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1
Su, Chen Xia, Yuan Ting Mi, Duo Wang, Qing Shan Zhao, Jun Jie Duan, and Bao Ling Mei. "Research Progress on Exchanging Fluxes of Greenhouse Gases from Artificial Grassland." Advanced Materials Research 726-731 (August 2013): 4131–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.726-731.4131.
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At present, in order to improve the yield of grasslands, artificial grasslands are largely constructed, which has a great significance to improve the ecological environment. The researches on greenhouse gases (Carbon Dioxide, Methane and Nitrous Oxide) fluxes of artificial grassland are lacking and the exchange of fluxes has a great impact on global greenhouse gases balance. We summarize the researching progress on greenhouse gases exchanging fluxes from artificial grassland, and we analyze the similarities and differences of greenhouse gases exchanging fluxes between artificial grasslands and natural grasslands by the way of comparisons.
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Nerlekar, Ashish N., and Joseph W. Veldman. "High plant diversity and slow assembly of old-growth grasslands." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no. 31 (July 16, 2020): 18550–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1922266117.
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Earth’s ancient grasslands and savannas—hereafter old-growth grasslands—have long been viewed by scientists and environmental policymakers as early successional plant communities of low conservation value. Challenging this view, emerging research suggests that old-growth grasslands support substantial biodiversity and are slow to recover if destroyed by human land uses (e.g., tillage agriculture, plantation forestry). But despite growing interest in grassland conservation, there has been no global test of whether old-growth grasslands support greater plant species diversity than secondary grasslands (i.e., herbaceous communities that assemble after destruction of old-growth grasslands). Our synthesis of 31 studies, including 92 timepoints on six continents, found that secondary grasslands supported 37% fewer plant species than old-growth grasslands (log response ratio = −0.46) and that secondary grasslands typically require at least a century, and more often millennia (projected mean 1,400 y), to recover their former richness. Young (<29 y) secondary grasslands were composed of weedy species, and even as their richness increased over decades to centuries, secondary grasslands were still missing characteristic old-growth grassland species (e.g., long-lived perennials). In light of these results, the view that all grasslands are weedy communities, trapped by fire and large herbivores in a state of arrested succession, is untenable. Moving forward, we suggest that ecologists should explicitly consider grassland assembly time and endogenous disturbance regimes in studies of plant community structure and function. We encourage environmental policymakers to prioritize old-growth grassland conservation and work to elevate the status of old-growth grasslands, alongside old-growth forests, in the public consciousness.
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Reinermann, Sophie, Sarah Asam, and Claudia Kuenzer. "Remote Sensing of Grassland Production and Management—A Review." Remote Sensing 12, no. 12 (June 17, 2020): 1949. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs12121949.
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Grasslands cover one third of the earth’s terrestrial surface and are mainly used for livestock production. The usage type, use intensity and condition of grasslands are often unclear. Remote sensing enables the analysis of grassland production and management on large spatial scales and with high temporal resolution. Despite growing numbers of studies in the field, remote sensing applications in grassland biomes are underrepresented in literature and less streamlined compared to other vegetation types. By reviewing articles within research on satellite-based remote sensing of grassland production traits and management, we describe and evaluate methods and results and reveal spatial and temporal patterns of existing work. In addition, we highlight research gaps and suggest research opportunities. The focus is on managed grasslands and pastures and special emphasize is given to the assessment of studies on grazing intensity and mowing detection based on earth observation data. Grazing and mowing highly influence the production and ecology of grassland and are major grassland management types. In total, 253 research articles were reviewed. The majority of these studies focused on grassland production traits and only 80 articles were about grassland management and use intensity. While the remote sensing-based analysis of grassland production heavily relied on empirical relationships between ground-truth and satellite data or radiation transfer models, the used methods to detect and investigate grassland management differed. In addition, this review identified that studies on grassland production traits with satellite data often lacked including spatial management information into the analyses. Studies focusing on grassland management and use intensity mostly investigated rather small study areas with homogeneous intensity levels among the grassland parcels. Combining grassland production estimations with management information, while accounting for the variability among grasslands, is recommended to facilitate the development of large-scale continuous monitoring and remote sensing grassland products, which have been rare thus far.
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HELDEN, ALVIN J., GEOFFREY J. MORLEY, GABRIELLE L. DAVIDSON, and EDGAR C. TURNER. "What can WE do for urban insect biodiversity? Applying lessons from ecological research." Zoosymposia 12, no. 1 (March 25, 2018): 51–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zoosymposia.12.1.6.
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Urban ecosystems are not unique, as the ecological processes and anthropological effects they encapsulate can equally be found in a range of human dominated environments. Applying ecological lessons from both within and outside urban areas is important for insect conservation within our expanding towns and cities. The management of urban grasslands, which in many cases is controlled by private individual and corporate landowners, has the potential to make a large difference to the biodiversity they support. Here we report on an investigation of invertebrate biodiversity within a series of small urban grasslands with contrasting frequency of management by mowing. Seven gardens and five other grassland areas were suction sampled for grassland invertebrates in July 2016. Samples were taken in patches that were regularly cut on a 7-14 day cycle (very short), those cut every six weeks (short) and those than had not been cut since the previous year (long). Invertebrates were mostly identified to order level, with the Hemiptera to species or morphospecies. Invertebrate abundance was significantly inversely related to mowing frequency but overall species richness did not differ between short and very short grasslands. Community structure also was most distinct in the long grasslands. The pattern of abundance varied between different taxonomic groups, with the Hemiptera particularly benefiting from very low levels of management. The value to invertebrates, especially Hemiptera, of reduced grassland management is discussed, with reference to how the owners of gardens and other urban grassy areas can make simple changes to benefit biodiversity on their land
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Kang, Le, Xingguo Han, Zhibin Zhang, and Osbert Jianxin Sun. "Grassland ecosystems in China: review of current knowledge and research advancement." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 362, no. 1482 (February 22, 2007): 997–1008. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2007.2029.
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Grasslands are the dominant landscape in China, accounting for 40% of the national land area. Research concerning China's grassland ecosystems can be chronologically summarized into four periods: (i) pre-1950s, preliminary research and survey of grassland vegetation and plant species by Russians, Japanese and Western Europeans, (ii) 1950–1975, exploration and survey of vegetation, soils and topography as part of natural resource inventory programmes by regional and national institutions mainly led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, (iii) 1976–1995, establishment of field stations for long-term ecological monitoring and studies of ecosystem processes, (iv) 1996–present, comprehensive studies of community dynamics and ecosystem function integrating multi-scale and multidisciplinary approaches and experimental manipulations. Major findings of scientific significance in China's grassland ecosystem research include: (i) improved knowledge on succession and biogeochemistry of the semi-arid and temperate grassland ecosystems, (ii) elucidation of life-history strategies and diapause characteristics of the native grasshopper species as one of the key grassland pests, and (iii) development of effective management strategies for controlling rodent pests in grassland ecosystems. Opportunities exist for using the natural grasslands in northern China as a model system to test ecosystem theories that so far have proven a challenge to ecologists worldwide.
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Zhang, Fan Fan, Lei Yu, Chun Hui Ma, and Wei Hua Lu. "Research on Natural Mowing Steppe Resources Based on AHP in Shaertao Mountain, ZHAOSU Xinjiang." Advanced Materials Research 998-999 (July 2014): 1439–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.998-999.1439.
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Natural grass field is an important part of natural grasslands. This paper sets Xinjiang ZHAOSU County Shaertao Mountain natural grass field as an example, treats the eight factors index that can reflect the nature and economic characteristics of grassland resources of natural grass field as a basis, and gives the case of comprehensive evaluation on grassland resources of natural grass field by the AHP to provide a reference for other researchers.
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Chang, X. F., X. X. Zhu, S. P. Wang, S. J. Cui, C. Y. Luo, Z. H. Zhang, and A. Wilkes. "Impacts of management practices on soil organic carbon in degraded alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau." Biogeosciences 11, no. 13 (July 3, 2014): 3495–503. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-3495-2014.
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Abstract. Grassland soil organic carbon (SOC) is sensitive to anthropogenic activities. Increased anthropogenic disturbance related to overgrazing has led to widespread alpine grassland degradation on the Tibetan Plateau. The degraded grasslands are considered to have great potential for carbon sequestration after adoption of improved management practices. Here, we calibrated and employed the Century model to investigate the effects of overgrazing and improved managements on the SOC dynamics in alpine meadows. We calibrated the Century model against plant productivity at the Haibei Research Station. SOC stocks for validation were obtained in 2009–2010 from degraded alpine meadows in two communes. We found that Century model can successfully capture grassland SOC changes. Overall, our simulation suggests that degraded alpine meadow SOC significantly increased with the advent of restoration management from 2011 to 2030. Carbon sequestration rates ranged between 0.04 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 in lightly degraded winter grazing grasslands and 2.0 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 in moderately degraded summer grazing grasslands. Our modelling work also predicts that improve management in degraded Tibetan grasslands will contribute to an annual carbon sink of 0.022–0.059 Pg C yr−1. These results imply that restoration of degraded grasslands in the Tibetan Plateau has great potential for soil carbon sequestration to mitigate greenhouse gases.
