内蒙古贝加尔针茅草原不同利用方式土壤微生物功能多样性

基于Biolog-ECO技术,研究了贝加尔针茅草原在自由放牧、刈割和围封3种不同利用方式下土壤微生物群落功能多样性变化。结果表明:不同的利用方式能显著改变土壤微生物群落代谢活性,反映微生物活性的平均颜色变化率表现为围封>自由放牧>刈割,围封时土壤微生物群落代谢活性最高;不同的利用方式改变了土壤微生物群落多样性指数,自由放牧土壤微生物群落丰富度指数、均匀度指数和优势度指数均最高,围封次之,刈割最低。主成分分析结果表明:在自由放牧和刈割2种利用方式下土壤微生物群落碳源利用模式及代谢功能相似,而围封土壤微生物群落具有不同的碳源利用模式和代谢功能;糖类、氨基酸类和代谢中间产物及次生代谢物为土壤微生物利用的主要碳源。不同的利用方式改变了贝加尔针茅草原土壤微生物群落功能多样性。     

Effects of different fencing regimes on community structure of degraded desert grasslands on Mu Us desert,China

Grazing is one of the major anthropogenic driving factors influencing community structure and ecological function of grasslands. Fencing has been proved to be one of the main measures for rehabilitating degraded grasslands in northwestern China. However, data from combined empirical studies on the effects of different management regimes in desert grasslands are lacking. So we selected long‐term fencing (fenced since 1991), mid‐term fencing and seasonal fencing (fenced since 2002), and adjacent free‐grazing grasslands to investigate vegetation and soil properties on southwest Mu Us desert. Our results showed that fencing increased plant cover, height, aboveground biomass (AGB) of different plant life‐form groups, Shannon–Wiener diversity index, Evenness index, Simpson index, total soil nitrogen, total soil phosphorus, and soil organic matter, but decreased plant density, species richness, Richness index, soil bulk density, water content, and pH. However, 22–24 years of long‐term complete fencing might cause redegradation of vegetation and soil nutrients, characterized by the reduction of some vegetation properties, biodiversity, total AGB, and some soil properties. Seasonal fencing with 11–13 year was more beneficial to vegetation restoration than that with completely fencing measures. Our study suggests that appropriate artificial disturbances, such as seasonal fencing (winter grazing and summer fencing), should be used after long‐term fencing in order to maintain grassland productivity and biodiversity. These findings will help to provide theoretical support for vegetation restoration and sustainable management in grassland under grazing prohibition at Mu Us desert.     

放牧和刈割对内蒙古典型草原大型土壤动物的影响

采用连续3年全季节放牧、3种季节性轮牧、秋季刈割和不利用对照6种处理, 研究了内蒙古典型草原大型土壤动物群落特征.调查在春、夏和秋3个季节进行,共捕获大型土壤动物597只,隶属于2门4纲11目,49个类群.结果表明: 全季节放牧导致土壤动物的个体密度、生物量和多样性降低;而刈割的影响相对较轻,土壤动物的个体密度、生物量和多样性甚至有提高趋势.3种季节性轮牧处理中,夏季和秋季放牧2次处理对土壤动物群落个体密度、生物量和多样性等指标的负面影响较轻.刈割管理对退化典型草原大型土壤动物群落的恢复较为有利;夏季和秋季放牧2次处理对大型土壤动物群落的负面影响较轻,是较理想的草地可持续管理措施.     

阿尔泰山两河源牧区草地群落生物量及物种多样性

群落生物量和物种多样性是表征草地生态系统数量特征的重要指标。该研究以新疆阿尔泰山南麓两河源放牧区草地为研究对象,利用样方法对两河源不同放牧区的草地植被进行调查,分析研究区生物量和物种多样性变化,探讨二者与环境因子之间的关联性,为草地群落物种保护以及草地可持续利用提供理论依据。结果表明：(1) 两河源不同牧区间群落盖度、高度、植株密度、地上生物量和单位盖度生物量存在差异。(2) 两河源牧区草地群落地上生物量与群落盖度、植株密度呈显著正相关关系(P<0.05),且地上生物量主要受草地群落盖度的影响;不同牧区的物种多样性指数有一定差异,但物种分布相对均匀。(3)两河源牧区草地群落生物量及物种多样性主要受气温和降水的影响。     

