Mowing increased community stability in semiarid grasslands more than either fencing or grazing.

A substantial body of empirical evidence suggests that anthropogenic disturbance can affect the structure and function of grassland ecosystems. Despite this, few studies have elucidated the mechanisms through which grazing and mowing, the two most widespread land management practices, affect the stability of natural grassland communities. In this study, we draw upon 9 years of field data from natural grasslands in northern China to investigate the effects of gazing and mowing on community stability, specifically focusing on community aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and dominance, which are two major biodiversity mechanisms known to characterize community fluctuations. We found that both grazing and mowing reduced ANPP in comparison to areas enclosed by fencing. Grazing reduced community stability by increasing the likelihood of single-species dominance and decreasing the relative proportion of nondominant species. In contrast, mowing reduced the productivity of the dominant species but increased the productivity of nondominant species. As a consequence, mowing improved the overall community stability by increasing the stability of nondominant species. Our study provides novel insight into understanding of the relationship between community species fluctuation-stability, with implications for ecological research and ecosystem management in natural grasslands.

High stocking rates effects in continuous season long grazing reduces the contribution of microbial necromass to soil organic carbon in a semi-arid grassland in Inner Mongolia.

Livestock grazing strongly influences the accumulation of soil organic carbon (SOC) in grasslands. However, whether the changes occurring in SOC content under different intensities of continuous summer long grazing are associated with the changes in microbially-derived necromass C remains unclear. Here, we established a sheep grazing experiment in northern China in 2004 with four different stocking rates. Soil samples were collected after 17 years of grazing and analyzed for physical, chemical, and microbial characteristics. Grazing decreased SOC and microbial necromass carbon (MNC). Notably, grazing also diminished contributions of MNC to SOC. MNC declined with decreasing plant carbon inputs with degradation of the soil environment. Direct reductions in microbial necromass C, which indirectly reduced SOC, resulted from reduced in plant C inputs and microbial abundance and diversity. Our study highlights the key role of stocking rate in governing microbial necromass C and SOC and the complex relationships these variables.

Effect of Increasing Species Diversity and Grazing Management on Pasture Productivity, Animal Performance, and Soil Carbon Sequestration of Re-Established Pasture in Canadian Prairie.

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of type of pasture mix and grazing management on pasture productivity, animal response and soil organic carbon (SOC) level. Pasture was established in 2001 on 16 paddocks of 2.1 ha that had been primarily in wheat and summer fallow. Treatments consisted of a completely randomized experimental design with two replicates: two pasture mixes (7-species (7-mix) and 12-species (12-mix)) and two grazing systems (continuous grazing (CG) and deferred-rotational grazing (DRG)). Pasture was stocked with commercial yearling Angus steers (Bos Taurus, 354 ± 13 kg) between 2005 and 2014. All pastures were grazed to an average utilization rate of 50% (40% to 60%). Average peak and pre-grazing pasture dry matter (DM) yield and animal response were independent of pasture seed mixture but varied with grazing management and production year. Average peak DM yield was 26.4% higher (p = 0.0003) for pasture under DRG relative to CG (1301 kg ha-1). However, total digestible nutrient for pasture under DRG was 4% lower (p < 0.0001) as compared to CG (60.2%). Average daily weight gain was 18% higher (p = 0.017) for CG than DRG (0.81 kg d-1), likely related to higher pasture quality under CG. Soil carbon sequestration was affected by seed mixture × grazing system interaction (p ≤ 0.004). Over the fourteen years of production, pasture with 7-mix under CG had the lowest (p < 0.01) average SOC stock at 15 cm (24.5 mg ha-1) and 30 cm depth (42.3 mg ha-1). Overall, the results from our study implied that increasing species diversity for pasture managed under CG may increase SOC gain while improving animal productivity.

Effects of hydrolyzable tannin with or without condensed tannin on methane emissions, nitrogen use, and performance of beef cattle fed a high-forage diet.

Sustainability of animal agriculture requires efficient use of energy and nitrogen (N) by ruminants fed high-forage diets. Thus, there is a need to decrease methane (CH4) emissions and prevent excessive N release into the environment. Therefore, this experiment examined the long-term effects of feeding hydrolyzable tannin (HT) with or without condensed tannin (CT) on animal performance, rumen fermentation, N use, and CH4 production in beef cattle fed a high-forage diet. A total of 75 weaned crossbred steers (292 ± 4.1 kg) were grouped by body weight (BW), housed in individual pens, and randomly assigned to 1 of 5 dietary treatments (15 animals/treatment) in a completely random design. The animals were fed a basal diet of alfalfa:barley silages (50:50; dry matter [DM] basis) with a crude protein content of 17.1% and supplemented with HT extract (chestnut, CN) or a combination (50:50) of HT and CT extracts (quebracho, Q) in a powdered form at different levels of dietary DM. The treatments for determining animal performance and N use were control (no tannin), 0.25% CN, 1.5% CN, combination of CN and Q at 0.125% each (0.25% CNQ), and CN and Q at 0.75% each (1.5% CNQ) of dietary DM. The treatments for the CH4 measurement were control, 1.5% CN, and 1.5% CNQ of dietary DM. The first 84 d of the study were used to measure animal performance, rumen fermentation, and N use, and the next 30 d were used to measure CH4 emissions with the tracer gas technique. There were no effects of treatment on DM intake (DMI), BW, average daily gain, and gain: feed (P ≥ 0.10). The plasma urea N concentration was greater (P < 0.05) for 1.5% CN and 1.5% CNQ than those fed 0.25% CNQ (120.9 and 120.4 vs. 111.7 mg/L, respectively), but not different (P > 0.05) from animals fed control or 0.25% CN (117.2 and 117.5 mg/L, respectively). Tannin inclusion did not affect rumen pH, total volatile fatty acid concentration, proportions of acetate and propionate, and total protozoa populations (P ≥ 0.16). Tannin, irrespective of type or dose, decreased (P < 0.01) ruminal ammonia concentration. Tannin type and dose did not affect (P = 0.54) daily CH4 production (154 ± 5.9 g/d) but 1.5% CNQ tended to decrease CH4 yield compared with control (20.6 vs. 22.0 g/kg DMI; P = 0.094). HT from CN alone or in combination with CT from Q can be added at a low (0.25% DM) or high (1.5% DM) level to a forage-based diet to decrease ruminal ammonia concentration in growing beef cattle fed a high-protein diet without adverse effects on animal performance. A combination of HT and CT at a concentration of 1.5% dietary DM also tended to decrease CH4 emissions without negatively affecting performance.

State of knowledge about energy development impacts on North American rangelands: An integrative approach.

To reduce dependence on foreign oil reserves, there has been a push in North America to develop alternative domestic energy resources. Relatively undeveloped renewable energy resources include biofuels and wind and solar energy, many of which occur predominantly on rangelands. Rangelands are also key areas for natural gas development from shales and tight sand formations. Accordingly, policies aimed at greater energy independence are likely to affect the delivery of crucial ecosystem services provided by rangelands. Assessing and dealing with the biophysical and socio-economic effects of energy development on rangeland ecosystems require an integrative and systematic approach that is predicated on a broad understanding of diverse issues related to energy development. In this article, we present a road map for developing an integrative assessment of energy development on rangelands in North America. We summarize current knowledge of socio-economic and biophysical aspects of rangeland based energy development, and we identify knowledge gaps and monitoring indicators to fill these knowledge gaps.