Cattle grazing and conservation of a meadow-dependent amphibian species in the Sierra Nevada

World-wide population declines have sharpened concern for amphibian conservation on working landscapes. Across the Sierra Nevada''s national forest lands, where almost half of native amphibian species are considered at risk, permitted livestock grazing is a notably controversial agricultural activity. Cattle (Bos taurus) grazing is thought to degrade the quality, and thus reduce occupancy, of meadow breeding habitat for amphibian species of concern such as the endemic Yosemite toad (Anaxyrus [ = Bufo] canorus). However, there is currently little quantitative information correlating cattle grazing intensity, meadow breeding habitat quality, and toad use of meadow habitat. We surveyed biotic and abiotic factors influencing cattle utilization and toad occupancy across 24 Sierra Nevada meadows to establish these correlations and inform conservation planning efforts. We utilized both traditional regression models and Bayesian structural equation modeling to investigate potential drivers of meadow habitat use by cattle and Yosemite toads. Cattle use was negatively related to meadow wetness, while toad occupancy was positively related. In mid and late season (mid July–mid September) grazing periods, cattle selected for higher forage quality diets associated with vegetation in relatively drier meadows, whereas toads were more prevalent in wetter meadows. Because cattle and toads largely occupied divergent zones along the moisture gradient, the potential for indirect or direct negative effects is likely minimized via a partitioning of the meadow habitat. During the early season, when habitat use overlap was highest, overall low grazing levels resulted in no detectable impacts on toad occupancy. Bayesian structural equation analyses supported the hypothesis that meadow hydrology influenced toad meadow occupancy, while cattle grazing intensity did not. These findings suggest cattle production and amphibian conservation can be compatible goals within this working landscape.     

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.     

A Network Extension of Species Occupancy Models in a Patchy Environment Applied to the Yosemite Toad (Anaxyrus canorus)

A central challenge of conservation biology is using limited data to predict rare species occurrence and identify conservation areas that play a disproportionate role in regional persistence. Where species occupy discrete patches in a landscape, such predictions require data about environmental quality of individual patches and the connectivity among high quality patches. We present a novel extension to species occupancy modeling that blends traditional predictions of individual patch environmental quality with network analysis to estimate connectivity characteristics using limited survey data. We demonstrate this approach using environmental and geospatial attributes to predict observed occupancy patterns of the Yosemite toad (Anaxyrus (= Bufo) canorus) across >2,500 meadows in Yosemite National Park (USA). A . canorus , a Federal Proposed Species, breeds in shallow water associated with meadows. Our generalized linear model (GLM) accurately predicted ~84% of true presence-absence data on a subset of data withheld for testing. The predicted environmental quality of each meadow was iteratively ‘boosted’ by the quality of neighbors within dispersal distance. We used this park-wide meadow connectivity network to estimate the relative influence of an individual Meadow’s ‘environmental quality’ versus its ‘network quality’ to predict: a) clusters of high quality breeding meadows potentially linked by dispersal, b) breeding meadows with high environmental quality that are isolated from other such meadows, c) breeding meadows with lower environmental quality where long-term persistence may critically depend on the network neighborhood, and d) breeding meadows with the biggest impact on park-wide breeding patterns. Combined with targeted data on dispersal, genetics, disease, and other potential stressors, these results can guide designation of core conservation areas for A . canorus in Yosemite National Park.     

Long-term fencing improved soil properties and soil organic carbon storage in an alpine swamp meadow of western China

Overgrazing significantly affects alpine meadows in ways similar to grasslands in other areas. Fencing to exclude grazers is one of the main management practices used to protect alpine meadows. However, it is not known if fencing can improve soil properties and soil organic carbon storage by restraining grazing in alpine meadows. We studied the long-term (nine-year) effects of fencing on soil properties, soil organic carbon and nitrogen storage compared with continued grazing in an alpine swamp meadow of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, NW China. Our results showed that fencing significantly improved vegetation cover and aboveground biomass. There were significant effects of fencing on pH value, soil bulk density, and soil moisture. Long-term fencing favored the increase of soil total nitrogen, soil organic matter, soil organic carbon, soil microbial biomass carbon and soil carbon storage compared with grazed meadows. Our study suggests that long-term fencing to prevent disturbance could greatly affect soil organic carbon and nitrogen storage with regard to grazed meadows. Therefore, it is apparent from this study that fencing is an effective restoration approach of with regard to the soil’s storage ability for carbon and nitrogen in alpine meadow of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau.     