Carbon balance along the Northeast China Transect(NECT-IGBP)

The Northeast China Transect (NECT) along a precipitation gradient wasused to calculate the carbon balance of different vegetation types, land-use practices and temporal scales. NECT consists of mixed coniferous-broadleaved forest ecosystems, meadow steppe ecosystems and typical steppe ecosystems. Analyses of the C budget were carried out with field measurement based on dark enclosed chamber techniques and alkali absorption methods, and the application of the CENTURY model. Results indicated that: (1) soil CO2 flux had a strong diurnal and seasonal variation influenced by grassland type and land-use practices. However, the seasonal variation on soil CO2 fluxes did not show obvious changes between non-grazing and grazing Leymus chinensis dominated grasslands. (2) Hourly soil CO2 fluxes mainly depended on temperature, while daily CO2 fluxes were affected bothby temperature and moisture. (3) NPP of the three typical ecosystems showed linear relationships with inter-annual precipitation, but total soil carbon of those ecosystems did not. NPP and total soil carbon values decreased westward with decreasing precipitation. (4) Model simulation of NPP and total soil carbon showed that mean annual precipitation was the major limiting factor for ecosystem productivity along NECT. (5) Mean annual carbon budget is the largest for the mixedconiferous- broadleaved forest ecosystem (503.2 gC m-2 a-1), followed by the meadow steppe ecosystem (227.1 gC m-2 a-1), and the lowest being the typical steppe ecosystem (175.8 gC m-2 a-1). This study shows that concurrent field measurements of terrestrial ecosystems including the soil and plant systems with surface layer measurements along the water-driven IGBP-NECT are valuable in understanding the mechanisms driving the carbon cycle in different vegetation types under different land-use practices. Future transect research should be emphasized.     

天然草地管理措施对植物病害的影响研究进展

放牧、围封、刈割和焚烧是天然草地管理的最主要方式,植物病害是草地生产力的主要限制因素之一,综合考虑生态和经济效益,探讨利用方式对天然草地植物病害的影响,进而采取合理的管理措施,有效降低草地病害危害、提高草地生产力和生态服务功能。分析了放牧、围封和焚烧等草原管理措施对植物病害的影响。放牧对草地植物病害的发生有双重影响,对多数病害而言,放牧可清除草地植被中的病株,减少初侵染源而降低植物病害的发生;但对物理传播的病害,放牧通过家畜传播病原侵染植物,导致病害大面积发生。刈割阻止真菌的进一步侵入与定殖,从而减少草地病害的发生机会;另一方面,刈割形成有利于病原真菌孢子传播的条件,病原真菌通过刈割工具传播到刈割造成的叶片伤口上,为侵入植物体内提供了方便。草地围封增加了植物物种的多度同时降低植物多样性,有利于病害发生。冬末春初植被返青前,焚烧草地可清除枯枝落叶,减少越冬的病原物,降低病害的发生。同时对该领域的研究进行了展望,对今后研究提出了建议。     

三种利用方式对羊草草原土壤氨氧化细菌群落结构的影响

本文以内蒙古呼伦贝尔羊草草原为研究对象,利用聚合酶链式反应－变性梯度凝胶电泳(PCR－DGGE)技术及扩增产物序列分析方法比较研究了刈割、放牧和围栏封育三种利用方式对羊草草原土壤氨氧化细菌多样性和系统发育的影响,结果表明：羊草草原土壤中氨氧化细菌的优势类群为亚硝化螺旋菌属和亚硝化单孢菌属的细菌,分别占氨氧化细菌总数的72.4%和28.6%,Cluster 4和Cluster 6在各个样地中均为优势类群但所占比例不同,放牧样地中氨氧化细菌的多样性最高,逐步回归分析的结果表明,影响多样性指数的关键理化因子是土壤硝态氮含量。放牧样地中脲酶活性和硝化率都显著高于其他两种利用方式,其中,脲酶活性与土壤硝态氮和全磷含量表现出极显著的相关性,与速效磷含量表现出显著相关性;而硝化率仅与硝态氮含量表现出显著相关性。不同利用方式土壤氨氧化细菌群落与土壤理化因子的典范对应分析结果表明铵态氮的含量对氨氧化细菌群落的影响显著。     

