Journal
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
Volume 8, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00066
Keywords
community composition; community structure; grazing exclusion; Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau; spatial heterogeneity
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Funding
- National Key Research and Development Program of China [2019YFC0507704, 2017YF0503906]
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [31700374]
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [lzujbky-2018-ct02, lzujbky-2019-76]
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Extensive grazing activity is threatening the alpine grassland of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Evidence has shown that grazing exclusion may change the composition, structure, and functions of grassland ecosystems. However, such effects depend on the intensity and duration of exclusion. We explored the effects of short-term (2 and 4 years) and long-term (9 and 11 years) grazing exclusion on plant height, coverage, and diversity and community heterogeneity in the alpine grassland of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. We found no difference in plant diversity between short-term grazing exclusion and control. However, long-term grazing exclusion reduced species richness and increased the Simpson dominance index. This decrease in plant species richness was mainly attributable to the decrease in common species richness (defined as species with a relative coverage of 1 similar to 5%). In addition, community heterogeneity (coefficient of variation, CV) was significantly higher in long-term grazing exclusion than in controlled plots. Structural equation modeling (SEM) demonstrated that long-term grazing exclusion increased the community heterogeneity mainly by reducing species diversity. These results suggest that the effects of grazing exclusion on the composition, structure, and community spatial heterogeneity of the alpine grassland ecosystem are dependent on exclusion duration. Grazing activity may maintain the high biodiversity and community stability of the alpine grassland in the harsh environment of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.
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