Seedling germination technique of Carex brunnescens and its application in restoration of Maqu degraded alpine grasslands in northwestern China

Carex brunnescens(Pers.)Poir.is considered to be the only clonal herb found to date that can develop and form fixed dunes in Maqu alpine degraded grasslands of northwestern China.However,due to strong dormant characteristics of C.brunnescens seeds,the sand-fixing effect of the plant is severely limited.This study explores a technique that can rapidly promote the seed germination of C.brunnescens,and also investigates the adaptation and sand-fixing effect by cultivating C.brunnescens seedlings to establish living sand barriers in the sand ridges of moving sand dunes.Results show that the seed germination rate obtained a maximum of 63.7%or 65.1%when seeds were treated with 150 mg/L gibberellic acid(GA3)for 24 h followed by soaking in sulfuric acid(98%H2SO4)for 2.5 min or sodium hydroxide(10%NaOH)for 3.5 h,and then germinated(25°C in daytime and 5°C at nighttime)in darkness for 10 d.After breaking seed dormancy of C.brunnescens,the living sand barrier of C.brunnescens(plant spacing 15−20 cm;sand barrier spacing 10−20 m)was established in the perpendicular direction to the main wind in the middle and lower parts of the sand ridges on both sides of the moving sand dunes.When the sand ridges were leveled by wind erosion,the living sand barrier(plant spacing 15−20 cm;sand barrier spacing 0.5−1.0 m)of C.brunnescens was reestablished on the wind-eroded flat ground.Finally,a stable sand-fixing surface can be formed after connecting the living sand barriers on both sides,thus achieving a good sand-fixing effect.These findings suggest that rapid seed germination technology combined with the sand−fixing method of C.brunnescens can shorten the seed germination period and make the seedling establishment become much easier which may be an effective strategy to restore and reconstruct Maqu degraded grasslands.

Study on Characteristics of Soil Seed Bank of Natural Grassland in Nierong County

[Objectives]To explore the species,density,distribution and other characteristics of the soil seed bank of different degrees of degraded grassland in Nierong County,and introduce the species composition of the above-ground vegetation community.[Methods]The grassland in Nerong County was divided into non-degraded,mildly degraded,moderately degraded,and severely degraded grassland.Then the relationship between above-ground vegetation and soil seed bank and the role of seed bank in the construction of above-ground vegetation community was analyzed.[Results]The soil seed bank density of moderately degraded plots is the highest,and that of severely degraded grassland is the lowest.For the non-degraded and mildly degraded plots,the species in the soil seed bank are mainly Cyperaceae such as Kobresia pygmaea and Kobresia humilis.For moderately degraded plots,the species in the soil seed bank is dominated by Potentilla anserina in Rosaceae family.Besides,the soil seed bank of each plot is mainly concentrated in the 0-3 cm soil layer.The similarity between the soil seed bank and the vegetation community of the sample plots from high to low is:no degradation>mild degradation>moderate degradation>severe degradation.[Conclusions]In accordance with the present situation of grassland degradation,for moderately degraded grasslands,it is recommended to take appropriate enclosure and rest grazing;for severely degraded grasslands,no-tillage reseeding will be favorable for the restoration and protection of grassland ecological functions.In summary,it is intended to provide references for the management of alpine meadows and the restoration and reconstruction of degraded ecosystems in alpine regions.