Floristic composition and spatial distribution assessment of montane mesophilous grasslands in the central Apennines,Italy: A multi-scale and diachronic approach

Abstract

Evaluation of past land use offers valuable information in seeking to understand the distribution patterns of plant communities, insofar as such activity may have altered soil features, causing anthropogenic soil patchiness and marked plant diversity both locally and regionally. This study sought to provide a general overview of the relationships between the different syntaxonomical units and the soil features in a sub-Mediterranean grassland landscape, starting from assessment of soil parameters. In addition, we wanted to verify whether soil features and hierarchical landscape assessments of grasslands under homogeneous grazing disturbance are sufficient to explain the floristic differentiation of the plant communities, and whether study of land use history helps explain the distribution patterns of these plant communities. A clear understanding of the relationships between environmental factors and the floristic composition of plant communities is a strong basis for future inquiries into how disturbance variations (grazing, mowing, manuring, etc.) and past land use variations have affected grassland structures. This study examined nine syntaxa that develop on semi-flat slopes or those with northern exposure.     

Restoration of native vegetation following exclosure establishment on communal grazing lands in Tigray,Ethiopia

Questions: Is plant species richness, diversity and above‐ground standing biomass enhanced after establishing exclosures on communal grazing lands? What factors influence the effectiveness of exclosures to restore degraded native vegetation in Tigray, Ethiopia? Location: Northern Ethiopia. Methods: We used a space‐for‐time substitution approach to detect changes in plant species richness, diversity and above‐ground standing biomass after conversion of communal grazing lands to exclosures. We selected replicated (n=3) 5‐, 10‐, 15‐ and 20‐year‐old exclosures and paired each exclosure with an adjacent communal grazing land to ensure that soil and terrain conditions were as similar as possible among each pair. Results: All exclosures displayed higher plant species richness, diversity and biomass than the communal grazing lands. Differences in plant species richness and biomass between an exclosure age and adjacent communal grazing land were higher in oldest than in youngest exclosures. In exclosures, much of the variability in plant species composition and biomass was explained by a combination of edaphic (total nitrogen, phosphorus, texture and soil pH) and site (precipitation and altitude) variables (R²=0.72–0.82). Edaphic and site variables also explained much of the variability in plant species composition in communal grazing lands (R²=0.76–0.82). Our study shows that all exclosures are at an early stage of succession. The increase in economically important indigenous shrub and tree species with exclosure age suggests that, with time, a valuable afromontane forest may develop. Conclusions: Establishment of exclosures on communal grazing lands is a viable option to restore degraded native vegetation. However, before expanding exclosures, the ecological consequences of additional exclosures should be investigated as further expansion of exclosures could increase grazing pressure on remaining grazing areas. Furthermore, consideration of edaphic and site variables will help optimize selection of areas for establishment of exclosures and enhance natural regeneration in exclosures in the future.     

Interacting effects of fertilization,mowing and grazing on plant species diversity of 1500 grasslands in Germany differ between regions

The relationship of different types of grassland use with plant species richness and composition (functional groups of herbs, legumes, and grasses) has so far been studied at small regional scales or comprising only few components of land use. We comprehensively studied the relationship between abandonment, fertilization, mowing intensity, and grazing by different livestock types on plant diversity and composition of 1514 grassland sites in three regions in North-East, Central and South-West Germany. We further considered environmental site conditions including soil type and topographical situation. Fertilized grasslands showed clearly reduced plant species diversity (?15% plant species richness, ?0.1 Shannon diversity on fertilized grasslands plots of 16 m²) and changed composition (?3% proportion of herb species), grazing had the second largest effects and mowing the smallest ones. Among the grazed sites, the ones grazed by sheep had higher than average species richness (+27%), and the cattle grazed ones lower (?42%). Further, these general results were strongly modulated by interactions between the different components of land use and by regional context: land-use effects differed largely in size and sometimes even in direction between regions. This highlights the importance of comparing different regions and to involve a large number of plots when studying relationships between land use and plant diversity. Overall, our results show that great caution is necessary when extrapolating results and management recommendations to other regions.     