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Chang, X. F., S. P. Wang, X. X. Zhu, S. J. Cui, C. Y. Luo, Z. H. Zhang, and A. Wilkes. "Impacts of management practices on soil organic carbon in degraded alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau." Biogeosciences Discussions 11, no. 1 (January 8, 2014): 417–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/bgd-11-417-2014.
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Abstract. Grassland soil organic carbon (SOC) is sensitive to anthropogenic activities. Increased anthropogenic disturbance related to overgrazing has led to widespread alpine grassland degradation on the Tibetan Plateau. The degraded grasslands are considered to have great potential for carbon sequestration after adoption of improved management practices. Here, we calibrated and employed the Century model to investigate the effects of overgrazing and improved managements on the SOC dynamics in alpine meadows. We calibrated Century model against plant productivity at Haibei Research Station. SOC stocks for validation were obtained in 2009–2010 from degraded alpine meadows in two communes. We found that Century model can successfully capture grassland SOC changes. Overall, our simulation suggests that degraded alpine meadow SOC significantly increased with the advent of restoration managements from 2011 to 2030. Carbon sequestration rates ranged between 0.04 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 in lightly degraded winter grasslands and 2.0 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 in moderately degraded summer grasslands. Our modeling work also predicts that improve management in Tibetan degraded grasslands will contribute to an annual carbon sink of 0.022–0.059 Pg C yr−1. These results imply that restoration of degraded grasslands in Tibetan Plateau has great potential for soil carbon sequestration to mitigate greenhouse gases.
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Acic, Svetlana, U. Silc, S. Vrbnicanin, Svjetlana Cupac, G. Topisirovic, N. Stavretovic, and Zora Dajic-Stevanovic. "Grassland communities of Stol mountain (eastern Serbia ): Vegetation and environment al relationships." Archives of Biological Sciences 65, no. 1 (2013): 211–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.2298/abs1301211a.
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The systematic survey of grassland communities was performed on Mt. Stol (eastern Serbia). The main aims of the research were to: (1) determine grassland vegetation types of the researched area; (2) correlate the impacts of the soil and environmental conditions on the occurrence of certain plant communities, and (3) comment on the conservational value of the grasslands in the researched area. The data set included 60 phytosociological relev?s of grasslands recorded between 2001 and 2004. The main environmental gradients of species composition were analyzed by Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA). For the ecological interpretation of ordination axes, ecological indicator values were used. Three associations were distinguished: Danthonietum calycinae, Asperulo-Agrostietum vulgaris and Ranunculo bulbosi- Arrhenatheretum elatioris belonging to two alliances and two classes: Chrysopogono-Danthonion - Festuco-Brometea and Arrhenatherion - Molinio-Arrhenatheretea. The results of the DCA support our assumption that the main environmental gradient in the species composition of the grasslands is related to nutrients and moisture. The conservational value of grasslands in the researched area is discussed.
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Floate, K. D., J. D. Shorthouse, D. J. Giberson, and H. A. Cárcamo. "Arthropods of Canadian grasslands: a retrospective of a 40-year project of the Biological Survey of Canada." Canadian Entomologist 149, no. 6 (September 27, 2017): 702–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.4039/tce.2017.46.
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AbstractThe Biological Survey of Canada initiated a project in 1979 to collect and synthesise information on the native arthropod fauna of the vanishing grassland habitats of Canada. At that time, it was thought that the Canadian arthropod fauna might comprise about 66 000 species. Recent studies suggest that the fauna may exceed 100 000 species, of which >25% may occur in the Prairies Ecozone. Results of this near 40-year project have been published in four volumes of the Arthropods of Canadian Grasslands monograph series of the Biological Survey of Canada. Here, the editors of this series review the grasslands project of the Biological Survey of Canada, summarise the contents of the volumes, and discuss current knowledge on the diversity of the grasslands arthropods of Canada. Whereas information on the species richness of some groups in the Prairies Ecozone is largely complete, information on the diversity of many other groups remains sparse. Reviewing the steps between initiation and publication of the Arthropods of Canadian Grasslands series may aid development of similar projects elsewhere. Identifying knowledge gaps will direct future research efforts. Identifying the diversity of grassland arthropods, their distribution and abundance, and the ecosystem services that they provide will facilitate efforts to conserve the remaining grassland habitats in Canada.
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Wu, Zhenhua, Shaogang Lei, Qingqing Lu, and Zhengfu Bian. "Impacts of Large-Scale Open-Pit Coal Base on the Landscape Ecological Health of Semi-Arid Grasslands." Remote Sensing 11, no. 15 (August 4, 2019): 1820. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs11151820.
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Coal is an important energy resource in the world, especially in China. Extensive coal exploitation seriously damaged the grassland and its fragile ecosystem. However, temporal and spatial impact laws of open-pit coal exploitation on Landscape Ecological Health (LEH) of semi-arid grasslands are still not clear. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to study impact of Large-scale Open-pit Coal Base (LOCB) on the LEH of semi-arid grasslands from the perspectives of temporal and spatial. Taking Shengli LOCB of Xilinguole grassland in Inner Mongolia as an example, we demonstrate a conceptual model of LOCB impact on LEH of semi-arid grasslands, and establish a research system called landscape Index-pattern Evolution-Driving force-Spatial statistics (IEDS). A complete process integrated from investigation, monitoring, and evaluation to the analysis of impact laws was developed. Result indicated that coal mining causes gradual increase of landscape patches, landscape fragmentation, gradual decline of landscape connectivity, complexity and irregularity of landscape shape, enhancement of landscape heterogeneity and complexity, gradual decline of landscape stability, gradual decrease of grassland landscape and annual increase of unhealthy grassland landscape. The LEH of grassland basically belongs to the state of slight deterioration. In the past 15 years, the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of LEH in the study area are similar. This study provides scientific reference for ecological disturbance research, environmental protection, landscape planning, restoration and renovation of ecological environment in mining areas. At the same time, future research should integrate geological, hydrological, soil, vegetation, microorganisms, animals, climate, and other perspectives to study the impact of mining on landscape ecology deeply.
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Zhang, Y. J., X. Q. Zhang, X. Y. Wang, N. Liu, and H. M. Kan. "Establishing the carrying capacity of the grasslands of China: a review." Rangeland Journal 36, no. 1 (2014): 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj13033.
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China is rich in grassland resources, with 400 × 106 ha of natural grasslands and 18 main types, mostly distributed in the north-east, north, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Xinjiang regions. Grassland-based livestock production is the foundation of the economy in these rural areas. Degradation of grassland has occurred to varying degrees in these regions. Mean overgrazing rates across the whole country were estimated to be ~30% in 2009. Considerable amounts of research have focussed, especially since 2000, on developing better ways of managing Chinese grasslands. Research concerning the relationship between forage production and animal performance, is reviewed for three important national grassland regions. For the three major grassland (steppes) types of Inner Mongolia, the stocking rates proposed as a result of research were 1.0–2.2 sheep units (SU) ha–1 for the western, drier Stipa breviflora desert steppe; 2.0–3.8 SU ha–1 for the steppe of Artemisia frigida and Stipa grandis; and 1.8–4.0 SU ha–1 for the eastern higher-rainfall Leymus chinensis meadow steppe in Hulunbeir. In the Qinghai-Tibetan alpine meadows, the stocking rate of grassland dominated by Edelweiss-Potentilla and Kobresia parva, proposed on the basis of research, was 1.0–5.8 SU ha–1. In Xinjiang’s desert steppe, the stocking rates of Seriphidium transiliense desert steppe were proposed on the basis of research were 1.2 SU ha–1 in spring and 1.8 SU ha–1 in autumn for non-degraded pasture, and 0.3 and 1.2 SU ha–1 for moderate-degraded pasture, respectively. These stocking rates were based on either annual net primary production or desired levels of livestock production and it is argued that there is a need to develop carrying capacities based on a wider range of sustainability criteria and with the most appropriate grazing systems.
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Kemp, David R., Karl Behrendt, Warwick B. Badgery, Guodong D. Han, Ping Li, Yingjun Zhang, Jianping Wu, and F. J. Hou. "Chinese degraded grasslands – pathways for sustainability." Rangeland Journal 42, no. 5 (2020): 339. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj20033.