不同恢复方式对退化高寒草甸土壤nifH和chiA微生物群落结构的影响

生物固氮和有机氮降解是土壤有效氮的主要来源,固氮和有机氮降解微生物对土壤氮素供应和地力维持具有重要作用。本研究以青藏高原4种不同利用方式的高寒草甸(未扰动、放牧、围封和围封+补播草甸)为对象,结合荧光实时定量和扩增子测序技术,研究了不同恢复方式对nifH固氮菌和chiA几丁质降解菌基因丰度及其微生物群落结构的影响。结果表明: 4种草甸的nifH和chiA基因丰度大小排序为: 未扰动草甸＞放牧草甸＞围封草甸＞围封+补播草甸,其中未扰动草甸的nifH和chiA基因丰度分别是其他3种草甸的3.4～6.3倍和3.3～8.3倍;固氮菌α多样性在放牧、围封和围封+补播草甸中显著高于未扰动草甸,而几丁质降解菌的α多样性在未扰动和放牧草甸中最高;放牧显著提高了变形菌的丰度而降低了蓝细菌和放线菌丰度;土壤含水量、养分和植被特征对nifH和chiA的基因丰度和群落结构均有显著影响。与未扰动草甸相比,放牧降低了高寒草甸的固氮和有机氮降解潜力,而10年的围封禁牧和补播植草措施对固氮和有机氮降解功能的改善作用不明显。草甸恢复时应综合考虑功能微生物特征及其影响因素,放牧草甸恢复至未扰动水平可能需要更长的封育时间或者采用更加合理的管护措施。     

围栏禁牧对滇西北高寒湿地土壤活性有机碳的影响

过度放牧导致滇西北高寒湿地碳汇功能逐渐丧失,围栏禁牧作为一种有效的湿地恢复方式,其对滇西北高寒湿地土壤碳库的影响尚缺乏研究。为探明围栏禁牧对滇西北高寒湿地土壤活性有机碳的影响,以纳帕海湿地不同禁牧年限(未禁牧、禁牧3年、禁牧8年、禁牧10年)的草甸和沼泽化草甸作为研究对象,对比分析不同禁牧年限草甸和沼泽化草甸土壤总有机碳(TOC)、颗粒有机碳(POC)、溶解性有机碳(DOC)、易氧化有机碳(EOC)和微生物生物量碳(MBC)含量特征。研究结果表明,随着禁牧年限的增加(<10 a),草甸和沼泽化草甸土壤TOC、DOC、EOC、MBC含量显著增加(P<0.05);随着土壤深度的增加,草甸和沼泽化草甸土壤TOC、EOC和MBC含量逐渐下降,而POC和DOC含量逐渐增加。土壤理化性质显著影响土壤活性有机碳各组分含量,其中总氮(TN)是影响草甸和沼泽化草甸土壤活性有机碳各组分含量的主导因素。围栏禁牧有利于滇西北高寒湿地土壤质量和固碳能力的恢复,且随着禁牧年限的增加,恢复效果越明显。相同恢复年限,纳帕海沼泽化草甸土壤恢复效果比草甸土壤显著。研究可以为放牧湿地恢复研究提供理论基础。     

长期围封对疏勒河源区高寒草甸地表节肢动物多样性的影响

围封会促进退化高寒草甸植被和土壤环境恢复,长期围封也会导致生物多样性及其功能下降,影响高寒草甸生态系统的稳定,但这种影响会随着季节和生境条件变化而异。为了探究不同退化程度高寒草甸地表节肢动物群落变化对围封禁牧的响应,利用陷阱法调查了疏勒河源区沼泽化草甸、草甸和草原化草甸3种不同退化梯度高寒草甸围封禁牧和自由放牧处理下地表节肢动物群落结构变化。结果表明：围封禁牧对高寒草甸地表节肢动物群落组成及多样性的影响随生境条件不同而异。禁牧降低了沼泽化草甸地表节肢动物的物种丰富度,而提高了草甸和草原化草甸地表节肢动物的物种丰富度;围封禁牧对沼泽化草甸地表节肢动物群落结构影响较小,显著降低了草甸生境地表节肢动物活动密度、提高了地表节肢动物多样性和均匀度,相反,禁牧显著提高了草原化草甸生境地表节肢动物活动密度、降低其多样性和均匀度;豹蛛属1种是高寒草甸主要的地表节肢动物类群（相对多度为67.0%）,高寒草甸土壤水分有效性等生境条件不同影响了豹蛛属1种对围封禁牧的响应模式,进而影响了地表节肢动物群落结构变化。总之,高寒草甸退化程度影响了地表节肢动物多样性对禁牧和放牧的响应模式,沼泽化草甸适度放牧有利于提高地表节肢动物多样性及其功能。     