Degradation significantly decreased the ecosystem multifunctionality of three alpine grasslands: evidences from a large-scale survey on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Owing to the joint effects of ecosystem fragility,anthropogenic disturbance and climate change,alpine grasslands(alpine meadow,alpine steppe and alpine desert)have experienced serious degradation during the past several decades.Grasslands degradation has severely affected the delivery of ecosystem multifunctionality(EMF)and services,and then threatens the livelihood of local herdsmen and ecological security of China.However,we still lack comprehensive insights about the effects of degradation and climatic factors on EMF of alpine grasslands,especially for alpine desert ecosystem.Therefore,we applied a large-scale field investigation to answer this question.Our results suggested grassland degradation significantly decreased the belowground ecosystem multifunctionality(BEMF)and EMF of alpine grasslands and aboveground ecosystem multifunctionality(AEMF)of alpine meadow,while did not reduce the AEMF of alpine steppe and desert.Except for the insignificant difference between degraded steppe and degraded desert in AEMF,the alpine meadow showed the highest AEMF,BEMF and EMF,alpine steppe ranked the second and alpine desert was the lowest.AEMF,BEMF and EMF of health alpine grasslands were strongly affected by mean annual precipitation(MAP)(19%-51%)and mean annual temperature(MAT)(9%-36%),while those of degraded meadow and degraded desert were not impacted by precipitation and temperature.AEMF and BEMF showed a synergistic relationship in healthy alpine grasslands(12%-28%),but not in degraded grasslands.Our findings emphasized the urgency of implementing the feasible ecological restoration project to mitigate the negative influences of grassland degradation on EMF of alpine ecosystems.

Attribution analysis and multi-scenario prediction of NDVI drivers in the Xilin Gol grassland,China

Grassland degradation is influenced by climate change and human activities,and has become a major obstacle for the development of arid and semi-arid areas,posing a series of environmental and socio-economic problems.An in-depth understanding of the inner relations among grassland vegetation dynamics,climate change,and human activities is therefore greatly significant for understanding the variation in regional environmental conditions and predicting future developmental trends.Based on MODIS(moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer)NDVI(normalized difference vegetation index)data from 2000 to 2020,our objective is to investigate the spatiotemporal changes of NDVI in the Xilin Gol grassland,Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,China.Combined with 12 natural factors and human activity factors in the same period,the dominant driving factors and their interactions were identified by using the geographic detector model,and multiple scenarios were also simulated to forecast the possible paths of future NDVI changes in this area.The results showed that:(1)in the past 21 a,vegetation cover in the Xilin Gol grassland exhibited an overall increasing trend,and the vegetation restoration(84.53%)area surpassed vegetation degradation area(7.43%);(2)precipitation,wind velocity,and livestock number were the dominant factors affecting NDVI(the explanatory power of these factors exceeded 0.4).The interaction between average annual wind velocity and average annual precipitation,and between average annual precipitation and livestock number greatly affected NDVI changes(the explanatory power of these factors exceeded 0.7).Moreover,the impact of climate change on NDVI was more significant than human activities;and(3)scenario analysis indicated that NDVI in the Xinlin Gol grassland increased under the scenarios of reduced wind velocity,increased precipitation,and ecological protection.In contrast,vegetation coverage restoration in this area was significantly reduced under the scenarios of unfavorable climate conditions and excessive human activities.This study provides a scientific basis for future vegetation restoration and management,ecological environmental construction,and sustainable natural resource utilization in this area.

Review of the Impact of Grassland Degradation on Ecosystem Service Value

In recent years, grassland degradation has become one of China’s most critical environmental problems due to the interaction of natural environmental factors and human causes. Based on the systematic analysis of the spatial characteristics of grassland degradation and the current research status of environmental drivers, this paper summarizes and summarizes the research methods on the impact of grassland degradation on natural ecological service function and social and economic value to understand further the natural ecological service function of grassland degradation and its impact on social and economic benefits. The results show that since the function of grassland ecosystem service is much larger than the biomass value it provides, we should focus on the effective management of grassland from the design concept of ecological service function to achieve the sustainable development of grassland. We should do an excellent job in the comprehensive application of various ecosystems and service value evaluation methods in the future.