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The 400m ha of grazing lands in China, mainly across the north and west of the country, have similar problems to those throughout the steppe of Mongolia, Central Asia and neighbouring countries. The grasslands are in drier regions (50–500mm) across mainly Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan, often at higher altitudes on the Tibetan, Mongolian and Loess Plateaus, and have for millennia supported the livelihoods of millions of herders. By 2002, surveys were classifying 90% of the grasslands as degraded. Less than 10% were considered desertified to the extent that replanting was the only option to restore some plant cover. The majority of the grasslands were considered capable of being rehabilitated to some degree through changing management practices. In the 1980s the first Grassland Laws were promulgated, initiating a series of programs aimed at rehabilitating the grasslands. These programs included the establishment of individual ‘user rights’ to herders to use a defined area of grassland and the imposition of grazing bans, often for five years, to rehabilitate degraded areas. These were often applied at a regional level. At the same time, herders were encouraged to have more livestock as that was seen as a pathway to lift them from poverty. The sheep equivalent of grazing animals for the whole of China, has increased 4-fold since 1949, often by greater amounts in some regions. But there was very limited work done on how best to manage grazing livestock in ways that could aid grassland rehabilitation. In the early 2000s a collaborative program was started between several Australian and Chinese Institutes, to investigate better ways of rehabilitating the grasslands and to improve herder incomes from livestock. This work involved the development of four models that could use the limited data available, to help guide a series of research programs. These models indicated that halving stocking rates could maintain or increase herder net incomes. Farm demonstrations showed this result applied in practice and grasslands did improve. A series of grazing experiments found that halving the current stocking rates was needed to enable the survival of the better plant species within the grassland. A model that estimated the net value of each animal indicated that often half the animals were generating marginal or negative incomes, and could be culled without affecting the household income, again substantiated in farm demonstrations. In this paper, the causes of degradation, which can be traced back to the progressive changes that have occurred in China since 1949, are discussed together with the practice changes that have come from a large collaborative research program between Australia and China. Efficient markets and land tenure reform are needed to help create the incentives for herders to change in sustainable ways.
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Novák, Ján, Juraj Hreško, and Ľuboš Vadel. "Evaluation of Mountain Pastures Quality Forming the Landscape Archetype in Western Carpathians." Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis 67, no. 1 (2019): 111–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.11118/actaun201967010111.
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The research of pastures influenced by Carpathian sheep milk farming as a typical archetype was conducted in study areas of the mountain even subalpine landscape in the forest zone of the Western Carpathians in the Slovak Republic. We have chosen 28 areas that have been effected by mountain sheep farming since the period of the Wallachian colonization. The research works were under way from 1998 to 2016. The pastures of observation were from 615 to 1 421 meters above sea level (m a.s.l.) in the areas of 1 398 ha in total that was of various exposition and inclination, from flat surface to steep hillsides with 28° slope. The studied pastures ranged from the species‑rich to species‑poor, from Festuca‑Agrostis grasslands through Nardo‑Agrostion tenuis alliance to Nardion. The number of plant species (from 18 to 48, average 33 at 1 m2) shows a rather varied composition of grasslands. There were only two study sites with higher dominance of Festuca rubra (51 % and 64 %) recorded. The quality of grassland depends on the floristic composition (cover in %) and forage value of the particular species. Evaluation of the grassland quality (EGQ) reached the average value 57.5 in the scale from 0 to 100. Value varied from least valuable grasslands with 40.1 points in two study plots to valuable grasslands with 69.4 points. Relations between selected environmental factors were analysed by means of redundancy analysis (RDA). Among the significant factors of environment, the impact on data set variability was the strongest by altitude (18.1 %), then by total precipitation in the vegetation period (5.6 %) and grassland quality EGQ (5.2 %).
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VIDICAN, Roxana, Lucien CARLIER, Ioan ROTAR, and Anamaria MĂLINAȘ. "Exploitation and Management of Low Input Grassland Systems." Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca. Agriculture 77, no. 1 (May 24, 2020): 49. http://dx.doi.org/10.15835/buasvmcn-agr:2019.0031.
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By this research the authors aimed to analyse the evolution and management of low-input grassland from a specific area in the Apuseni Mountains, in order to define what can be the result of a low input grassland system on the botanical composition of the grasslands and on the income of the farmers. In addition a full description of Flanders area with special attention to its grassland management is given, such that one can make a comparation between those two different cultures: the Province of East Flanders, Belgium and the area of Apuseni Mountains, Cluj County, Romania. Flanders (Belgium) and the area of Cluj County, Apuseni Mountains (Romania), are completely different not only in terms of their people with their own life-styles and culture, but also in terms of uses and management of arable land and grasslands.
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Zhu, Shou Lin, Chun Hua Qi, Ming Xing Gao, and Feng Yang. "Research on the Effect of Grassland Highway Curves on Driver’s HRV." Advanced Materials Research 779-780 (September 2013): 584–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.779-780.584.
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Improper design of grasslands highway curve is an important cause of accident, which research on is not mature. Drivers are the main body of grasslands highway traffic man-machine environment system. The paper aims at four sections of highway curve, using frequency domain analysis and grey correlation analysis method to study the relationship between driver’s HFnorm, LH/HF and the highway curves. Results indicate that it can not distinguish the effects of driver's sympathetic nerve, vagus nerve and the balance between them caused by different curves in statistical terms. In the monotonous landscape grasslands, increasing some curves of different radii appropriately in highway alignment design can relieve driver’s fatigue to a certain extent. Diversification of grasslands highway curve has a less influence on parasympathetic nerve of young drivers with long driving experience than that of old drivers with long driving experience. To ensure the driver’s autonomic nerve activity being at a reasonable state, it is more perfect to design grasslands highway horizontal and vertical curves combined with driver’s LF/HF indexes, and profile grade with driver’s HFnorm and LH/HF indexes. The results can offer part of theoretical support for thorough study on humanity of grasslands highway alignment.
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Bi, Xu, Bo Li, Lixin Zhang, Bo Nan, Xinshi Zhang, and Zihan Yang. "Response of grassland productivity to climate change and anthropogenic activities in arid regions of Central Asia." PeerJ 8 (August 31, 2020): e9797. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9797.
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Background Quantitative evaluations of the relative impacts of climate change and anthropogenic activity on grasslands are significant for understanding grassland degradation mechanisms and controlling degraded grasslands. However, our knowledge about the effects of anthropogenic activities and climate change on the grassland in a mountain basin system in arid regions of Central Asia is still subject to great uncertainties. Methods In this research, we have chosen the net primary productivity (NPP) as an index for revealing grassland dynamics processes. Moreover, the human appropriation of net primary production (NPPH), which was calculated as the potential NPP (NPPP) minus the actual NPP (NPPA), was applied to distinguish the relative influences of climate change and human activities on the grassland NPP variations in a mountain basin system of Central Asia from 2001–2015. Results The results indicated that the grassland NPPA showed an increasing trend (35.88%) that was smaller than the decreasing trend (64.12%). The respective contributions of human activity, climate change and the two together to the increase in the NPPA were 6.19%, 81.30% and 12.51%, respectively. Human activity was largely responsible for the decrease in the grassland NPPA, with the area experiencing human-induced decreases accounting for 98.21% of the total decreased area, which mainly occurred during spring/autumn pasture and winter pasture. Furthermore, the average grazing pressure index (GPI) values of summer pastures, spring/autumn pasture and winter pastures were 1.04, 3.03 and 1.83, respectively, from 2001–2015. In addition, negative correlations between the NPP and GPI occupied most of the research area (92.41%). Discussion Our results indicate that: (i) anthropogenic activities were the primary cause of the reduction in the grassland NPP, especially grazing activities. (ii) For areas where the grassland NPP has increased, precipitation was the dominant climatic factor over temperature in controlling the grassland NPP changes in the study area. (iii) The findings of the current research indicate that some measures should be taken to reduce livestock pressure, and artificial grasslands can be built along the Irtysh River and the Ulungur River to relieve grazing pressure on spring/autumn pastures and winter pastures. Our results could provide reliable information for grassland management and the prevention of grassland degradation in arid regions of Central Asia.
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Valkó, Orsolya, Michal Zmihorski, Idoia Biurrun, Jacqueline Loos, Rocco Labadessa, and Stephen Venn. "Ecology and Conservation of Steppes and Semi-Natural Grasslands." Hacquetia 15, no. 2 (December 1, 2016): 5–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/hacq-2016-0021.
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Abstract Palaearctic grasslands encompass a diverse variety of habitats, many of high nature value and vulnerability. The main challenges are climate-change, land-use change, agricultural intensification and abandonment. Many measures are in place to address these challenges, through restoration and appropriate management, though more work is necessary. We present eight studies from China/Germany, Greece, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine. The papers cover a wide range of grassland and steppe habitats and cover vegetation ecology, syntaxonomy and zoology. We also conducted a systematic search on steppe and grassland diversity. The greatest number of studies was from China, followed by Germany and England. We conclude that the amount of research being carried out on Eurasian grasslands is inadequate considering their high levels of biodiversity and vulnerability. We hope to encourage readers to address current major challenges, such as how to manage grasslands for the benefit of diverse taxa, to ensure that conservation initiatives concentrate on sites where there is good potential for success and for the generation of realistic and viable conservation strategies.