生长季放牧对高寒草甸传粉网络的影响

植物-传粉者相互作用面临人类活动的威胁。在青藏高原地区,放牧是一项主要的人类活动干扰,过度放牧导致高寒草甸植被严重退化。然而在该区域放牧如何影响植物-传粉者相互作用网络还不得而知。在青藏高原东部的高寒草甸选取了两个研究样点,每个样点包括一块禁牧样地（生长季禁牧）和放牧样地（全年放牧）。在2016年至2018年每年的生长季（7月和8月）进行了连续3年观测,共构建16个传粉网络。结果发现,在研究区域的高寒草甸生态系统中,传粉者群落的物种组成以双翅目昆虫为主。放牧后双翅目、鳞翅目以及鞘翅目传粉者的种类数减少,但膜翅目传粉者的种类数未受到放牧的影响。放牧干扰显著降低了群落中植物、传粉者以及它们之间相互作用的多样性,但对传粉网络的嵌套性和特化程度（H₂''）没有显著影响,说明网络的稳定性和恢复力没有受到放牧的影响。探讨了放牧对传粉网络的影响,发现区域放牧强度过大,降低了传粉昆虫和传粉网络的多样性。未来需要进一步深入研究高寒草甸生态系统中放牧强度对传粉网络的影响模式,以期为合理的放牧制度模式提供理论依据。     

Enhancing the diversity of breeding invertebrates within field margins of intensively managed grassland: Effects of alternative management practices

Severe declines in biodiversity have been well documented for many taxonomic groups due to intensification of agricultural practices. Establishment and appropriate management of arable field margins can improve the diversity and abundance of invertebrate groups; however, there is much less research on field margins within grassland systems. Three grassland field margin treatments (fencing off the existing vegetation “fenced”; fencing with rotavation and natural regeneration “rotavated” and; fencing with rotavation and seeding “seeded”) were compared to a grazed control in the adjacent intensively managed pasture. Invertebrates were sampled using emergence traps to investigate species breeding and overwintering within the margins. Using a manipulation experiment, we tested whether the removal of grazing pressure and nutrient inputs would increase the abundance and richness of breeding invertebrates within grassland field margins. We also tested whether field margin establishment treatments, with their different vegetation communities, would change the abundance and richness of breeding invertebrates in the field margins. Exclusion of grazing and nutrient inputs led to increased abundance and richness in nearly all invertebrate groups that we sampled. However, there were more complex effects of field margin establishment treatment on the abundance and richness of invertebrate taxa. Each of the three establishment treatments supported a distinct invertebrate community. The removal of grazing from grassland field margins provided a greater range of overwintering/breeding habitat for invertebrates. We demonstrate the capacity of field margin establishment to increase the abundance and richness in nearly all invertebrate groups in study plots that were located on previously more depauperate areas of intensively managed grassland. These results from grassland field margins provide evidence to support practical actions that can inform Greening (Pillar 1) and agri‐environment measures (Pillar 2) of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Before implementing specific management regimes, the conservation aims of agri‐environment measures should be clarified by defining the target species or taxonomic groups.     

Using multi-species occupancy models in structured decision making on managed lands

Land managers must balance the needs of a variety of species when manipulating habitats. Structured decision making provides a systematic means of defining choices and choosing among alternative management options; implementation of a structured decision requires quantitative approaches to predicting consequences of management on the relevant species. Multi-species occupancy models provide a convenient framework for making structured decisions when the management objective is focused on a collection of species. These models use replicate survey data that are often collected on managed lands. Occupancy can be modeled for each species as a function of habitat and other environmental features, and Bayesian methods allow for estimation and prediction of collective responses of groups of species to alternative scenarios of habitat management. We provide an example of this approach using data from breeding bird surveys conducted in 2008 at the Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel, Maryland, evaluating the effects of eliminating meadow and wetland habitats on scrub-successional and woodland-breeding bird species using summed total occupancy of species as an objective function. Removal of meadows and wetlands decreased value of an objective function based on scrub-successional species by 23.3% (95% CI: 20.3–26.5), but caused only a 2% (0.5, 3.5) increase in value of an objective function based on woodland species, documenting differential effects of elimination of meadows and wetlands on these groups of breeding birds. This approach provides a useful quantitative tool for managers interested in structured decision making. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.     