Grassland Variation and Its Driving Factors from 2000 to 2016: A Comparative Assessment between Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Inner Mongolia Plateau

The grassland of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) and Inner Mongolia Plateau (IMP), accounting for 73.9% of the total grassland area in China, is significant to food and ecological safety. Due to climate change and irrational human activities, grasslands on the two plateaus have severely degraded over recent decades. Understanding the dynamic changes of grassland and its driving forces is necessary to make effective measurements to prevent grassland degradation. Here, we selected the net primary productivity (NPP) as an indicator to quantitatively assess the dynamic variation of grassland and the relative roles of climate change and human activities on QTP and IMP from 2000 to 2016. The results found significant spatial variability of grassland on QTP. 28.3% of the grassland experienced degradation and was mainly distributed in the southern QTP, versus 71.7% of the grassland was restored and mainly distributed in the central and northern QTP. In contrast, grassland on IMP didn’t show significant spatial variability. Most of the grassland on IMP was restored during the study period. Climate change (i.e. increased precipitation) was the dominant factor and could explain 72.8% and 84.4% of the restored grassland in QTP and IMP. Irrational human activities (i.e. overgrazing) were the main driving factors and could explain 72.9% and 100.0% of the degraded grassland on the two plateaus during the study period. Ecological restoration projects were favorable for grassland restoration on the two plateaus, and they contributed to 27.2% and 15.6% of the restored grassland in QTP and IMP, respectively. Therefore, climate changes on IMP were more favorable for grassland restoration, and human activities have a greater impact on the grassland variation on QTP.

Overview of Grassland Degradation Research Based on Remote Sensing Monitoring

In recent years, grassland degradation has become one of the most important ecological problems in China under the interwoven influence of environmental and human factors. Based on the analysis of the spatial-temporal characteristics and driving factors of grassland degradation and in order to deeply understand the research status of grassland degradation monitoring methods and evaluation index system, this paper mainly investigates the research progress of grassland degradation remote sensing monitoring methods and evaluation indicators. Furthermore, this paper summarizes the more commonly used remote sensing monitoring methods and evaluation methods, analyzes the problems existing in the evaluation indicators of grassland degradation, and points out the research direction of the evaluation indicators in the future. Finally, a comprehensive remote sensing monitoring and evaluation system are established in this paper. Research findings: because of the variety of grassland degradation types and the emergence of remote sensing monitoring and evaluation methods, establishing a comprehensive remote sensing monitoring and evaluation system to classify and summarize the research methods of different grassland degradation can lay a foundation for the development of grassland degradation evaluation and monitoring in the future and provide research ideas. It is the trend of grassland degradation remote sensing research in the future.

Quantifying impacts of climate and human activities on the grassland in the Three-River Headwater Region after two phases of Ecological Project

The Three-River Headwater Region(TRHR)of China is a typical representative of the alpine environment in the Central Asian plateau and the alpine grassland in the world.Grassland degradation is one of its serious eco-logical problems.The purpose of this study is to quantify the joint impacts of climate and human activities on grassland changes in TRHR after two phases of Ecological Conservation and Construction Project(Ecological Project).Grassland vegetation coverage is selected as an indicator for analyzing grassland changes.We adopt Sen+Mann-Kendall trend analysis,residual trend analysis and correlation analysis methods to analyze the trends in spatial-temporal changes and driving factors of grassland in TRHR from 2000 to 2019.The results show that:(1)The grassland has been mainly restored,and the degraded grassland area only accounts for 1.66%of TRHR.After the implementation of the first phase of the Ecological Project,the percentage of restored grassland area has significantly increased from 8.82%to 24.57%,and slightly decreased during the second phase.(2)The establish-ment of national nature reserves and the implementation of the Ecological Project have changed the situation that“the grassland inside the reserve is worse than that outside the reserve”.(3)Grassland restoration is mainly af-fected by the joint effects of climate and human activities.Nevertheless,grassland degradation is mainly affected by human activities such as overgrazing and grassland reclamation.All of these findings can enrich our under-standing of grassland restoration in TRHR.Artificial measures have certain limitations in promoting grassland restoration.Natural restoration should be considered when human beings strengthen ecological conservation and transform their production and life styles.

