation phase were evaluated using daily meteorological observations over the past 6 decades in Xinjiang, arid Northwest China. The main findings included that: (1) The finest discrimination was achieved by the wet-bulb temperature (Tw) method whereas the single temperature threshold at 0°C produces the poorest result; the performances of the Dai and TRH methods were between them, with slightly lower error using the Dai method. Also, the Tw method is the least sensitive to regional heterogeneity and less affected by distinct changes in elevation; other three methods, however, are biased mostly towards underestimating snow, and show larger variations due to the regional discrepancies. Careful adjustment of snow discrimination thresholds based on the local properties of observation spots is needed for these methods; (2) Despite widespread warming, snow fraction perturbations in Xinjiang is characterized mainly by insignificant changes plus pronounced reductions at high mountain sites. Proxy drivers of such changes can be better explained by considering the hydrothermal diversity and changing climatic factors. Across the wetter subregions, snowfall has been significantly increasing, and the positive impact of which on snow fraction was hindered by significant warming, particularly in winter, and summer rainfall; across the drier subregions, however, insignificant change in snow fraction corresponds to slow and insignificant increase in snowfall joined by the negative impacts of significant winter warming and summer rainfall.

Response characteristics of grassland ecosystem biomass to grazing intensity in China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunying Wang ◽  
Weiwei Pei ◽  
Guangmin Cao ◽  
Xiaowei Guo ◽  
Yangong Du
Keyword(s):  
Grazing Intensity ◽  
Grassland Ecosystem ◽  
Response Characteristics

scholarly journals Interactive Effects of Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs and Cattle on Shrub Encroachment in a Desert Grassland Ecosystem

PLoS ONE ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. e0154748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo Ponce-Guevara ◽  
Ana Davidson ◽  
Rodrigo Sierra-Corona ◽  
Gerardo Ceballos
Keyword(s):  
Shrub Encroachment ◽  
Prairie Dogs ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Grassland Ecosystem ◽  
Desert Grassland

Soil texture controls vegetation biomass and organic carbon storage in arid desert grassland in the middle of Hexi Corridor region in Northwest China

Soil Research ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongzhong Su ◽  
Jiuqiang Wang ◽  
Rong Yang ◽  
Xiao Yang ◽  
Guiping Fan
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Texture ◽  
Clay Content ◽  
Northwest China ◽  
Hexi Corridor ◽  
Desert Grassland ◽  
Vegetation Biomass ◽  
Below Ground ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Arid Desert

Soil texture plays an important role in controlling vegetation production and soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration in arid desert grassland ecosystems. However, little is known about the occurrence and extent of these textural effects in the arid desert grasslands of Northwest China. This study used 160 soil profiles taken from 32 desert grassland sites in similar topographical units (alluvial–diluvial fans) in the middle of Hexi Corridor region of Northwest China to investigate vegetation biomass, SOC storage, and soil texture of seven layers in the top 100 cm of soil. The mean aboveground biomass, below-ground biomass, and total biomass in arid desert grassland were 155.3, 95.3, and 256.3 g m–2, respectively. More than 95% of the below-ground biomass was distributed in the top 30 cm of soil. Spatially, vegetation biomass was positively related to soil clay content and silt + clay content. The mean SOC density in the top 100 cm was 2.94 kg m–2 and ~46.8% of the storage was concentrated in the top 30 cm. SOC concentrations and stocks were positively and significantly related to clay content and silt + clay content in the seven soil layers sampled from the top 100 cm. The soil silt + clay content explained 42–79% of the variation in SOC stocks in the different soil depths. In conclusion, soil texture appears to be an important control on vegetation productivity and SOC capacity in arid Hexi Corridor desert grassland soils.

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