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    Shifts in plant composition mediate grazing effects on carbon cycling in grasslands

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    Embargo:
    2021-12-19
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    Author
    Liang, Maowei
    Smith, Nicholas G.
    Chen, Jiquan
    Wu, Yantao
    Guo, Zhiwei
    Gornish, Elise S.
    Liang, Cunzhu
    Affiliation
    School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona
    Issue Date
    2021-01-31
    Keywords
    C3 plant
    C4 plant
    depth dependence
    grazing intensity
    Mongolian Plateau
    rangelands
    sheep
    soil respiration
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Publisher
    Wiley
    Citation
    Liang, M., Smith, N. G., Chen, J., Wu, Y., Guo, Z., Gornish, E. S., & Liang, C. Shifts in plant composition mediate grazing effects on carbon cycling in grasslands. Journal of Applied Ecology.
    Journal
    Journal of Applied Ecology
    Rights
    © 2021 British Ecological Society
    Collection Information
    This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu.
    Abstract
    Carbon cycling in grasslands can be impacted by livestock grazing, partially as an indirect result of herbivory-induced compositional shifts in the plant community. However, the underlying mechanisms of how these shifts impact carbon cycling are not well-documented. We conducted a long-term grazing experiment with four sheep stocking rates in the semi-arid grasslands of Inner Mongolia, China, to examine grazing effects on the ratio of C3 to C4 species (C3:C4), shoot biomass, root biomass, root:shoot, soil respiration, soil C, soil N and soil C:N between 2014 and 2018. We explored the responses of these carbon metrics to C3:C4 under different grazing treatments and the mechanisms driving grazing-induced carbon loss using structural equation models. Livestock grazing directly shifted plant community composition (i.e. increasing C3:C4) and reduced vegetation carbon (i.e. shoot biomass), whereas grazing effects on below-ground carbon were mediated by the interactions of the soil profile (i.e. depth dependence) and year-to-year variation (e.g. rainfall regulation). Grazing-induced increases in C3:C4 suppressed soil carbon loss by inhibiting the rate of soil respiration. Furthermore, grazing intensity indirectly altered these relationships. Specifically, C3:C4 was positively related to shoot biomass and negatively associated with root:shoot, soil C and soil N, whereas these relationships were only significant in no-grazed plots. Meanwhile, soil respiration was negatively associated with C3:C4, soil C, soil N and soil C:N, but a positive relationship with shoot biomass; these relationships were significant only in grazed plots. Synthesis and applications. Our study highlights the importance of the functional linkages between community characteristics and ecosystem processes, that is, shifts in plant community composition play a key role in regulating grassland carbon cycling. These findings provide a useful field-observed resource for model development and could improve the guidelines for livestock management and policies regarding climate mitigation. © 2021 British Ecological Society
    Note
    12 month embargo; first published: 19 December 2020
    ISSN
    0021-8901
    EISSN
    1365-2664
    DOI
    10.1111/1365-2664.13824
    Version
    Final accepted manuscript
    ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
    10.1111/1365-2664.13824
    Scopus Count
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    UA Faculty Publications

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