Managed grassland alters soil N dynamics and N2O emissions in temperate steppe

Reclamation of degraded grasslands as managed grasslands has been increasingly accelerated in recent years in China. Land use change affects soil nitrogen(N) dynamics and nitrous oxide(N_2O) emissions. However, it remains unclear how large-scale grassland reclamation will impact the grassland ecosystem as a whole. Here, we investigated the effects of the conversion from native to managed grasslands on soil N dynamics and N_2O emissions by field experiments in Hulunber in northern China. Soil(0–10 cm), nitrate(NO_3~-),ammonium(NH_4~+), and microbial N were measured in plots in a temperate steppe(Leymus chinensis grassland) and two managed grasslands(Medicago sativa and Bromus inermis grasslands) in 2011 and 2012. The results showed conversion of L. chinensis grassland to M.sativa or B. inermis grasslands decreased concentrations of NO_3~–-N, but did not change NH_4~–N . Soil microbial N was slightly decreased by the conversion of L. chinensis grassland to M.sativa, but increased by the conversion to B. inermis. The conversion of L. chinensis grassland to M. sativa(i.e., a legume grass) increased N_2O emissions by 26.2%, while the conversion to the B. inermis(i.e., a non-legume grass) reduced N_2O emissions by 33.1%. The conversion from native to managed grasslands caused large created variations in soil NO?3~-+–N and NH_4~–N concentrations. Net N mineralization rates did not change significantly in growing season or vegetation type, but to net nitrification rate. These results provide evidence on how reclamation may impact the grassland ecosystem in terms of N dynamics and N_2O emissions.     

中国松嫩草原羊草植硅体对全球变暖和氮沉降模拟的响应研究

在松嫩草原应用红外线增温和人工施氮的方法对羊草群落模拟全球变暖和氮沉降,提取羊草中的植硅体,分析探讨植硅体的形态及数量变化规律.羊草中的植硅体可以划分为4个大类和12个亚类,以及较小的植硅体碎片,其中帽型植硅体含量高达70%.尖顶帽型和平顶帽型植硅体与刺帽型植硅体可能有不同的发育机制,并且尖型植硅体对施氮更为敏感;与对照相比,增温处理对羊草植硅体的发育有促进作用(长宽增加0.1～2.6μm),而施氮处理则有一定的抑制作用(长宽减小0.1～1.4μm),增温和施氮交叉作用,则施氮对羊草植硅体发育表现出的抑制作用明显减弱;施氮处理中出现其他处理中未见到的空心棒型(占棒型总量的46%),而且除棒型、帽型、尖型以外的植硅体含量增加到10%,从而推测,对于以羊草为优势植物的松嫩草原,施氮的影响可能要强于增温,如果两者同时作用,增温能在一定程度上缓解施氮的影响.实验中的羊草植硅体对模拟全球变化很敏感,说明植硅体对环境因子的改变很敏感,其作为古环境的代用指标应是可靠的.     

Emission characteristics of carbon dioxide in the semiarid Stipa grandis steppe in Inner Mongolia, China

Introduction The emission and absorption of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) etc. by soil is one of the hot topics on global change research, more and more attention has been paid to the flux measurement…     

The threat of abandonment in socio-ecological landscapes: Farmers’ motivations and perspectives on high nature value grassland conservation

Future sustainability of the conservation management of socio-ecological landscapes is typically reliant on on-going agricultural management. Such management may be threatened by changes in the drivers of management and the fragility of the stakeholder networks that deliver management. This study examined evidence for the risk of abandonment in a series of case study high nature value (HNV) grassland sites. The work found that the motivation of farmers to participate in the conservation management was typically limited and often marginal. Landowners and conservation stakeholders who relied on partner farmers to manage such sites often struggled to recruit and retain their participation, leading to increased turnover among managing farmers and to some sites being under-managed. Primary reasons for difficulty of recruitment and farmer turnover included a lack of candidate farmers in the local landscape, and the marginal and fluctuating economics of grassland management. A trend towards greater financial incentivisation of farmers was evident, which policy-makers responsible for agri-environment schemes should note, and elsewhere some conservation organisations were seen to be bringing grassland management in-house. Farmers’ motivations to participate in conservation management of such systems may continue to weaken and abandonment may therefore become a significant risk to the successful conservation of such systems. Conservation stakeholders need to foster good relations with their farmer-manager partners and not further depress their limited motivations to participate, as well as consider carefully whether farmer stakeholders are being adequately compensated for their efforts.     