Research progress and prospect of grassland degradation based on bibliometrics analysis during 1970–2020

To understand the research trends and areas of focus on the grassland degradation(GD),a bibliometric study based on the Science Citation Index-Expanded(SCI-E)was performed.This study presented a comprehensive overview of the field based on the annual papers,research areas,temporal trends in keywords,marked journals,institutions,and authors.In the SCI-E database,GD publications first appeared in1970.Thus,we chose the study period between 1970 and 2020.The results showed that the annual number of publications increased in exponential model,with an especially rapid increase after 2009.Dong S.K.,Wang S.P.,and Liu S.L.were the most competitive authors based on their large numbers of papers and citations.A keyword analysis indicated that“grazing,alpine grassland,soil carbon and nitrogen,plant diversity,vegetation restoration”was the most popular study area.The institution with the greatest research publications and most citations was the Chinese Academy of Sciences.Journal of Arid Environments was one of the most popular journals for researchers to publish their research and had greater influence in the field with larger citations than other journals.Environmental science and ecology,soil science,plant science,biodiversity protection,geoscience,and water resources were the most popular Web of Science research areas.The keywords knowledge map mainly divides into four clusters,which are“vegetation”,“soil carbon”,“climate change”,and“grazing”.The ten clusters of the author’s co-occurrence analysis showed that the research areas of GD mainly concentrate on alpine grassland of Qinghai Tibetan Plateau and temperate steppe of Inner Mongolia.Especially under global climate change and the increasing human activities,they were continually increasing close attention to the present.The research methods are mainly in the combination of micro and macro view,such as high-throughput sequencing of the microbial community,remote sensing,quantitative analysis of models,etc.The current international research frontiers are alpine meadow degradation and the assessment of ecosystem service in degraded grassland.To distinguish human activities and climate change to the GD rate is also a new research hotspot in recent years.As the first bibliometrics paper in GD,this paper presents an attempt to better understanding of the progress on GD research.

Impacts of revegetation management modes on soil properties and vegetation ecological restoration in degraded sandy grassland in farming-pastoral ecotone

Focusing on the impact of various vegetation management modes on sandy grassland's soil property and vegetation ecological restoration of farming-pastoral ecotone,field surveys and lab analysis were conducted to study the correlation between the characteristics of soil properties and vegetation ecological restoration under four different vegetation management modes,i.e.,unenclosed natural restoration,enclosed natural restoration,unenclosed artificial restoration and enclosed artificial restoration,which have a restoration history of 15 years in the southern edge of the degraded sandy land area of Mu Us Desert in Leilongwan Town,Hengshan County,Shaanxi Province.After 15 years of vegetation restoration,these four vegetation management modes all proved to be useful for improving the vegetation ecological restoration and the soil quality of the degraded sandy grassland not only by enhancing the aboveground vegetation height,coverage and biomass but also increasing the content of soil clay,organic matter,CEC,total nitrogen,available nutrient while reducing soil bulk density.The vegetation ecological restoration effect and soil quality under enclosed or artificial restoration management are better than those of unenclosed or natural restoration management;and the most satisfactory vegetation ecological restoration effects and soil quality can be achieved under the integration of enclosed and artificial restoration management.Severely degraded sandy grassland,during the vegetation restoration,would form an interactional coordinating relationship with the vegetation and soil properties.Vegetation properties as height,coverage and biomass have significant positive correlations with organic matter,CEC,total nitrogen and available nitrogen,phosphorus,and potassium contained in soil.Only the adoption of the strict enclosure system,implementation of aggressive artificial vegetation restoration measures and the realization of the regurgitation-feeding policy of industry towards husbandry can guarantee the gradual restoration of degraded sandy grassland in farming-pastoral ecotone,so that it can continue to play the role of ecological protective screen.

Characteristics of Climate Change and its Response in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during 1971-2010

Climate data during 1971-2010 showed that mo st areas of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau showed warm wet climate change type dominated by temperature and humidity increase.Temperature increase magnitude was the smallest in spring and the largest in winter,and the precipitation increased at the low-altitude area and decreased at high altitude.The warm wet climate change caused Qinghai-Tibet Plateau alpine grassland degradation,reduction of glacier and frozen soil,wetland reduction and other environmental problems.