适度放牧增加内蒙古典型草原甲烷氧化菌丰度和甲烷吸收

微生物氧化是大气甲烷唯一的生物汇.认识草原甲烷(CH₄)通量对不同利用方式的响应是制定低碳高效草原管理体系的基础.本研究通过测定内蒙古中部典型草原在放牧、割草和围封管理下生态系统的CH₄通量和土壤甲烷氧化菌丰度,旨在确定不同利用方式对内蒙古典型草原生态系统CH₄吸收的影响,验证甲烷氧化菌功能基因(pmoA)丰度调控CH₄通量.测定草原是连续5年实施4种不同利用处理的试验草原,4个处理为全植物生长季(5—9月)放牧(T₁)、春夏5月和7月放牧(T₂)、秋季割草(T₃)和围封禁牧(T₀).在测定植物生物量和土壤理化特征的基础上,采用静态箱置法测定草原植物生长季CH₄通量,采用分子技术测定草原表层土壤甲烷氧化菌pmoA功能基因的丰度.结果表明: 放牧显著促进CH₄吸收,增加甲烷氧化菌丰度(即每克干土pmoA功能基因拷贝数),其在生长季的变化范围是6.9×10⁴~3.9×10⁵.T₁处理下植物生长季的CH₄平均吸收量为(68.21±3.01) μg·m^-2·h^-1,显著高于T₂、T₃和T₀处理22.1%、37.5%和30.9%.草原CH₄吸收与甲烷氧化菌丰度呈极显著正相关,与土壤砂粒占比呈显著正相关,而与土壤粉粒占比、土壤水分含量、土壤铵态氮和硝态氮含量,以及植物地上生物量呈显著负相关.表明不同利用方式下内蒙古典型草原都是CH₄的汇,而适度放牧可增加草原土壤砂粒占比,降低土壤无机氮含量和植被生物量,提高土壤甲烷氧化菌丰度和CH₄吸收.本结果对制定低排放草原管理体系具有重要意义.     

Effect of fencing and grazing on a Kobresia-dominated meadow in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Grazing is one of the most important factors influencing community structure and productivity in natural grasslands. Fencing to exclude grazers is one of the main management practices used to protect grasslands. Can fencing improve grassland community status by restraining grazing? We conducted a field community study and indoor soil analyses to determine the long-term effects of fencing and grazing on the above-ground community and soil in a Kobresia-dominated meadow in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, NW China. Our results showed that fencing significantly improved above-ground vegetation productivity but reduced plant density and species diversity. Long-term fencing favored the improvement of forage grass functional groups and restrained the development noxious weed functional groups. There were significant positive effects of fencing on below-ground organic matter, total nitrogen, available nitrogen, total phosphorus and available phosphorus. The productivity of grazed meadow showed a weak decrease over time. There were long-term decreasing trends for plant density both in fenced and grazed meadows. Our study suggests that grazing can be considered as a useful management practice to improve species diversity and plant density in long-term fenced grasslands and that periodic grazing and fencing is beneficial in grassland management.     