Land Management in the American Southwest: A State-and-Transition Approach to Ecosystem Complexity

State-and-transition models are increasingly being used to guide rangeland management. These models provide a relatively simple, management-oriented way to classify land condition (state) and to describe the factors that might cause a shift to another state (a transition). There are many formulations of state-and-transition models in the literature. The version we endorse does not adhere to any particular generalities about ecosystem dynamics, but it includes consideration of several kinds of dynamics and management response to them. In contrast to previous uses of state-and-transition models, we propose that models can, at present, be most effectively used to specify and qualitatively compare the relative benefits and potential risks of different management actions (e.g., fire and grazing) and other factors (e.g., invasive species and climate change) on specified areas of land. High spatial and temporal variability and complex interactions preclude the meaningful use of general quantitative models. Forecasts can be made on a case-by-case basis by interpreting qualitative and quantitative indicators, historical data, and spatially structured monitoring data based on conceptual models. We illustrate how science- based conceptual models are created using several rangeland examples that vary in complexity. In doing so, we illustrate the implications of designating plant communities and states in models, accounting for varying scales of pattern in vegetation and soils, interpreting the presence of plant communities on different soils and dealing with our uncertainty about how those communities were assembled and how they will change in the future. We conclude with observations about how models have helped to improve management decision-making.     

新疆草地退化及其治理

草地退化是新疆草地面临的突出问题。在分析新疆草地生态环境退化现状的基础上，提出了治理对策，指出只有合理的开发利用草地资源，才能使新疆的草地资源优势真正转化为经济优势，实现新疆畜牧业的可持续发展。     

新疆草地生态价值及其可持续开发利用初探

草地是新疆农业自然资源的重要组成部分,是发展草地畜牧业的重要基础,通过对新疆草地特点阐述以及对草地生态价值的量化研究,本文在新疆草地开发利用现状的基础上,针对新疆14个主要草地区提出了草地开发利用的具体措施。     

ELEVATED ATMOSPHERIC CO2 INCREASES WATER AVAILABILITY IN A WATER-LIMITED GRASSLAND ECOSYSTEM1

ABSTRACT: Californian annual grassland on sandstone (moderately fertile) and serpentine (very infertile) soils at the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, Stanford, California, were exposed to ambient or elevated (ambient + 36 Pa CO₂) atmospheric CO₂ in open-top chambers since December 1991. We measured ecosystem evapotranspiration with open gas-exchange systems, and soil moisture with time-domain reflectometry (TDR) over 0–15 cm (serpentine) and 0–30 cm (sandstone) depths, at times of peak above ground physiological activity. Evapotranspiration decreased by 12 to 63 percent under elevated CO₂ in three consecutive years in the sandstone ecosystem (p = 0.053, p = 0.162, p = 0.082 in 1992, 1993, and 1994, respectively). In correspondence with decreased evapotranspiration, late-season soil moisture reserves in the sandstone were extended temporally by 10 ± 3 days in 1993 and by 28 ± 11 days in 1994. The effect of elevated CO₂ on soil moisture was greater in the drier spring of 1994 (419 mm annual rainfall) than in 1993 (905 mm annual rainfall). In the serpentine ecosystem, evapotranspiration and soil moisture reserves were not clearly affected by elevated CO₂. Soil water may be conserved in drought-affected ecosystems exposed to elevated CO₂, but the amount of conservation appears to depend on the relative importance of transpiration and soil evaporation in controlling water flux.     

草原火险等级预报研究

我国草原主要分布在北方干旱、半干旱地区,频繁发生的草原火灾给畜牧业生产、人民生活及草地生态系统带来了巨大的损失,还可能引起森林火灾,使损失进一步扩大.草原火险等级预报技术可以预测和预报草原火灾的发生和发展,大大减少火灾的发生次数和带来的损失.根据我国北方草原生态和环境特点,综合影响草原火灾发生和发展的因子,选择温度、相对湿度、风速、降水量、枯草率、可燃物干重和草地连续度共7个基本指标构造了基于遥感的草原火险指数.根据计算得到的草原火险指数,将研究区域的火险状态划分为低、中、高和极高4个等级,用来预测草原火灾发生的可能性、扩展速度和扑灭难度.草原火险等级预报可以为草原火灾管理者提供有力的管理工具.     

西藏才曲塘草地畜牧业的生态旅游景观规划

才曲塘草地畜牧业科技示范区位于西藏自治区那曲镇,目的是通过采用农牧业高新技术,提高农牧业综合开发的经济效益、社会效益和生态效益,其中发展生态旅游是示范区主要开发方向和目标之一.利用景观生态学理论,分析了才曲塘生态旅游景观的形成条件、景观要素、景观结构特点,对进行了生态旅游景观的功能区划分;提出可以通过才曲塘的规划和建设,探索与自然生态环境协调的草地畜牧业景观结构,充分发挥畜牧业发展和生态旅游的功能,对高寒地区草地畜牧业综合开发起示范作用.