围封与放牧管理对高寒草甸植物功能性状和功能多样性的影响

植物功能性状能够响应生存环境的变化并直接决定着生态系统功能。为了揭示围封与放牧管理对物种共存和驱动群落构建的影响机理,该研究以青藏高原东缘高寒草甸为对象,分析了围封与放牧处理对植物功能性状和功能多样性的影响。结果显示:(1)在群落水平,放牧显著降低了比叶面积和植物高度;在物种水平,放牧群落中多数杂类草比叶面积减小,而莎草类和禾草类的比叶面积在处理间无显著差异。(2)叶干物质含量与比叶面积在围封和放牧处理中均呈显著负相关关系,在放牧处理中,叶干物质含量与植物高度呈显著的二次函数关系,即随着叶干物质含量的增大,植物高度先减小后增大;在同等比叶面积的情况下,与围封相比,放牧降低了叶干物质含量;在相同叶干物质含量的情况下,与围封相比,放牧降低了植物高度。(3)放牧在总体上降低了种间性状的平均差异,植物性状表现出趋同响应,具体表现为放牧减小了叶干物质含量和植物高度的种间差异;与围封相比,放牧显著提高了功能均匀度,减小了功能分离度。研究表明,不同植物种对放牧的响应模式存在差异,放牧降低了种间对光资源的竞争,可能增加了对土壤养分的竞争,放牧驱动群落构建的过程中,土壤养分是非常重要的作用因子,说明放牧影响物种共存依赖于对多种资源的竞争。     

青藏高原不同草地利用方式对土壤粒径分形特征的影响

研究青藏高原草地土壤粒径结构分形特征,为该地区土壤质量评价和生态恢复提供科学依据。以青藏高原4种高寒草地(放牧、围栏禁牧、围栏禁牧+补植、未干扰)为对象,采用分形理论,研究不同利用方式对高寒草地土壤颗粒组成及分形特征的影响,明确土壤粒径分形特征的影响因素。结果表明：与放牧和围栏禁牧+补植相比,围栏禁牧草地中黏粒和粉粒体积分数分别增加了60%—91.1%、43.5%—80.1%,禁牧能够促进土壤砂粒向黏粒和粉粒转变。不同草地利用方式对分形维数有显著影响,单重分形维数D值依次为放牧草地<围栏禁牧+补植草地<未干扰草地=围栏禁牧草地,多重分形维数,包括信息维数D₁、信息维数/容量维数比值D₁/D₀和关联维数D₂依次为放牧草地<围栏禁牧+补植草地<围栏禁牧草地<未干扰草地。单重分形维数D与土壤黏粒、粉粒呈极显著正相关(P<0.01);砂粒、黏粒、粉粒、有机碳和全氮是多重分形维数的限制因素。信息维数D₁、信息维数/容量维数比值D₁...     

川西北高寒草甸不同放牧模式对土壤呼吸的影响

采用土壤二氧化碳(CO_2)通量自动测量系统,对不同放牧模式(全年禁牧、夏季放牧、冬季放牧和自由放牧)下川西北高寒草甸的土壤呼吸进行监测,比较了不同放牧模式下土壤呼吸的季节动态和温度敏感性。研究发现:1)放牧模式可以改变高寒草甸土壤呼吸的季节动态变化。禁牧、夏季放牧以及自由放牧样地的土壤呼吸在季节上的变化趋势基本相似,而冬季放牧样地的土壤呼吸最大值与前者相比明显向后推迟;2)放牧模式并不改变高寒草甸年平均土壤呼吸速率,但对不同季节土壤呼吸速率的影响不同;3)不同放牧模式可以改变土壤呼吸对温度的敏感性(Q_(10))。不同放牧模式下土壤呼吸Q_(10)值大小依次为:禁牧1a(8.13)冬季放牧(7.49)禁牧3a(5.46)夏季放牧(5.20)自由放牧(4.53)。该地区土壤呼吸的Q_(10)值均明显高于热带和其它温带草地土壤呼吸的Q_(10)值。结果表明,放牧模式是影响高寒草甸土壤碳排放的一个重要因素。此外,在未来全球气候变暖背景下,在生长季节无放牧干扰的高寒草甸可能比放牧干扰的高寒草甸释放出更多的CO_2到大气中。     

