Carbon in Chinese grasslands : meta-analysis and theory of grazing effects
Deng, Lei (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation)
Shangguan, Zhouping (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation)
Bell, Stephen Mackenzie (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Soromotin, Andrey V. (Tyumen State University. Research Institute of Ecology and Natural Resources Management)
Peng, Changhui (Université du Québec à Montréal. Département des Sciences Biologiques)
An, Shaoshan (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation)
Wu, Xing (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences)
Xu, Xingliang (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research)
Wang, Kaibo (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Earth Environment)
Li, Jianping (Ningxia University)
Tang, Zhuangsheng (Gansu Agricultural University)
Yan, Weiming (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation)
Zhang, Fengbao (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation)
Li, Jiwei (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation)
Wu, Jianzhao (Northwest A&F University. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation)
Kuzyakov, Yakov (Peoples Friendship University of Russia)

Data:	2023
Resum:	Globally, livestock grazing is an important management factor influencing soil degradation, soil health and carbon (C) stocks of grassland ecosystems. However, the effects of grassland types, grazing intensity and grazing duration on C stocks are unclear across large geographic scales. To provide a more comprehensive assessment of how grazing drives ecosystem C stocks in grasslands, we compiled and analyzed data from 306 studies featuring four grassland types across China: desert steppes, typical steppes, meadow steppes and alpine steppes. Light grazing was the best management practice for desert steppes (< 2 sheep ha−1) and typical steppes (3 to 4 sheep ha−1), whereas medium grazing pressure was optimal for meadow steppes (5 to 6 sheep ha−1) and alpine steppes (7 to 8 sheep ha−1) leading to the highest ecosystem C stocks under grazing. Plant biomass (desert steppes) and soil C stocks (meadow steppes) increased under light or medium grazing, confirming the 'intermediate disturbance hypothesis'. Heavy grazing decreased all C stocks regardless of grassland ecosystem types, approximately 1. 4 Mg ha−1 per year for the whole ecosystem. The regrowth and regeneration of grasslands in response to grazing intensity (i. e. , grazing optimization) depended on grassland types and grazing duration. In conclusion, grassland grazing is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, proper management (light or medium grazing) can maintain and even increase C stocks above- and belowground, and increase the harvested livestock products from grasslands. On the other hand, human-induced overgrazing can lead to rapid degradation of vegetation and soils, resulting in significant carbon loss and requiring long-term recovery. Grazing regimes (i. e. , intensity and duration applied) must consider specific grassland characteristics to ensure stable productivity rates and optimal impacts on ecosystem C stocks.
Nota:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M
Drets:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Matèria:	Carbon dynamics ; Grassland ; Grazing duration ; Grazing intensity ; Land use change ; Overgrazing ; Plant and soil ; SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being ; SDG 15 - Life on Land
Publicat a:	Carbon Research, Vol. 2, Issue 1 (December 2023) , art. 19, ISSN 2731-6696

DOI: 10.1007/s44246-023-00051-7

17 p, 5.7 MB

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