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Dwitri Malik, Annas, Maulida Isfahani Nurillah, Parikesit, Susanti Withaningsih, and Ratna Wingit. "Carbon Sequestration Potentials of Man-made Grasslands under Different Pattern of Plantation Stands in West Bandung Regency, Indonesia." E3S Web of Conferences 249 (2021): 03011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202124903011.
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Alternatives of vegetations to store carbon need to be encouraged considering that forests are threatened by widespread destructions. One such vegetation is grasslands which have the potential for carbon storage and to reduce CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. At present, many enterprises have designed grasslands for many purposes. Grasslands at Cikalong Wetan and Little Farmers, West Bandung Regency were established under different pattern of plantation stands. The purpose of this research was to study the potential of carbon stock in grassland vegetation at these locations. Based on RaCSA method, the tree biomass was determined by nondestructive collection of density and basal area of trees, then calculated by an allometric equation. The ground cover biomass was determined by destructive collection of grass and roots. Total measured biomass was multiplied by 46% to obtain carbon storage. Based on the results, the potential of carbon stock in Little Farmers grassland (159,540 ton ha-1) is higher than in Cikalong Wetan (14,482 ton ha-1). Carbon stored in tree biomass gives the highest contribution to overall carbon stock potential in Little Farmers (94.84%) while carbon stored in below-ground understorey biomass gives the highest contribution in Cikalong Wetan (52.13 %). Different management of grasslands and pattern of plantation stands resulting a different contribution of carbon stock in every carbon pool. In order to maintain the carbon sequestration potentials of these locations, an agroforestry management such as agri-silviculture need to be encouraged. This study gives a comparison of the carbon sequestration potentials between two man-made grassland ecosystems. For many enterprises this study will aid in a management planning of man-made grassland in terms of ecosystem services, that is carbon sequestration.
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Farrar, Alison, Dave Kendal, Kathryn J. H. Williams, and Ben J. Zeeman. "Social and Ecological Dimensions of Urban Conservation Grasslands and Their Management through Prescribed Burning and Woody Vegetation Removal." Sustainability 12, no. 8 (April 24, 2020): 3461. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12083461.
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Natural grasslands are threatened globally. In south-eastern Australia, remnants of critically endangered natural grasslands are increasingly being isolated in urban areas. Urbanisation has led to reduced fire frequency and woody plant encroachment in some patches. Grasslands are currently being managed under the assumption that desirable management actions to address these threats (prescribed burning and removing woody vegetation) (1) lead to improved conservation outcomes and (2) are restricted by negative public attitudes. In this study, we tested these two assumptions in the context of native grassland conservation reserves in Melbourne, Australia. Firstly, we investigated differences in species and functional trait composition between patches that had been recently burnt, patches that were unburnt and patches subject to woody vegetation encroachment. We found that the functional traits of species converged in areas subject to woody plant encroachment and areas frequently disturbed by fire. Burning promoted native species, and patches of woody plants supressed the dominant grass, providing a wider range of habitat conditions. Secondly, we surveyed 477 residents living adjacent to these grassland conservation reserves to measure values, beliefs and attitudes and the acceptance of prescribed burning and removing woody vegetation. We found conflict in people’s attitudes to grasslands, with both strongly positive and strongly negative attitudes expressed. The majority of residents found prescribed burning an acceptable management practice (contrary to expectations) and removing trees and shrubs from grasslands to be unacceptable. Both cognitive factors (values and beliefs) and landscape features were important in influencing these opinions. This research provides some guidance for managing urban grassland reserves as a social–ecological system, showing that ecological management, community education and engagement and landscape design features can be integrated to influence social and ecological outcomes.
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Schellberg, J., and E. Verbruggen. "Frontiers and perspectives on research strategies in grassland technology." Crop and Pasture Science 65, no. 6 (2014): 508. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/cp13429.
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Grassland scientists and farmers are increasingly faced with emerging new technologies and information systems that have been primarily developed in engineering sciences, in particular, precision agriculture, remote sensing, geographic information and biotechnology. Judgment upon whether the implementation of any of these technologies may be beneficial in economic and ecological respects is challenging, especially to those who have to make on-farm decisions. New technologies have been applied on grassland only partially and with some delay compared with arable land. However, as we will show here, there is scope for successful implementation of new technologies in various climatic regions and for a wide range of applications. The paper presents the most important recent developments of new technologies in agriculture that have scope for application in grasslands. It defines the relevant terms and processes, provides examples of successful implementation, and discusses future directions and research needs.
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Masters, Robert A., Scott J. Nissen, Roch E. Gaussoin, Daniel D. Beran, and Robert N. Stougaard. "Imidazolinone Herbicides Improve Restoration of Great Plains Grasslands." Weed Technology 10, no. 2 (June 1996): 392–403. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0890037x00040148.
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The productivity and native species diversity of Great Plains grasslands have been substantially reduced by past management that facilitated the establishment of invasive exotic weeds and displacement of native species. Management strategies are needed to rapidly restore the productive capacity and biological diversity of these degraded grasslands. Critically important phases of the grassland restoration process are the reintroduction and establishment of native species. Weed interference is the primary constraint to successful establishment of native plants. The goal of our research is to develop strategies that use multiple technologies, including herbicides, to expedite grassland revegetation with native grasses and forbs. Imidazolinone herbicides (AC 263,333, imazapyr, and imazethapyr) were used successfully to improve establishment of native perennial grasses (big bluestem, switchgrass, little bluestem) and selected forbs (blackeyed-susan, purple prairieclover, Illinois bundleflower, trailing crownvetch, and upright prairie coneflower) on cropland and as components of a strategy to revegetate leafy spurge-infested rangeland with native tallgrasses. Imazethapyr at 70 or 110 g ai/ha applied at planting resulted in stands of big bluestem and little bluestem that were similar or superior to stands established where atrazine was applied. Seedling grasses were susceptible to imazapyr at two of three study sites. Imazapyr at 560 g ai/ha plus sulfometuron at 100 g ai/ha applied in fall was the optimum treatment for suppression of leafy spurge and exotic cool-season grasses and establishment of big bluestem and switchgrass on degraded rangeland sites. Establishment of selected forbs was improved by PRE treatment with AC 263,222 or imazethapyr at 70 g ai/ha. This research provides evidence that the imidazolinone herbicides can be important components of integrated weed management strategies designed to reverse deterioration of grasslands by reestablishing native species, improving grassland productivity, and decreasing the prevalence of exotic weeds.
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Imran, Hafiz Ali, Damiano Gianelle, Michele Scotton, Duccio Rocchini, Michele Dalponte, Stefano Macolino, Karolina Sakowska, Cristina Pornaro, and Loris Vescovo. "Potential and Limitations of Grasslands α-Diversity Prediction Using Fine-Scale Hyperspectral Imagery." Remote Sensing 13, no. 14 (July 6, 2021): 2649. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs13142649.
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Plant biodiversity is an important feature of grassland ecosystems, as it is related to the provision of many ecosystem services crucial for the human economy and well-being. Given the importance of grasslands, research has been carried out in recent years on the potential to monitor them with novel remote sensing techniques. In this study, the optical diversity (also called spectral diversity) approach was adopted to check the potential of using high-resolution hyperspectral images to estimate α-diversity in grassland ecosystems. In 2018 and 2019, grassland species composition was surveyed and canopy hyperspectral data were acquired at two grassland sites: Monte Bondone (IT-MBo; species-rich semi-natural grasslands) and an experimental farm of the University of Padova, Legnaro, Padua, Italy (IT-PD; artificially established grassland plots with a species-poor mixture). The relationship between biodiversity (species richness, Shannon’s, species evenness, and Simpson’s indices) and optical diversity metrics (coefficient of variation-CV and standard deviation-SD) was not consistent across the investigated grassland plant communities. Species richness could be estimated by optical diversity metrics with an R = 0.87 at the IT-PD species-poor site. In the more complex and species-rich grasslands at IT-MBo, the estimation of biodiversity indices was more difficult and the optical diversity metrics failed to estimate biodiversity as accurately as in IT-PD probably due to the higher number of species and the strong canopy spatial heterogeneity. Therefore, the results of the study confirmed the ability of spectral proxies to detect grassland α-diversity in man-made grassland ecosystems but highlighted the limitations of the spectral diversity approach to estimate biodiversity when natural grasslands are observed. Nevertheless, at IT-MBo, the optical diversity metric SD calculated from post-processed hyperspectral images and transformed spectra showed, in the red part of the spectrum, a significant correlation (up to R = 0.56, p = 0.004) with biodiversity indices. Spatial resampling highlighted that for the IT-PD sward the optimal optical pixel size was 1 cm, while for the IT-MBo natural grassland it was 1 mm. The random pixel extraction did not improve the performance of the optical diversity metrics at both study sites. Further research is needed to fully understand the links between α-diversity and spectral and biochemical heterogeneity in complex heterogeneous ecosystems, and to assess whether the optical diversity approach can be adopted at the spatial scale to detect β-diversity. Such insights will provide more robust information on the mechanisms linking grassland diversity and optical heterogeneity.