Carbon balance along the Northeast China Transect (NECT-IGBP)

The Northeast China Transect (NECT) along a precipitation gradient was used to cal-culate the carbon balance of different vegetation types, land-use practices and temporal scales. NECT consists of mixed coniferous-broadleaved forest ecosystems, meadow steppe ecosystemsand typical steppe ecosystems. Analyses of the C budget were carried out with field measurement based on dark enclosed chamber techniques and alkali absorption methods, and the application of the CENTURY model. Results indicated that: (1) soil CO_2 flux had a strong diurnal and seasonal variation influenced by grassland type and land-use practices. However, the seasonal variation on soil CO_2 fluxes did not show obvious changes between non-grazing and grazing Leymus chinensis dominated grasslands. (2) Hourly soil CO_2 fluxes mainly depended on temperature, while dailyCO_2 fluxes were affected both by temperature and moisture. (3) NPP of the three typical ecosys-tems showed linear relationships with inter-annual precipitation, but total soil carbon of those eco-systems did not. NPP and total soil carbon values decreased westward with decreasing precipita-tion. (4) Model simulation of NPP and total soil carbon showed that mean annual precipitation was the major limiting factor for ecosystem productivity along NECT. (5) Mean annual carbon budget is the largest for the mixed coniferous- broadleaved forest ecosystem (503.2 gC m~(-2)a~(-1)), followed bythe meadow steppe ecosystem (227.1 gC m~(-2)a~(-1)), and the lowest being the typical steppe eco-system (175.8 gC m~(-2)a~(-1)). This study shows that concurrent field measurements of terrestrial ecosystems including the soil and plant systems with surface layer measurements along the wa-ter-driven IGBP-NECT are valuable in understanding the mechanisms driving the carbon cycle in different vegetation types under different land-use practices. Future transect research should be emphasized.     

物种多样性和功能性状驱动高寒草原地上生物量对长期禁牧的响应

围封对草地生物多样性和初级生产力的影响是草地生态学研究的热点问题之一。基于2013—2021年在青藏高原东北部紫花针茅(Stipa purpurea)高寒草原围栏内外植物群落长期调查数据,从物种多样性、功能性状的角度解析了高寒草原地上生物量对长期围封的生态响应过程。结果表明：(1)围封处理对高寒草原物种多样性的负效应具有强烈的时间依赖性。围封处理显著提高地上生物量,但也显著降低了生物量稳定性和异步性,意味着高寒草原稳定的、可持续的生态系统服务功能被长期围封处理削弱。(2)植物功能性状对长期围封处理表现出差异性响应模式;与叶绿素性状相比,叶形态性状对长期围封处理表现出更强的敏感性。(3)物种多样性和功能性状与地上生物量之间均存在显著相关关系,并且物种多样性的影响被功能性状调控进而对地上生物量发挥间接效应,群落加权性状和功能分异度共同对草地生物量发挥直接的主导效应。研究结果证明了植物功能性状通过介导物种多样性与其共同驱动高寒草原地上生物量对长期围封的响应。因此,在未来草地管理过程中,同步研究植物物种和功能属性对于全面揭示生态系统的响应机制至关重要。     

藏北古露高寒草地生态系统对短期围封的响应

过度放牧导致高寒草地生态系统退化,围封是生态保护和恢复的管理手段。以青藏高原那曲县古露镇过牧退化高寒草地为对象,系统分析了高寒草地生态系统的植被特征及土壤理化特性、土壤酶活性、土壤微生物生物量和群落结构对围封的响应。结果表明,短期围封后,(1)植被平均高度、盖度和地上生物量均有极显著增加(P0.01),而生物多样性指数则显著降低(P0.01);(2)土壤的水溶性有机碳含量、土壤物理结构(沙土与粉土的比例)及pH有显著变化(P0.05);(3)土壤酶活性没有明显改善;(4)土壤微生物生物量(细菌、放线菌、真菌)均呈显著增加(P0.05);(5)土壤中细菌的多样性有增加的趋势,其群落组成在门水平上也发生了变化;(6)Manteltest分析显示与土壤细菌群落结构的呈正相关性的环境因子主要为土壤有机碳含量(TOC)、总氮含量(TN)、碳磷比(C/P)与氮磷比(N/P)(P0.05)。这表明围栏封育有利于藏北草地植被、土壤理化特性的恢复,还能维持土壤微生物多样性,促进高寒草地生态系统的可持续发展。     