Birds bias offspring sex ratio in response to livestock grazing

Livestock grazing, which has a large influence on habitat structure, is associated with the widespread decline of various bird species across the world, yet there are few experimental studies that investigate how grazing pressure influences avian reproduction. We manipulated grazing pressure using a replicated field experiment, and found that the offspring sex ratio of a common upland passerine, the meadow pipit Anthus pratensis, varied significantly between grazing treatments. The proportion of sons was lowest in the ungrazed and intensively grazed treatments and highest in treatments grazed at low intensity (by sheep, or a mixture of sheep and cattle). This response was not related to maternal body condition. These results demonstrate the sensitivity of avian reproductive biology to variation in local conditions, and support growing evidence that too much grazing, or the complete removal of livestock from upland areas, is detrimental for common breeding birds.     

Effects of livestock exclusion on in‐stream habitat and benthic invertebrate assemblages in montane streams

1. Stream and riparian ecosystems in arid montane areas, like the interior western United States, are often just narrow mesic strands, but support diverse and productive habitats. Meadows along many such streams have long been used for rangeland grazing, and, while impacts to riparian areas are relatively well known, the effect of livestock grazing on aquatic life in streams has received less attention. 2. Attempts to link grazing impacts to disturbance have been hindered by the lack of spatial and temporal replication. In this study, we compared channel features and benthic macroinvertebrate communities (i) between 16 stream reaches on two grazed allotments and between 22 reaches on two allotments where livestock had been completely removed for 4 years, (ii) before and after the 4‐year grazing respite at a subset of eight sites and (iii) inside and outside of small‐scale fenced grazing exclosures (eight pairings; 10+ year exclosures) in the meadows of the Golden Trout Wilderness, California (U.S.A.). 3. We evaluated grazing disturbance at the reach scale in terms of the effects of livestock trampling on per cent bank erosion and found that macroinvertebrate richness metrics were negatively correlated with bank erosion, while the percentage of tolerant taxa increased. 4. All macroinvertebrate richness metrics were significantly lower in grazed areas. Bank angle, temperature, fine sediment cover and erosion were higher in grazed areas, while riparian cover was lower. Regression models identified riparian cover, in‐stream substratum, bank conditions and bankfull width‐to‐depth ratios as the most important for explaining variability in macroinvertebrate richness metrics. 5. Small‐scale grazing exclosures showed no improvements for in‐stream communities and only moderate positive effects on riparian vegetation. In contrast, metrics of macroinvertebrate richness increased significantly after a 4‐year period of no grazing. 6. The success of grazing removal reported here suggests that short‐term removal of livestock at the larger, allotment meadow spatial scale is more effective than long‐term, but small‐scale, local riparian area fencing, and yields promising results in achieving stream channel, riparian and aquatic biological recovery.     

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.     

Plant Community Biomass Shifts in Response to Mowing and Fencing in Invaded Oak Meadows with Non‐Native Grasses and Abundant Ungulates

Many herbaceous meadows are dominated by competitive non‐native grasses and subject to ungulate herbivory, ecological processes that shift the proportional biomass of plant groups in the community. Predicting the outcome of restoration is complicated because herbivory and competition can interact. We examined the relationship between herbivory by native black‐tailed deer and domestic sheep and dominance of non‐native grasses in Garry oak meadows, one of North America's most endangered habitat types. A 3‐year factorial experiment tested the effects of mowing and fencing on plant community biomass, categorized into eight groups by geographic origin (native/non‐native), growth form (annual/perennial), and plant type (forb/grass). To test if the rarity of native plant groups was related to herbivory, we estimated ungulate foraging preferences for each plant group. Mowing and fencing treatments interacted for annual and perennial non‐native grasses. Dominance was shifted from non‐native to native grasses only when both mowing and fencing were applied. Fencing increased the total biomass, whereas mowing had no overall effect; however, fencing alone did not affect any individual plant group. Mowing shifted dominance from grasses to forbs, although both native and non‐native forbs benefited from the increased light availability. We also noted that herbivore fecal pellet densities were greatest in the spring, which coincided with the peak season of their preferred plant group, native perennial forbs. Overall, applying both mowing and fencing was the most effective restoration treatment to increase native plant groups and biomass.     