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Yang, Yanlin, Jinliang Wang, Yun Chen, Feng Cheng, Guangjie Liu, and Zenghong He. "Remote-Sensing Monitoring of Grassland Degradation Based on the GDI in Shangri-La, China." Remote Sensing 11, no. 24 (December 16, 2019): 3030. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs11243030.
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Grassland resources are important land resources. However, grassland degradation has become evident in recent years, which has reduced the function of soil and water conservation and restricted the development of animal husbandry. Timely and accurate monitoring of grassland changes and understanding the degree of degradation are the foundation for the scientific use of grasslands. The grassland degradation index of ground comprehensive evaluation (grassland degradation index, GDIg) is a digital expression of grassland growth that can accurately indicate the degradation of grasslands. In this research, the accuracy of GDIg in evaluating grassland degradation is discussed; the typical areas of grassland degradation in Shangri-La City, i.e., the towns of Jiantang and Xiaozhongdian, are selected as the research area. Through a field survey and spectroscopy combined with Huanjing-1 (HJ-1) satellite image data, grassland degradation was monitored in the study area from 2008 to 2017. The results show that: (1) GDIg based on six indicators, namely, above-ground biomass, cover level, height, biomass of edible herbage, biomass of toxic weeds, and species richness, can effectively indicate grassland degradation, with the accuracy of the degradation grade assessment reaching 98.6%. (2) The correlation between the GDIg and the grey values of 4 wavebands and 7 types of vegetation indexes derived from the HJ-1 is analysed, and the degraded grassland inversion model was built and revised based on HJ-1 data. The grassland degradation evaluation index of remote sensing (GDIrs) model indicates that grassland degradation is proportional to the ratio vegetation index (RVI). (3) The grassland area was 405.40 km2 in the initial monitoring period, accounting for 17.26% of the study area, while at the end of the monitoring period, the area was 338.87 km2, with a loss of 66.53 km2. From 2008 to 2017, the area of non-degraded and slightly degraded grassland in the study area presented a downward trend, with decreases of 59.87 km2 and 49.93 km2, respectively. In contrast, the area of moderately degraded grassland increased by 41.17 km2 from 91.58 km2 in 2008 to 132.74 km2 in 2017, accounting for 39.17% of the grassland. The area of severely degraded grassland was 78.32 km2, accounting for 23.11% of the grassland in 2017. (4) The degraded grasslands in the study area mainly transformed into the degradation-enhanced (deterioration) type. As the transformation rate gradually slows down, the current situation of grassland degradation is not hopeful.
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Klimantová, Alexandra. "Ecological Evaluation of Grassland Vegetation in Hodrušská Hornatina Highland." Ekológia (Bratislava) 39, no. 3 (September 1, 2020): 236–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/eko-2020-0018.
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AbstractIn the submitted paper, we have analysed the results of a systematic survey of grassland communities, performed in Hodrušská hornatina highland, in Štiavnické vrchy mountains. The main aims of the research were: i) syntaxonomical classification of grassland vegetation; ii) analysis of the main ecological gradients in species composition; iii) evaluation of the influence of environmental factors on species composition of grasslands. The dataset included 153 phytosociological relevés recorded on grasslands. Grassland communities were classified within five associations: Holcetum lanati, Pastinaco sativae-Arrhenatheretum elatioris, Alchemillo-Arrhenatheretum elatioris, Anthoxantho odorati-Agrostietum tenuis, Onobrychido viciifoliae-Brometum erecti; and the successional and transitional stages belonging to alliances Arrhenatherion elatioris and Bromion erecti. The results of the Detrended Correspondence Analysis support our assumption that the main environmental gradient in species composition on grassland is related to moisture. The results of the Redundancy Analysis show that all used environmental variables explained 3.4% of the variability of the species data. The most important factors affecting the species composition were altitude, slope, distance from settlements, and management.
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VAIDA, Ioana, Ioan ROTAR, and Florin PACURAR. "The Cumulative Effect of Manure on a Festuca Rubra Grasslands for 15 Years." Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca. Agriculture 74, no. 2 (November 26, 2017): 126. http://dx.doi.org/10.15835/buasvmcn-agr:0015.
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Over time, studies of the vegetation of natural grasslands have evolved from simple observations to rigorous research. Feed obtained from natural meadows without major technological imputations is mediocre in quality, and pastures in a rather advanced state of degradation. The main purpose of this paper is the ecological and fodder evaluation of the Festuca rubra type of grasslands in the Apuseni Mountains based on the floristic composition and the productivity of these grasslands. The experience was carried out in Ghetari village, Apuseni Mountains, which was located in 2001, following the method of randomized blocks with 4 experimental variants in 4 rehearsals. Each variant were fertilized with organic inputs using the same quantities each year. In the paper we use the results obtained after 15 years of experience. The application of organic fertilizers caused significant changes in the canopy causing changes in the dominance of the type of grassland. The livestock manure applied on the studied grassland has increases significant yield production at all variants of fertilization.In this paper it was shown on which species the productivity of the grassland increased from the control variant to the fertilized variant with the maximum dose. Regarding the analysis of the phytodiversity, this tells us if the number of species is reduced in all the treatments, 10 t/ha of manure leads to an increase in phytocoenosis equivalence and implicitly to the Shannon index.
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Mezule, Linda, Baiba Strazdina, Brigita Dalecka, Eriks Skripsts, and Talis Juhna. "Natural Grasslands as Lignocellulosic Biofuel Resources: Factors Affecting Fermentable Sugar Production." Energies 14, no. 5 (February 28, 2021): 1312. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en14051312.
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Semi-natural grassland habitats are most often limited to animal grazing and low intensity farming. Their potential in bioenergy production is complicated due to the heterogeneity, variation, accessibility, and need for complex pre-treatment/hydrolysis techniques to convert into valuable products. In this research, fermentable sugar production efficiency from various habitats at various vegetation periods was evaluated. The highest fermentable sugar yields (above 0.2 g/g volatile solids) over a period of 3 years were observed from habitats “xeric and calcareous grasslands” (Natura 2000 code: 6120) and “semi-natural dry grasslands and scrubland facies on calcareous substrates” (Natura 2000 code: 6210). Both had a higher proportion of dicotyledonous plants. At the same time, the highest productivity (above 0.7 t sugar/ha) was observed from lowland hay meadows in the initial stage of the vegetation. Thus, despite variable yield-affecting factors, grasslands can be a potential resource for energy production.
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Conte, Thomas J. "The effects of China's grassland contract policy on Mongolian herders' attitudes towards grassland management in northeastern Inner Mongolia." Journal of Political Ecology 22, no. 1 (December 1, 2015): 79. http://dx.doi.org/10.2458/v22i1.21079.
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China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is experiencing high levels of grassland degradation partially as a result of government policies to sedentarize nomadic pastoralists and privatize collective grasslands. Previous research suggests that these policies have reduced Mongolian pastoralists' ability to effectively manage grasslands and cope with negative climatic events. Herders in New Barag Right Banner (n = 50) representing both sedentary and mobile livestock management strategies were asked to respond to a scaled survey regarding their attitudes towards the effectiveness of their current grassland management strategies and their perceptions regarding the future of pastoralism in Inner Mongolia. Inter-rater reliability and MannWhitney U Tests were utilized to compare the attitudes towards grassland management and the future viability of livestock production and to test whether or not sedentary and mobile herders share the same attitudes towards these facets of their pastoral way of life. There is both high intra and inter-group agreement on the survey variables across settlement categories, indicating that sedentary and mobile herders share the same attitudinal orientations regardless of their settlement patterns. The implications of these results for future grassland policy and sustainable livestock production are also discussed.Keywords: pastoralism, China, Inner Mongolia, grassland policy, privatization, marketization
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Tallowin, J. R. B., A. J. Rook, and S. M. Rutter. "Impact of grazing management on biodiversity of grasslands." Animal Science 81, no. 2 (October 2005): 193–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1079/asc50780193.
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AbstractThis paper reviews recent work carried out by the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research and collaborating organizations that addresses some of the impacts of grazing management on both species-rich and species-poor lowland neutral grassland. Results indicate that for species-rich grassland, lenient grazing pressure maintained botanical diversity and the abundance of positive indicator species of nature conservation value over a 5-year period and also enhanced faunal diversity and abundance reflecting improvements in spatial, architectural and temporal structure. However, there was no enhancement in positive indicator species and there was also an increase in pernicious weeds suggesting that grazing alone may not suffice to deliver all the biodiversity goals for these grasslands and that additional management interventions may be required. For species-poor grassland, results indicate that distinctive differences in structure can lead to differences in faunal diversity. There is also some tentative evidence that livestock breed may affect invertebrate species assemblages.
