Response of CO2 exchanges to short-term grazing by Euler’s sheep in an alpine meadow in the peak of the growing season

doi:10.11686/cyxb2016168

Abstract

Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of grazing on ecosystem respiration and productivity in a meadow grassland on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. We used an LI-8150 Automated Soil CO₂ Flux System and a LED light system to simulate maximum photosynthetic active radiation, and measured ecosystem respiration (Re) and potential net ecosystem productivity (NEP_pot) under three grazing treatments (no grazing, light, and heavy grazing) in a meadow grassland of Maqu County, Gansu Province, on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in August 2014. The results can be summarized as follows: 1) The diurnal NEP_pot peaked at noon in all three treatments, and increased with decreasing grazing intensity (P>0.05). The Re and potential gross primary productivity (GPP_pot) showed similar patterns; 2) The NEP_pot, Re, and GPP_pot decreased from early to middle to late August under all of the different grazing rates during the study period; 3) The aboveground biomass in the light and heavy grazing treatments was significantly reduced by 24.88% and 47.69%, respectively, as compared with the no-grazing treatment in late August; 4) Aboveground biomass was more sensitive to grazing than were GPP_pot, NEP_pot, and Re (P<0.001). NEP_pot, Re, and GPP_pot were significantly positively correlated with average temperature (P<0.001) and significantly negatively correlated with soil moisture at 5 cm depth (P<0.001). Consequently, the NEP_pot, Re, and GPP_pot gradually decreased with increasing grazing intensity and decreasing aboveground biomass.

LI Ya-Ting, YI Shu-Hua, HOU Fu-Jiang, CHANG Sheng-Hua, WANG Zhao-Feng, QIN Yu, CHEN Jian-Jun. Response of CO₂ exchanges to short-term grazing by Euler’s sheep in an alpine meadow in the peak of the growing season[J]. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 2017, 26(4): 24-32.

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Response of CO₂ exchanges to short-term grazing by Euler’s sheep in an alpine meadow in the peak of the growing season

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