Grazing‐induced changes in plant–soil feedback alter plant biomass allocation

Large vertebrate herbivores, as well as plant–soil feedback interactions are important drivers of plant performance, plant community composition and vegetation dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems. However, it is poorly understood whether and how large vertebrate herbivores and plant–soil feedback effects interact. Here, we study the response of grassland plant species to grazing‐induced legacy effects in the soil and we explore whether these plant responses can help us to understand long‐term vegetation dynamics in the field. In a greenhouse experiment we tested the response of four grassland plant species, Agrostis capillaris, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus and Rumex acetosa, to field‐conditioned soils from grazed and ungrazed grassland. We relate these responses to long‐term vegetation data from a grassland exclosure experiment in the field. In the greenhouse experiment, we found that total biomass production and biomass allocation to roots was higher in soils from grazed than from ungrazed plots. There were only few relationships between plant production in the greenhouse and the abundance of conspecifics in the field. Spatiotemporal patterns in plant community composition were more stable in grazed than ungrazed grassland plots, but were not related to plant–soil feedbacks effects and biomass allocation patterns. We conclude that grazing‐induced soil legacy effects mainly influenced plant biomass allocation patterns, but could not explain altered vegetation dynamics in grazed grasslands. Consequently, the direct effects of grazing on plant community composition (e.g. through modifying light competition or differences in grazing tolerance) appear to overrule indirect effects through changes in plant–soil feedback.     

Direct and indirect effects of land‐use intensification on ant communities in temperate grasslands

Land‐use intensification is a major driver of local species extinction and homogenization. Temperate grasslands, managed at low intensities over centuries harbored a high species diversity, which is increasingly threatened by the management intensification over the last decades. This includes key taxa like ants. However, the underlying mechanisms leading to a decrease in ant abundance and species richness as well as changes in functional community composition are not well understood. We sampled ants on 110 grassland plots in three regions in Germany. The sampled grasslands are used as meadows or pastures, being mown, grazed or fertilized at different intensities. We analyzed the effect of the different aspects of land use on ant species richness, functional trait spaces, and community composition by using a multimodel inference approach and structural equation models. Overall, we found 31 ant species belonging to 8 genera, mostly open habitat specialists. Ant species richness, functional trait space of communities, and abundance of nests decreased with increasing land‐use intensity. The land‐use practice most harmful to ants was mowing, followed by heavy grazing by cattle. Fertilization did not strongly affect ant species richness. Grazing by sheep increased the ant species richness. The effect of mowing differed between species and was strongly negative for Formica species while Myrmica and common Lasius species were less affected. Rare species occurred mainly in plots managed at low intensity. Our results show that mowing less often or later in the season would retain a higher ant species richness—similarly to most other grassland taxa. The transformation from (sheep) pastures to intensively managed meadows and especially mowing directly affects ants via the destruction of nests and indirectly via loss of grassland heterogeneity (reduced plant species richness) and increased soil moisture by shading of fast‐growing plant species.     

黄土高原半干旱区退化草地恢复与利用过程研究

草地退化表现为土壤和植被遭到彻底破坏,草地演替过程受到强烈抑制.实验采用长期(30年)封禁措施,定位监测退化草地从次生半裸地演变为近似原生植被(进展演替)的变化过程.结果表明,随着封禁时间的变化,退化草地恢复演替经历了4个阶段,群落盖度、植株密度、物种丰富度和多样性指数、地上生物量和地下生物量在草地群落恢复过程中逐渐增加,其特征变化出现的峰值均在封禁第20年(地下生物量峰值在第15年),其中地上生物量最高达520.5 g/m2;直到封禁的第20~25年,以本氏针茅为建群种的草原群落衰败退化现象明显,而大针茅种群密度剧增;在封禁的第26年以上以大针茅为优势的群落生长较为稳定,从目前群落演替进程看,大针茅有替代本氏针茅的趋势.另外,在草原沟道两侧以斑块状聚集分布有中旱生灌木,群落的演替进入了一个新的阶段.随着封禁时间的延续,退化草地从自然封禁恢复的0~26年,通过侵入-竞争-扩散-定居的几个演替阶段,目前形成以大针茅为建群种相对稳定的"亚顶级".虽然草地生物量有一定下降,但草地质量提高,物种多样性丰富,促进草地的进展演替.草地植物群落主要由禾本科、豆科和菊科组成;多年生植物、C3和旱生物种可以作为草地演替过程和植被恢复的指示物种.长期封育对草地物种更新和生态系统稳定性有负面影响,因此,合理的封育时间是草地生态恢复中非常重要的一个因素.本研究提出,在黄土区退化草地封育10~15年后可以开始进行合理的利用,例如通过两年一次刈割和轻度放牧(2只羊/hm2).本研究可为干旱区、半干旱区相似的退化草地恢复提供理论依据.     