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Price, Jodi N., Megan K. Good, Nick L. Schultz, Lydia K. Guja, and John W. Morgan. "Multivariate drivers of diversity in temperate Australian native grasslands." Australian Journal of Botany 67, no. 5 (2019): 367. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt18190.
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Disturbance has been considered essential for maintaining biodiversity in temperate grassy ecosystems in Australia. This has been particularly well demonstrated for inter-tussock plant species in C4 Themeda-dominated grasslands in mesic environments. Disturbance is also thought crucial to maintain the structure of preferred habitat for some animals. Relationships between disturbance and diversity may be contingent on ecosystem productivity, but little is known about the generality of the disturbance-promoting-diversity paradigm across the range of temperate grasslands. To date, the disturbance-promoting-diversity paradigm has taken a univariate approach to the drivers of biodiversity; rainfall is seen as a key driver of productivity, which then drives diversity, mediated by disturbance. We argue that this framework is too simplistic as biodiversity drivers are multivariate. We suggest that the accumulation of phytomass (live and dead plant material) is an important determinant of diversity in grassy ecosystems and that phytomass accumulation is governed by multiple drivers (of which disturbance is just one). For fauna, it is structure – not biomass – that determines habitat suitability, and this can be moderated by both abiotic and biotic drivers. The assumption that there is a consistent effect of disturbance on diversity through the range of temperate grassland settings in southern Australia ignores the likelihood that biodiversity also responds to other factors such as spatial heterogeneity in the environment, resource availability and climatic variation. We developed a conceptual model of the multivariate drivers of grassland diversity that explores mechanisms underpinning patterns of species richness. Despite four decades of research, it is clear that our understanding of the multivariate drivers of diversity across the range of temperate grasslands in Australia is still incomplete. Further research into the conditions under which disturbance is required to maintain biodiversity in grasslands is integral to conservation planning in these endangered systems.
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Malik, Annas Dwitri, Komang Yoga Zso Zsa Dewa, Parikesit Parikesit, Susanti Withaningsih, and Ratna Wingit. "Potentials of Carbon Stored in Plant Biomass at Little Farmers Grassland Cisarua, West Bandung Regency." Biosaintifika: Journal of Biology & Biology Education 12, no. 1 (April 23, 2020): 111–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.15294/biosaintifika.v12i1.23111.
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Alternatives of vegetations to store carbon need to be encouraged considering that forests are threatened by widespread destructions. One such vegetation is grasslands which have the potential for carbon storage and to reduce CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. At present, many enterprises have designed grasslands for animal feed. Grassland at Little Farmers, Cisarua, West Bandung was established for many purposes, i.e. recreation, education, and animal feed. The purpose of this research was to study the potential of carbon stock in grassland vegetation at this location. Based on RaCSA method, the tree biomass was determined by nondestructive collection of density and basal area of trees, then calculated by an allometric equation. The ground cover biomass was determined by destructive collection of grass and roots. Total measured biomass was multiplied by 46% to obtain carbon storage. Based on the results, the potential of carbon stock in Little Farmers grassland is 6,506.23 kg/m2 with the potential for carbon storage below the ground (0.129 kg / m2) was slightly higher than the carbon stored above the ground (0.101 kg / m2). Carbon stored in ground cover had been proven to be lower than woody plants (6,506 kg / m2). This study has pioneered in finding the carbon stocks potential of a man-made grassland, so it provides basis of an alternative land use that can be encouraged for carbon sequestration. For many enterprises, this study will aid in the conduct and management planning of grasslands with regards to ecosystem services preservation, such as carbon sequestration.
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Markovic, Marija, Biljana Nikolic, Ljubinko Rakonjac, and Dusica Pesic. "Vegetation patterns of dry grasslands and rocky grounds on Vidlic Mountain (southeastern Serbia)." Bulletin of the Faculty of Forestry, no. 112 (2015): 59–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.2298/gsf1512059m.
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This paper studies vegetation patterns of dry grasslands and rocky grounds on the limestone terrain of Mt. Vidlic, which borders the southern edge of the Balkans Mountain in Serbia, known as Stara planina. Having conducted field research, we presented the obtained results in the form of a phytosociological table. Dry grassland and rocky ground vegetation belongs to the familiar alliances of Festucion valesiacae (Festuco-Brometea) and Seslerion rigidae (Festuco-Seslerietea). Phytosociological data were analyzed using cluster analysis and evaluation of biodiversity indices. The stands of dry grasslands and rocky grounds were classified according to their floristic composition. Altitude proved to be the major factor in their grouping by floristic similarity. In other words, there is an increase in biodiversity with an increasing altitude. The importance of dry grasslands and rocky grounds of Mt.Vidlic lies primarily in their role in erosion control, but their diversity makes them an important source of medicinal herbs and grazing land.
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Cirebea, Mirela, Ioan Rotar, Roxana Vidican, Florin Păcurar, Anamaria Mălinaş, and Ovidiu Ranta. "Characterization Phyto-Socio-Ecological of Agrostis capillaris L. Grasslands." Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca. Agriculture 73, no. 2 (November 30, 2016): 189. http://dx.doi.org/10.15835/buasvmcn-agr:12450.
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Floristic composition of the pastures is a mirror action and practical factors applied station and management (maintenance and how to use). The purpose of this research is to assess the state of the biodiversity and pastoral value for Agrostis capillaries L. grasslands from the mountain area. Also, there has been analyzed the floristic composition and a series of ecological indexes, respectively humidity, soil reaction, temperature, and nitrogen. We examined how estimated species diversity patterns changed with varying survey intensity from Băișoara village, Cluj County, Romania, an Agrostis capillaries L. grasslands. The experiment was performed in 2015. The vegetation observations were made on 29 plots. In this descriptive plot been identified the type of grassland Agrostis capillaries, described in boreal at altitudes between 850 and 1200, generally starting on exhibitions east until the south (90˚ - 180 ˚).The floristic composition of the Agrostis capillaries grasslands from the studied area is influenced by the local conditions and the intensity of the exploitation, these surfaces being under-exploited.
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Bürgés, György. "Pest-fauna of grasslands and seed-grass varieties." Acta Agraria Debreceniensis, no. 62 (November 2, 2014): 56–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.34101/actaagrar/62/2166.
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The present paper deals with various herbivorous species living in grassland ecosystems. The research focused not only on the complexity of pests in grasslands but also on individual pest species; their biology and the severity of damage, with special regard to seed feeders of some frequent herd’s grass species. The observed pests are showed in two ways, both taxonomically and according to their localization on the crop that is where they cause damage. An attempt was made to present the results being easily understandable for practitioners.
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Željko, Vaško, and Gordana Rokvić. "Economic valuation of grassland utilization improvement in the Western Balkans." SHS Web of Conferences 95 (2021): 01002. http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20219501002.
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Grassland is land permanently overgrown with grasses that can be used for grazing or preparing fodder. When identifying and delineating grassland areas from other agricultural areas, criteria can be their purpose (land cover) or their use (land use). The processes of depopulation and deagrarization of rural areas increase the surfaces of unutilized grasslands and decrease of their use for agricultural purpose. The purpose of research presented in this paper is the analysis of transformation of grassland area in six Western Balkans countries/territories from covered to used status. During the research, the methods of quantitative modelling and simulation were combined. Starting from existing grassland areas (which are equalized with permanent meadows and pastures), the intensity of their use was determined by calculating the grazing livestock density (GLD) index. Generally, grasslands are used extensively for feeding ruminants in the WB region, and great part of the area is not used at all, so the average GLD index is 0.88 with significant variations between countries. Three countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia) have a GLD of 0.5 or less and there is space for them to increasing the number of ruminants up to 1.1 million livestock standard units (LSU) and increasing livestock density up to one LSU per ha of grassland. The conclusion is that, depending on the scenario, i.e. the structure of ruminant stock (cattle, sheep and goats), the value of livestock production in the Western Balkans could increase from 498 to 655 million EUR, still without environmental pressure of grazing on grassland area.
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Shrestha, Keshab. "Variation in soil organic carbon within highland grasslands of Langtang National Park, Nepal." International Journal of Environment 5, no. 3 (September 16, 2016): 57–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ije.v5i3.15704.
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Grassland also plays important role in food security. The estimated grassland area in Nepal is about 1.75 million ha. Most of the grassland in Nepal is located in higher elevation above, 2000 meter. The aim of this research is to observe difference in SOC of grassland in different altitude. Soil samples were collected from grasslands of altitude: 1500- 2000m, 2001- 2500m, 2501-3000m, 3001- 3500m and 3501- 4000m. The soil samples were collected at successive depths in each grassland i.e. 0 – 10 cm, 10 – 20 cm and 20 – 30 cm. The maximum SOC was found in grassland at altitude 3001 m- 3500m. The lowest was SOC was found in grassland at altitude 3051m – 4000m. Correlation analysis between altitude and SOC shows that SOC is positively correlated with altitude with correlation coefficient 0.850 (significant at P<0.05 level). But SOC decreases sharply in treeline with negative correlation (Significant at P<0.05).International Journal of Environment Vol.5(3) 2016, pp.57-65
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Azcárate, Francisco M., Pablo Manzano, and Begoña Peco. "Testing seed-size predictions in Mediterranean annual grasslands." Seed Science Research 20, no. 3 (June 7, 2010): 179–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0960258510000176.