Global degradation trends of grassland and their driving factors since 2000

Grassland is the second largest terrestrial ecosystem and a fundamental land resource for human survival and development.Although grassland degradation is a recognized and crucial ecological problem,there is no consensus on the area,scope,and degree of its global degradation trends,making the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals(SDG)15.3 for achieving a land degradation-neutral world uncertain.This study quantitatively explored global grassland degradation trends from 2000 to 2020 by coupling vegetation growth and its response to climate change.Furthermore,the driving factors behind these trends were analyzed,especially in hotspots.Results show that the improvement in global grassland has been remarkable since 2000,with a 1.92 times larger area than degrading grassland,amounting to 372.47×10^(4) and 193.57×10^(4) km^(2),respectively.Africa and Asia lead in global grassland degradation and improvement,respectively.Globally,the combined effects of climate change and human activities are the main driving factors for grassland degradation and improvement,accounting for 84.72 and 87.76%,respectively.Notably,human activities played a crucial role in reversing the trend of grassland degradation in some hotspots.Finally,this study provides an essential scientific reference and support for realizing SDG 15.3 on global and regional scales.

The grassland carbon cycle:Mechanisms,responses to global changes,and potential contribution to carbon neutrality

Grassland is one of the largest terrestrial biomes,providing critical ecosystem services such as food production,biodiversity conservation,and climate change mitigation.Global climate change and land-use intensification have been causing grassland degradation and desertification worldwide.As one of the primary medium for ecosystem energy flow and biogeochemical cycling,grassland carbon(C)cycling is the most fundamental process for maintaining ecosystem services.In this review,we first summarize recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning spatial and temporal patterns of the grassland C cycle,discuss the importance of grasslands in regulating inter-and intra-annual variations in global C fluxes,and explore the previously unappreciated complexity in abiotic processes controlling the grassland C balance,including soil inorganic C accumulation,photochemical and thermal degradation,and wind erosion.We also discuss how climate and land-use changes could alter the grassland C balance by modifying the water budget,nutrient cycling and additional plant and soil processes.Further,we examine why and how increasing aridity and improper land use may induce significant losses in grassland C stocks.Finally,we identify several priorities for future grassland C research,including improving understanding of abiotic processes in the grassland C cycle,strengthening monitoring of grassland C dynamics by integrating ground inventory,flux monitoring,and modern remote sensing techniques,and selecting appropriate plant species combinations with suitable traits and strong resistance to climate fluctuations,which would help design sustainable grassland restoration strategies in a changing climate.

Management of re‐established artificial grasslands via grazing or fencing: Effects on plant and soil properties

Background:Revegetation is widely used in degraded grassland restoration.However,the responses of grassland plant and soil properties to fencing(FC)and grazing(GZ)remain poorly understood,especially the vegetation–soil coupling coordination(C_(d))mechanism.This study explored single and interactive responses of vegetation and soil properties under FC and GZ after revegetation.Methods:A field experiment with FC and GZ treatments was conducted in Loess Plateau reconstructed grassland,with degraded grassland as the control(CK).Plant and soil properties and C_(d) were analyzed using the analytic hierarchy process(AHP)and principal component analysis(PCA).Results:The order of soil comprehensive evaluation(SCE)was GZ>FC>CK,while that of vegetation comprehensive evaluation(VCE)was FC>GZ>CK.The C_(d) of CK was 0.39(mild imbalance),while the values of FC and GZ were 0.57 and 0.54,respectively(little coordination).The VCE/SCE of FC was 1.48(soil lag type),and the values of GZ and CK were 0.69 and 0.35,respectively(vegetation lag and vegetation loss type,respectively).Conclusions:Both GZ and FC improved C_(d) and facilitated recovery.However,degraded grasslands should be restored via moderate grazing for sustainable ecological and economic development.

