Cumulative effects of 20-year exclusion of livestock grazing on above- and belowground biomass of typical steppe communities in arid areas of the Loess Plateau, China
2011
Cheng, J.,Northwest A and F Univ., Yangling (China). State Key Lab. of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau | Wu, G.L.,Northwest A and F Univ., Yangling (China). State Key Lab. of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau | Zhao, L.P.,Northwest A and F Univ., Yangling (China). State Key Lab. of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau | Li, Y.,Northwest A and F Univ., Yangling (China). State Key Lab. of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau | Li, W.,Northwest A and F Univ., Yangling (China). State Key Lab. of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau | Cheng, J.M.,Northwest A and F Univ., Yangling (China). State Key Lab. of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau
We studied the long-term (20-year) cumulative effects of exclusion of livestock grazing on above- and belowground community properties compared with that before exclusion of livestock grazing in a typical steppe of the Loess Plateau, NW China. Our results show that twenty-year exclusion of livestock grazing significantly increased above- and belowground biomass, species richness, cover and height for five different communities. Most of belowground biomass was in the 0-20 cm horizon and grazing exclusion increased biomass especially at the depth of 0-10 cm. Our study suggests that long-term exclusion of livestock grazing can greatly improve community properties of typical steppe in the Loess Plateau.
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