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AbstractOn the basis of previous research, we predict that Mediterranean grasslands should show larger-seeded annuals in: (1) more-arid grasslands; (2) more-fertile soils; (3) less-grazed grasslands; and (4) grasslands with lower intensities of seed predation by ants. To test these predictions, we set 29 sampling units of 50 m × 50 m in a 1000 km2 grassland area in Central Spain, and characterized them according to the former factors. We then recorded annual vegetation using ten quadrats of 20 cm × 20 cm in each sampling unit. Seed size at the community level was described using six variables: (1) mean seed mass; (2) standard deviation of seed mass; (3) weighted mean seed mass (by species frequencies); (4) proportion of small-seeded annuals; (5) proportion of medium-seeded annuals; and (6) proportion of large-seeded annuals. Most climate variables (mean annual temperature, length of the summer drought, water balance and mean annual precipitation) correlated with seed-size descriptors, showing that large-seeded annuals increase in warmer and more-arid communities. Mean seed size was modelled as a function of mean annual temperature and grazing pressure. According to this model, warmer and less-grazed communities tend to show a smaller mean seed size. These results confirm the importance of seed-size descriptors at the community level in Mediterranean grasslands, and the role of climate and grazing as major drivers in these communities. Conversely, hypotheses about soil fertility and seed predation by ants were not supported by our results.
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Buchmann, Tina, Jens Schumacher, Anne Ebeling, Nico Eisenhauer, Markus Fischer, Gerd Gleixner, Nina Hacker, et al. "Connecting experimental biodiversity research to real-world grasslands." Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 33 (August 2018): 78–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2018.06.002.
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Hüppe, Cecilia Frauke, Anja Schmitz, Bettina Tonn, and Johannes Isselstein. "The Role of Socio-Economic Determinants of Horse Farms for Grassland Management, Vegetation Composition and Ecological Value." Sustainability 12, no. 24 (December 19, 2020): 10641. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su122410641.
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Socio-economic context is increasingly seen as a decisive factor for sustainable agricultural land use. The high prevalence of part-time farming and frequent lack of formal agricultural education within the equine sector are often seen as reasons why horse-grazed pastures do not fulfill their biodiversity potential. In spite of the substantial variability within horse farming, little is known about the relationship of socio-economic determinants with vegetation characteristics of horse-grazed grasslands. We surveyed 122 horse farms in Germany, classifying them into four socio-economic classes according to farm income type and farm managers’ agricultural education. We recorded farm structure parameters, grassland management practices and vegetation characteristics. Socio-economic class partly explained the great variability in farm structure that we observed. In contrast to our expectation, income type and agricultural education did not distinctly affect grassland management and were neither directly nor indirectly related to vegetation characteristics. Part-time farming and lack of agricultural education thus did not adversely affect the ecological value of horse-grazed grasslands. By contrast, both farm structure and paddock level management affected grassland vegetation and ecological value. Therefore, the socio-economic context of horse farms should be addressed in further research with strategies targeting the development of sustainable grassland management in horse keeping.
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Sendžikaitė, Jūratė, Romas Pakalnis, and Zigmantas Gudžinskas. "Changes in botanical diversity of sown grasslands due to naturalization and extensive management." Botanica Lithuanica 19, no. 2 (December 1, 2013): 99–110. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/botlit-2013-0013.
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Abstract Sendžikaitė J., Pakalnis R., Gudžinskas Z., 2013: Changes in botanical diversity of sown grasslands due to naturalization and extensive management [Sėtų pievų botaninės įvairovės kaitos dėl žolynų natūralėjimo ir ekstensyvaus naudojimo]. - Bot. Lith., 19(2): 99-110 The paper deals with sown grassland naturalization models related to changes in botanical diversity of extensively managed meadows under temperate climate conditions. The vegetation surveys were carried out in Sėliškės and Polyma Experimental Field Stations (Lithuania). Based on our research data and literature sources (on the investigation of Lithuanian natural meadows), we developed the following hypothetical models of sown grassland naturalization: vascular plant species constancy alteration chronocline, vascular plant species constancy and productivity alteration topocline and a scheme of sown grassland naturalization on hilly landscape. Here we consider extensive management and naturalization as one of most natural and requiring minor investments method for grassland restoration.
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Willms, W. D., L. M. Rode, and B. S. Freeze. "Protein supplementation to enhance the performance of pregnant cows on rough fescue grasslands in winter." Canadian Journal of Animal Science 78, no. 1 (March 1, 1998): 89–94. http://dx.doi.org/10.4141/a97-011.
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Rough fescue grasslands are readily damaged with heavy grazing pressure in the summer but tolerate grazing in winter. In addition, these grasslands have physical and nutritive properties that make them favourable for winter grazing by cattle, which reduces the cost of winter feeding while preserving the integrity of the grasslands. This study was conducted on the rough fescue grassland to determine the impact of protein supplementation on pregnant Hereford cows and the effect of supplementation on forage intake. A secondary objective was to determine the winter quality of forage from this grassland as measured by crude protein (CP), phosphorus (P), and acid detergent fibre (ADF) of selected species. The study site was in the rough fescue grasslands at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Range Research Substation west of Stavely, AB. A canola based supplement (32% CP) with added minerals was fed to pregnant Hereford cows at four levels [0, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.2 kg d−1 per animal] from 1 November to 31 January over 3 yr. Two animals were used in each of 12 paddocks (1.67 ha each) arranged in a randomized complete block design with three blocks. Cow weight and backfat were recorded before and after each feeding period. Forage biomass and feed intake were estimated by harvesting plots before and after grazing, and with the use of a non-destructive method based on measurements of individual plants that allowed estimates for each forage species. Cow weights were affected (P = 0.002) by supplementation. Cows receiving 0.4 kg d−1 supplement lost the most weight while cows receiving 0.8 or 1.2 kg d−1 lost the least. Backfat was not responsive to supplementation (P > 0.05). Rough fescue grasslands must be in good condition to be able to support winter grazing because rough fescue provides most of the forage utilized by cattle in winter. Key words: Winter grazing, Festuca campestris, rough fescue, weight loss, backfat, digestibility, beef cattle
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Behrendt, Karl, Taro Takahashi, David R. Kemp, Guodong Han, Zhiguo Li, Zhongwu Wang, Warwick Badgery, and Haibo Liu. "Modelling Chinese grassland systems to improve herder livelihoods and grassland sustainability." Rangeland Journal 42, no. 5 (2020): 329. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj20053.
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Recent degradation of Chinese grasslands has contributed to declining herder productivity and profitability, increased incidence of dust storms and regionally reduced air quality. Overgrazing due to a doubling of stocking rates since the mid-1980s has been identified as a key contributing factor. Several pathways and strategies exist to improve grassland management; however, there remains uncertainty around the long-term sustainability of alternative systems. Nineteen years of grasslands research in China has produced a suite of models designed to improve understanding of grassland systems and investigate options for change. The StageTHREE Sustainable Grasslands Model was used to evaluate the ability of selected strategies to meet economic, production and environmental objectives. Sets of strategies that focussed on flock size, lambing and selling times, supplementary feeding rules and grazing management were simulated for a typical herder located in the desert steppe of Siziwang Banner, in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. The results from the risk efficiency analysis indicated that no single strategy set clearly dominates across all objectives. Although the current practice of herders was found to be risk-efficient, it did not achieve the highest rate of grassland recovery, minimise soil erosion or minimise the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensity for sheepmeat production. Targeting further improvements in these attributes could be at the detriment of herder livelihoods. The analysis indicated that if herders adopted biomass-based grazing management and improved supplementary feeding they would be able to improve grassland resilience and maintain positive long-term economic performance under reduced flock sizes. Individual decision-making units, however, would still need to trade off the importance of different attributes to identify the strategy set, or system, that best meets their objectives and attitude to risk.
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McGlone, Christopher M. "No Long-Term Effects of Prescribed Fire on Lehmann Lovegrass (Eragrostis lehmanniana)–Invaded Desert Grassland." Invasive Plant Science and Management 6, no. 3 (September 2013): 449–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1614/ipsm-d-12-00059.1.