Using balance of seasonal herbage supply and demand to inform sustainable grassland management on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

To mitigate the impacts of grassland degradation on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau(QTP), in recent decades China has been implementing large-scale conservation programs and has invested about 42 billion CNY(7 billion USD). However, these programs are faced with major challenges involving trade-offs between ecological function, livestock production and income of pastoralists.Scientific assessments, as well as technical and policy issues, have not fully captured the complex ecological,social and economic dynamics of the challenges facing grassland management on the QTP. Pastoral livestock production on the QTP is characterized by imbalance in both quality and quantity between livestock seasonal nutrient requirements and herbage production, which forces pastoralists to keep larger numbers of livestock for longer periods, leading to overgrazing. To solve these problems, an integrated crop-livestock system is promoted to improve the efficiency of livestock production and conserve natural grassland as well for a sustainable system for the QTP.

Effect of grassland degradation on soil quality and soil biotic community in a semi-arid temperate steppe

Grasslands provide a number of ecosystem services for human society.Degradation of grasslands results in the loss of biodiversity and leads to the deterioration of ecosystem functions.In order to accurately assess the influence of grassland degradation on belowground ecosystems,we conducted experiments on a temperate steppe with different levels of degradation and investigated the influence of degradation on soil quality and soil biotic communities.Our results showed that grassland degradation significantly decreased soil quality,with lower values of soil quality index(SQI)observed in the degraded grassland than the meadow steppe and the grassland from the forest-steppe ecotone.Changes in the SQI along the grassland degradation gradient were positively correlated with soil carbon stock and the aboveground biomass,and negatively correlated with the root shoot ratio.Nematode trophic diversity and the ratio of fungal to bacterial PLFA were lower in the degraded grassland than the grassland from the forest-steppe ecotone.The dissimilarities in soil microbial and nematode community composition increased with the changes in soil quality index.Our results indicate that soil quality index based on the minimum data sets could effectively assess the influence of grassland degradation on soil biodiversity and ecosystem function.In order to effectively restore degraded grasslands,the key contributors to the soil quality,such as soil carbon,should be taken on priority basis for revitalizing the soil biodiversity and ecosystem function.

Impacts of land conversion and management measures on net primary productivity in semi-arid grassland

Ecological restoration measures implemented in China have profoundly impacted vegetation NPP.This study aimed to estimate the effects of the land conversion and management measures on the grassland ecosystem in semi-arid regions.Land use data were employed from 2000 to 2015 to compare land conversion and coverage changes in Xilingol grassland.Then,the contributions of land conversion and management policies were quantified by assessing the difference between actual NPP and climate-induced NPP changes.The results indicated that the grassland area had a net loss of 534.42 km^(2),and the net area of increased vegetation coverage was 74,683.05 km^(2).Furthermore,the total NPP increased by 8,010.73 Gg C·yr^(−1)(1 Gg=10^(9)g),of which the human activities,including grazing management measures(+6,809.40 Gg C·yr^(−1))and land conversion(45.72 Gg C·yr^(−1))contributed to 85.58%of the increase in NPP.Transformation from desert and farmland dominated grassland expansion and NPP increase,while urbanization and desertification caused large grassland reduction and NPP loss.The grazing management increased vegetation NPP in most regions except for some regions in the desert steppe and the farming-pastoral zone.Related policies should be further adjusted to strengthen the management of the desert steppe and farming-pastoral regions.

The conservation patterns of grassland ecosystem in response to the forage-livestock balance in North China

Being a key ecological security barrier and production base for grassland animal husbandry in China,the balance between grassland forage supply and livestock-carrying pressure in North China directly affects grassland degradation and restoration,thereby impacting grassland ecosystem services.This paper analyzes the spatiotemporal variation in grassland vegetation coverage,forage supply,and the balance between grassland forage supply and livestock-carrying pressure from 2000 to 2015 in North China.We then discuss the spatial pattern of grassland ecological conservation under the impacts of grassland degradation and restoration,and livestock-carrying pressure.Over the last 16 years,the total grassland area in North China decreased by about 16,000 km^(2),with vegetation coverage degraded by 6.7%of the grasslands but significantly restored by another 5.4%of grasslands.The provisioning of forage by natural grassland mainly increased over time,with an annual growth rate of approximately 0.3 kg/ha,but livestock-carrying pressure also increased continuously.The livestock-carrying pressure index without any supplementary feeding reached as high as 3.8.Apart from the potential livestock-carrying capacity in northeastern Inner Mongolia and the central Tibetan Plateau,most regions in North China are currently overloaded.Considering the actual supplementary feeding during the cold season,the livestock-carrying pressure index is about 3.1,with the livestock-carrying pressure mitigated in central and eastern Inner Mongolia.Assuming full supplementary feeding in the cold season,livestock-carrying pressure index will fall to 1.9,with the livestock-carrying pressure alleviated significantly in Inner Mongolia and on the Tibetan Plateau.Finally,we propose different conservation and development strategies to balance grassland ecological conservation and animal husbandry production in different regions of protected areas,pastoral areas,farming-pastoral ecotone,and farming areas,according to the grassland ecological protection patterns.

