Effects of grazing on ecological stoichiometry of soil and dominant plants in desert grassland

doi:10.11686/cyxb2018039

Abstract

Abstract: To determine the effect of grazing intensity on ecological stoichiometry characteristics, we evaluated the carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) contents in soil and dominant plants in desert grassland of Ningxia under different grazing intensities. The results showed that the C content and ratios of C∶N and C∶P in soil decreased with increasing grazing intensity, while the P content increased, and the N content and N∶P ratio decreased after an initial increase. The N contents in different dominant plants showed different responses to grazing intensity. The N contents in Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Oxytropis racemosa, Ixeris chinensis, and Cynanchum komarovii were significantly lower under moderate and heavy grazing intensities than under light grazing intensity and no grazing. The N contents in Lespedeza potaninii, Stipa breviflora, Pennisetum centrasiaticum, Oxytropis aciphylla, Corispermum hyssopifolium, Salsola collina, Euphorbia esula, and Peganum harmala were significantly higher under moderate and heavy grazing intensities than under light grazing intensity and no grazing. These results indicated that an appropriate grazing intensity could significantly increase the N content of some species. The trends in C∶N and C∶P ratios in the 13 dominant plants were opposite to the trends in N and P contents under different grazing intensities, and the effect of grazing on the N∶P ratio differed among the different dominant plant species. The P content and C∶P ratio of dominant plants were significantly positively correlated with the P content and C∶P ratio of soil, but there was no correlation between the C and N contents and the C∶N and N∶P ratios in dominant plants and those in soil. These findings indicated that the stoichiometric characteristics of plants were affected by the genetic characteristics of plants, and not directly determined by soil nutrient contents. This helps to explain why dominant plants have a relatively stable ability to adapt the extreme environment in desert grassland.

Key words: grazing, ecological stoichiometry, soil, desert grassland

AN Yu, AN Hui, LI Sheng-bing. Effects of grazing on ecological stoichiometry of soil and dominant plants in desert grassland[J]. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 2018, 27(12): 94-102.

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