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AbstractDesert grasslands of the southwestern United States have experienced an increase in the abundance and distribution of woody plant species over the past century. Shrub encroachment has caused a substantial loss of grasslands in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. The Chihuahuan Desert has also been invaded by Lehmann lovegrass, a fire-adapted species from southern Africa. In 1999, the U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service burned a remnant desert grassland to determine the effects of prescribed fire on shrub–perennial grass dynamics. The grassland also contained the nonnative perennial grass Lehmann lovegrass. I am reporting on a study that was initiated to determine whether prescribed burning would alter the vegetative community within and proximal to a Lehmann lovegrass–dominated patch. Cover of Lehmann lovegrass showed no significant response to the burn treatment. Of the dominant native species, only black grama and broom snakeweed had a significant year by treatment interaction. No species or growth form had a significant vegetation type by year by treatment interaction. After 6 yr, differences between burned and unburned transects were not significant for any species or growth form.
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Baral, Hem Sagar, Jan Wattel, Philip A. Brewin, and Steve J. Ormerod. "Status and distribution of the globally threatened Bristled Grassbird Chaetornis striata (Jerdon, 1841) (Fam. Sylviidae) in Nepal." Initiation 5 (April 18, 2014): 1–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/init.v5i0.10244.
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Lowland grasslands in Nepal were thoroughly surveyed in 1996-1999 to assess the status and distribution of the globally threatened Bristled Grassbird Chaetornis striata. Birds were located on foot, from elephants and from jeeps by sight and sound backed up by mistnets and tape playback. The status information was updated again by visiting these areas in 2010-2012. Bristled Grassbirds were recorded in Sukla Phanta and Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserves, and Chitwan National Park where most of the Nepal population is confined. From the research, it was found that they were most associated with newly formed Saccharum and Imperata dominated grasslands during summer. The low numbers present during winter suggested that this species was primarily a summer migrant to Nepal. A total population for Nepal is presented based on a reliable density estimate. Loss and degradation of grassland habitat and invasion of Mikania micrantha were identified as the major threats. Further research on migratory status, better control of cattle grazing inside reserves, expansion of Protected Areas to include more grassland, and listing of Bristled Grassbird as protected under the wildlife law of Nepal for its conservation are highly recommended. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/init.v5i0.10244 The Initiation 2013 Vol.5; 1-15
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Liu, Ting, Liang Wang, Xiaojuan Feng, Jinbo Zhang, Tian Ma, Xin Wang, and Zongguang Liu. "Comparing soil carbon loss through respiration and leaching under extreme precipitation events in arid and semiarid grasslands." Biogeosciences 15, no. 5 (March 16, 2018): 1627–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1627-2018.
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Abstract. Respiration and leaching are two main processes responsible for soil carbon loss. While the former has received considerable research attention, studies examining leaching processes are limited, especially in semiarid grasslands due to low precipitation. Climate change may increase the extreme precipitation event (EPE) frequency in arid and semiarid regions, potentially enhancing soil carbon loss through leaching and respiration. Here we incubated soil columns of three typical grassland soils from Inner Mongolia and the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau and examined the effect of simulated EPEs on soil carbon loss through respiration and leaching. EPEs induced a transient increase in CO2 release through soil respiration, equivalent to 32 and 72 % of the net ecosystem productivity (NEP) in the temperate grasslands (Xilinhot and Keqi) and 7 % of NEP in the alpine grasslands (Gangcha). By comparison, leaching loss of soil carbon accounted for 290, 120, and 15 % of NEP at the corresponding sites, respectively, with dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC, biogenic DIC + lithogenic DIC) as the main form of carbon loss in the alkaline soils. Moreover, DIC loss increased with recurring EPEs in the soil with the highest pH due to an elevated contribution of dissolved CO2 from organic carbon degradation (indicated by DIC-δ13C). These results highlight the fact that leaching loss of soil carbon (particularly in the form of DIC) is important in the regional carbon budget of arid and semiarid grasslands and also imply that SOC mineralization in alkaline soils might be underestimated if only measured as CO2 emission from soils into the atmosphere. With a projected increase in EPEs under climate change, soil carbon leaching processes and the influencing factors warrant a better understanding and should be incorporated into soil carbon models when estimating carbon balance in grassland ecosystems.
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Ghahramani, Afshin, S. Mark Howden, Agustin del Prado, Dean T. Thomas, Andrew D. Moore, Boyu Ji, and Serkan Ates. "Climate Change Impact, Adaptation, and Mitigation in Temperate Grazing Systems: A Review." Sustainability 11, no. 24 (December 16, 2019): 7224. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su11247224.
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Managed temperate grasslands occupy 25% of the world, which is 70% of global agricultural land. These lands are an important source of food for the global population. This review paper examines the impacts of climate change on managed temperate grasslands and grassland-based livestock and effectiveness of adaptation and mitigation options and their interactions. The paper clarifies that moderately elevated atmospheric CO2 (eCO2) enhances photosynthesis, however it may be restiricted by variations in rainfall and temperature, shifts in plant’s growing seasons, and nutrient availability. Different responses of plant functional types and their photosynthetic pathways to the combined effects of climatic change may result in compositional changes in plant communities, while more research is required to clarify the specific responses. We have also considered how other interacting factors, such as a progressive nitrogen limitation (PNL) of soils under eCO2, may affect interactions of the animal and the environment and the associated production. In addition to observed and modelled declines in grasslands productivity, changes in forage quality are expected. The health and productivity of grassland-based livestock are expected to decline through direct and indirect effects from climate change. Livestock enterprises are also significant cause of increased global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (about 14.5%), so climate risk-management is partly to develop and apply effective mitigation measures. Overall, our finding indicates complex impact that will vary by region, with more negative than positive impacts. This means that both wins and losses for grassland managers can be expected in different circumstances, thus the analysis of climate change impact required with potential adaptations and mitigation strategies to be developed at local and regional levels.
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Kaligarič, Mitja, Jožica Brecl, and Sonja Škornik. "High potential of sub-Mediterranean dry grasslands for sheep epizoochory." Open Life Sciences 11, no. 1 (January 1, 2016): 177–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/biol-2016-0023.
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AbstractThere is a general decline of grasslands across Europe due to habitat loss and degradation. Ensuring plant dispersal thus becomes a key process for preserving grassland patches in all scales. We examined diaspore dispersal by sheep epizoochory in the pastures of the North Adriatic Karst (NW Slovenia) and determined the qualitative and quantitative features of diaspores in fur. We recorded 25,650 diaspores of 141 plant taxa (with 107 taxa and 23,350 diaspores determined to species level), using three different methods: (i) the “whole-coat method”, (ii) the “part-of-thecoat method” and (iii) a “seedling emergence method”. A comparison of these techniques revealed that the “wholecoat method” provided the highest number of diaspores and plant species. All diaspores were clustered into five emergent groups based on seven functional traits (diaspore weight, length, width, height, volume, specific weight and the diaspore surface structure). Our research revealed that sheep represent an important dispersal vector, since about half of the plant species recorded in the pastures were found as diaspores in fur. This study contributes to knowledge about the modes of seed dispersal in seminatural grasslands. Taking into account that livestock play a key role in vegetation dynamics, understanding their effects on seed dispersal is essential for conservation and restoration of these species-rich grassland communities.
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Hasanov, A., L. Ibrahimova, and N. Aliyeva. "Algorithms of Nakhchivan (Azerbaijan) Grasslands and Their Economic-Geographical Assessment, Based on Landscape Planning." Bulletin of Science and Practice 7, no. 6 (June 15, 2021): 105–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.33619/2414-2948/67/15.
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According to the article, grasslands amount for 103,816 hectares out of 5,502.78 km2 total area of Nakhchivan AR. The grasslands play a vital role in the development of livestock, especially rearing of bovine animals, small-horned livestock and beekeeping. Descriptive research work has been conducted in the field, in order to determine the role of grasslands in the development of livestock farming. There is a strong need for conducting study of the area on the basis of landscape planning. As a consequence of a series of natural and anthropogenic factors, a number of environmental issues have arisen on grasslands, and as a result, some areas have become unusable. 58,020 hectares or more than 50% of grasslands became unusable. On the other hand, 45,796 hectares are in good condition. It should be outlined that since destructive factors outpower restorative factors, there is a risk of losing grasslands in the future. It is about time to seriously engage in the solution of environmental problems related to grasslands. Otherwise, we will face bitter consequences. Therefore, landscape planning should be applied in every research work. Hierarchical landscape composition of the area and the problems in each composition should be clearly defined, and the solutions should be developed accordingly. Research work is notably topical in this context.
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Kahn, Lewis, Millie Nicholls, Judi Earl, and Kylie Nicholls. "Successful Research with Local Farmers to Improve Native Grasslands." Australasian Journal of Environmental Management 12, sup1 (January 2005): 62–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14486563.2005.10648665.
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Kahn, Lewis, Millie Nicholls, Judi Earl, and Kylie Nicholls. "Successful Research with Local Farmers to Improve Native Grasslands." Australasian Journal of Environmental Management 12, sup1 (September 2005): 68–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14486563.2005.9725107.
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