Appropriate livestock grazing alleviates the loss of plant diversity and maintains community resistance in alpine meadows.
J Environ Manage
; 351: 119850, 2024 Feb.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38141346
ABSTRACT
Alpine meadows constitute one of the major ecosystems on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, with livestock grazing exerting a considerable impact on their biodiversity. However, the degree to which plant diversity influences community stability under different grazing intensities remains unclear in this region. This study conducted controlled grazing experiments across four levels of grazing intensity (no-, low-, medium-, and high-grazing) based on herbage utilization rate to assess the influence of grazing intensities on plant community structure and diversity-stability relationships. We discovered that high-grazing reduced plant diversity and attenuated the temporal stability and resistance of above-ground biomass. No- and low-grazing could alleviate plant biomass loss, with community resistance being optimal under low-grazing. The direct effects of livestock grazing on temporal stability were found to be negligible. Plant characteristics and diversity accounted for a substantial proportion of livestock grazing effects on community resistance (R2 = 0.46), as revealed by piecewise structural equation model analysis. The presence of plant diversity enhances the resistance of alpine meadows against disturbance and accelerates the recovery after grazing. Our results suggest that low-grazing intensity may represent a judicious option for preserving species diversity and community stability on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Ecossistema
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Gado
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
China