Impacts of grazing intensity and increased precipitation on a grasshopper assemblage (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in a meadow steppe

1. Grasshoppers are dominant herbivores in grassland ecosystems, and many studies have examined how grazing by large herbivores and precipitation patterns individually influence the dynamics of grassland grasshopper assemblages, but their combined effects are largely unknown. 2. In this study, grazing intensities (ungrazed, moderate, and heavy) were manipulated and precipitation (ambient and increased amount of rainfall) altered in a field experiment to test the effects of grazing and altered precipitation on a grasshopper community in a meadow steppe in northeastern China. 3. It was found that grasshopper species richness did not change according to different grazing intensities under ambient precipitation, but was significantly higher (by 38.1%) in moderate grazing intensities under increased precipitation. Grasshopper abundance increased considerably with increasing grazing intensities in ambient precipitation treatments; however, grasshopper abundance in heavy grazing intensities was significantly lower (by 32.9%) than in the other two grazing intensities under increased precipitation. Moreover, the responses of grasshopper abundance to grazing under altered precipitation were species‐specific. 4. Grazing effects on grasshopper species diversity were mediated through the species richness and biomass of grasses (food resources), but the effects on grasshopper abundance were mediated through plant height (vegetation structure) under altered precipitation. 5. These results suggest that appropriate grazing by large herbivores would be considered as beneficial management practices for maintaining grasshopper diversity and abundance under conditions of increased precipitation in grassland ecosystems. Additionally, greater attention should be paid to the population dynamics of different grasshopper species to better understand the responses of grasslands to grazing and altered precipitation.     

放牧扰动下高寒草甸植物多样性、生产力对土壤养分条件变化的响应

为了揭示高寒小嵩草草甸群落在放牧扰动下,探讨土壤养分供给水平的变化对生态系统初级生产力和多样性影响,为高寒草地的退化演替机理研究提供依据,以野外样地调查和室内分析法研究了放牧扰动下高寒草甸植物多样性、生产力对土壤养分条件变化的响应.结果表明,放牧干扰不仅改变了高寒小蒿草草甸群落土壤根系和蕴育土壤根系的"载体"量及根土比例,改变了植物群落的结构和功能,而且使土壤的物理和化学特性发生了明显的改变.随着放牧强度的增加,蕴育土壤根系的基质量逐渐减少,根土比特别是0～10 cm土层的根土比例增加;"载体"量减少导致大部分地下根系由于营养供给水平的降低而死亡,归还土壤中有机质的数量逐渐减少,加之地上部分持续利用,土壤养分也在不断消耗,土壤基质量的减少和土壤资源持续供给能力的下降,草地发生逆向演替(退化),表现在:物种数减少、多样性下降、能量的分配转向地下等;土壤性状上的某些改变(土壤容重、土壤湿度等),也会引起植被组成、物种多样性变化;放牧主要通过影响土壤环境及其养分含量来改变草地群落生物量(地上、地下);土壤表面的适度干扰和原有植物的适度破坏为新成员提供了小生境,从而允许新的植物侵入群落,并提高了植物的丰富度.但是,在受到强度干扰时,草地植物群落的主要物种的优势地位发生明显的替代变化.