Characterization of alpine meadow surface crack and its correlation with root-soil properties

Quantifying surface cracks in alpine meadows is a prerequisite and a key aspect in the study of grassland crack development.Crack characterization indices are crucial for the quantitative characterization of complex cracks,serving as vital factors in assessing the degree of cracking and the development morphology.So far,research on evaluating the degree of grassland degradation through crack characterization indices is rare,especially the quantitative analysis of the development of surface cracks in alpine meadows is relatively scarce.Therefore,based on the phenomenon of surface cracking during the degradation of alpine meadows in some regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,we selected the alpine meadow in the Huangcheng Mongolian Township,Menyuan Hui Autonomous County,Qinghai Province,China as the study area,used unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)sensing technology to acquire low-altitude images of alpine meadow surface cracks at different degrees of degradation(light,medium,and heavy degradation),and analyzed the representative metrics characterizing the degree of crack development by interpreting the crack length,length density,branch angle,and burrow(rat hole)distribution density and combining them with in situ crack width and depth measurements.Finally,the correlations between the crack characterization indices and the soil and root parameters of sample plots at different degrees of degradation in the study area were analyzed using the grey relation analysis.The results revealed that with the increase of degradation,the physical and chemical properties of soil and the mechanical properties of root-soil composite changed significantly,the vegetation coverage reduced,and the root system aggregated in the surface layer of alpine meadow.As the degree of degradation increased,the fracture morphology developed from"linear"to"dendritic",and eventually to a complex and irregular"polygonal"pattern.The crack length,width,depth,and length density were identified as the crack characterization indices via analysis of variance.The results of grey relation analysis also revealed that the crack length,width,depth,and length density were all highly correlated with root length density,and as the degradation of alpine meadows intensified,the underground biomass increased dramatically,forming a dense layer of grass felt,which has a significant impact on the formation and expansion of cracks.

Effects of nitrogen addition on plant biomass and tissue elemental content in different degradation stages of temperate steppe in northern China

Aims Grassland degradation has become a common problem worldwide.Several studies have analyzed the effects of nitrogen(N)addition on plant growth in grasslands,but few have considered its effects on plant growth in degraded grasslands.The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of N addition on plant growth in grasslands with different levels of degradation in Inner Mongolia,China.Methods A 2-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate plant growth response to N addition in degraded grasslands on the Inner Mongolian Steppe.Grasslands with four levels of degradation were selected for N-addition treatments(0,10,20,30,40,50 g N m−2 year−1).Important Findings Aboveground biomass was increased by N fertilization in degraded grasslands,and N addition was significantly related to increased biomass in grasslands with severe degradation.However,N fertilization did not significantly affect belowground biomass.The effects of N addition on foliar nutrient concentrations in the same species differed among grasslands with different degradation lev-els.There was an inconsistent response to N addition between Sanguisorba officinalis and Vicia sepium in non-degraded grassland.There was a significant positive correlation between foliar N content and aboveground biomass in grasslands with different levels of deg-radation.Our results indicate that the effects of N addition on plant growth in grasslands differ according to the severity of degradation.We conclude that N fertilization may be an effective management technique for degraded grasslands in this area and may improve for-age productivity in the short term.