Effects of Grazing on Above- vs. Below-Ground Biomass Allocation of Alpine Grasslands on the Northern Tibetan Plateau

Biomass allocation is an essential concept for understanding above- vs. below-ground functions and for predicting the dynamics of community structure and ecosystem service under ongoing climate change. There is rare available knowledge of grazing effects on biomass allocation in multiple zonal alpine grassland types along climatic gradients across the Northern Tibetan Plateau. We collected the peak above- and below-ground biomass (AGB and BGB) values at 106 pairs of well-matched grazed vs. fenced sites during summers of 2010–2013, of which 33 pairs were subject to meadow, 52 to steppe and 21 to desert-steppe. The aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) was represented by the peak AGB while the belowground net primary productivity (BNPP) was estimated from ANPP, the ratio of living vs. dead BGB, and the root turnover rate. Two-ways analyses of variance (ANOVA) and paired samples comparisons with t-test were applied to examine the effects of pasture managements (PMS, i.e., grazed vs. fenced) and zonal grassland types on both ANPP and BNPP. Allometric and isometric allocation hypotheses were also tested between logarithmically transformed ANPP and BNPP using standardized major axis (SMA) analyses across grazed, fenced and overall sites. In our study, a high community-dependency was observed to support the allometric biomass allocation hypothesis, in association with decreased ANPP and a decreasing-to-increasing BNPP proportions with increasing aridity across the Northern Tibetan Plateau. Grazing vs. fencing seemed to have a trivial effect on ANPP compared to the overwhelming influence of different zonal grassland types. Vegetation links above- and below-ground ecological functions through integrated meta-population adaptive strategies to the increasing severity of habitat conditions. Therefore, more detailed studies on functional diversity are essentially to achieve conservation and sustainability goals under ongoing climatic warming and intensifying human influences.     

Root vole movement patterns: do ditches function as habitat corridors?

1. Ditches are often connected to root vole habitat patches (i.e. moist reed patches) in the Netherlands. Due to the linear structure of ditches and because ditch habitat is qualitatively similar to root vole habitat patches, we hypothesized that ditches could function as habitat corridors facilitating dispersal movement of root voles. In order to test this hypothesis, we radiotracked root voles released in a landscape novel to them, consisting of ditches and agricultural meadows.
2. Agricultural meadows often surround the marsh patches inhabited by root voles. As the meadows are mowed regularly, we included the length of the meadow vegetation as an experimental factor in the study.
3. Assuming that ditches function as habitat corridors, we expected root voles in the ditches to move faster and more unidirectionally than root voles in the meadows, and to prefer the ditches to meadows.
4. We found that the ditches did not facilitate faster movements than the meadows. Although the root voles moved back and forth within the ditches, they showed a more directional movement pattern than the root voles in the meadows. Furthermore, the root voles preferred the ditch habitat irrespective of the vegetative cover in the meadow.
5. We conclude that ditches could function as habitat corridors for root voles, as they preferred to move in ditches when in unfamiliar areas.     

Different inter‐annual responses to availability and form of nitrogen explain species coexistence in an alpine meadow community after release from grazing

Plant species and functional groups in nitrogen (N) limited communities may coexist through strong eco‐physiological niche differentiation, leading to idiosyncratic responses to multiple nutrition and disturbance regimes. Very little is known about how such responses depend on the availability of N in different chemical forms. Here we hypothesize that idiosyncratic year‐to‐year responses of plant functional groups to availability and form of nitrogen explain species coexistence in an alpine meadow community after release from grazing. We conducted a 6 year N addition experiment in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau released from grazing by livestock. The experimental design featured three N forms (ammonium, nitrate, and ammonium nitrate), crossed with three levels of N supply rates (0.375, 1.500 and 7.500 g N m^?2 yr^?1), with unfertilized treatments without and with light grazing as controls. All treatments showed increasing productivity and decreasing species richness after cessation of grazing and these responses were stronger at higher N rates. Although N forms did not affect aboveground biomas s at community level, different functional groups did show different responses to N chemical form and supply rate and these responses varied from year to year. In support of our hypothesis, these idiosyncratic responses seemed to enable a substantial diversity and biomass of sedges, forbs, and legumes to still coexist with the increasingly productive grasses in the absence of grazing, at least at low and intermediate N availability regimes. This study provides direct field‐based evidence in support of the hypothesis that idiosyncratic and annually varying responses to both N quantity and quality may be a key driver of community structure and species coexistence. This finding has important implications for the diversity and functioning of other ecosystems with spatial and temporal variation in available N quantity and quality as related to changing atmospheric N deposition, land‐use, and climate‐induced soil warming.