Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 89-102 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Plant and soil |
| Volume | 340 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2011 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Abstract
Long-term monitoring of soil properties reveals site-specific ecosystem shifts in soil processes due to land use and climate changes. This paper aims to study the effects of physical landscape changes associated with grazing on soil thermal and moisture regime at the plot scale in a semiarid Leymus chinensis steppe of Inner Mongolia, China. The investigated sites were subjected to three grazing intensities: ungrazed since 1979 (UG79), moderately grazed only in winter time (WG), and heavily grazed (HG). At each plot, we recorded the soil moisture and temperature over a 6-year period that spanned between June 2004 and September 2009 and experienced a large range in precipitation (162 to 362 mm). Based on these monitoring data, we divided a year into four hydric periods: (1) growing period (late April to August); (2) transitional period from summer to winter (September-October); (3) winter time (November-first March); and (4) transitional period from winter to summer (March-April). In general, soil moisture in grazed sites was lower than in the ungrazed site, particularly for the 30-50 cm soil layer. Seasonal fluctuation of the soil moisture, due to variable precipitation and atmospheric demands, was most significant in the topsoil (0-10 cm) and was less pronounced in deeper soil. Regardless of hydric seasons, soil moisture was significantly influenced by grazing intensity, whereas soil temperature was slightly influenced. With increasing grazing intensity, soil water storage decreased remarkably. Consequently, grazing reduced plant available water and therefore grassland productivity, which are linked to a great extent with the trampling-induced soil structure change and soil moisture regime.
Keywords
- Grazing intensity, Long-term monitoring, Plant available water, Semiarid steppe, Soil moisture, Soil temperature
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Soil Science
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Plant Science
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: Plant and soil, Vol. 340, No. 1, 03.2011, p. 89-102.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Response of soil moisture and temperature to grazing intensity in a Leymus chinensis steppe, Inner Mongolia
AU - Zhao, Ying
AU - Peth, Stephan
AU - Reszkowska, Agnieszka
AU - Gan, Lei
AU - Krümmelbein, Julia
AU - Peng, Xinhua
AU - Horn, Rainer
N1 - Funding Information: Acknowledgements The authors thank Xingguo Han, Yongfei Bai and the Institute of Botany (Chinese Academy of Sciences) for the opportunity to work at IMGERS. We are grateful to the German Research Foundation (DFG) for funding the MAGIM project (Forschergruppe 536). Dr. Zhao acknowledges the ‘Innovation Team-building Programme, Northwest A&F University’. The two anonymous reviewers and Dr. Paul Hallett are thanked for their constructive comments for the improvement of the manuscript.
PY - 2011/3
Y1 - 2011/3
N2 - Long-term monitoring of soil properties reveals site-specific ecosystem shifts in soil processes due to land use and climate changes. This paper aims to study the effects of physical landscape changes associated with grazing on soil thermal and moisture regime at the plot scale in a semiarid Leymus chinensis steppe of Inner Mongolia, China. The investigated sites were subjected to three grazing intensities: ungrazed since 1979 (UG79), moderately grazed only in winter time (WG), and heavily grazed (HG). At each plot, we recorded the soil moisture and temperature over a 6-year period that spanned between June 2004 and September 2009 and experienced a large range in precipitation (162 to 362 mm). Based on these monitoring data, we divided a year into four hydric periods: (1) growing period (late April to August); (2) transitional period from summer to winter (September-October); (3) winter time (November-first March); and (4) transitional period from winter to summer (March-April). In general, soil moisture in grazed sites was lower than in the ungrazed site, particularly for the 30-50 cm soil layer. Seasonal fluctuation of the soil moisture, due to variable precipitation and atmospheric demands, was most significant in the topsoil (0-10 cm) and was less pronounced in deeper soil. Regardless of hydric seasons, soil moisture was significantly influenced by grazing intensity, whereas soil temperature was slightly influenced. With increasing grazing intensity, soil water storage decreased remarkably. Consequently, grazing reduced plant available water and therefore grassland productivity, which are linked to a great extent with the trampling-induced soil structure change and soil moisture regime.
AB - Long-term monitoring of soil properties reveals site-specific ecosystem shifts in soil processes due to land use and climate changes. This paper aims to study the effects of physical landscape changes associated with grazing on soil thermal and moisture regime at the plot scale in a semiarid Leymus chinensis steppe of Inner Mongolia, China. The investigated sites were subjected to three grazing intensities: ungrazed since 1979 (UG79), moderately grazed only in winter time (WG), and heavily grazed (HG). At each plot, we recorded the soil moisture and temperature over a 6-year period that spanned between June 2004 and September 2009 and experienced a large range in precipitation (162 to 362 mm). Based on these monitoring data, we divided a year into four hydric periods: (1) growing period (late April to August); (2) transitional period from summer to winter (September-October); (3) winter time (November-first March); and (4) transitional period from winter to summer (March-April). In general, soil moisture in grazed sites was lower than in the ungrazed site, particularly for the 30-50 cm soil layer. Seasonal fluctuation of the soil moisture, due to variable precipitation and atmospheric demands, was most significant in the topsoil (0-10 cm) and was less pronounced in deeper soil. Regardless of hydric seasons, soil moisture was significantly influenced by grazing intensity, whereas soil temperature was slightly influenced. With increasing grazing intensity, soil water storage decreased remarkably. Consequently, grazing reduced plant available water and therefore grassland productivity, which are linked to a great extent with the trampling-induced soil structure change and soil moisture regime.
KW - Grazing intensity
KW - Long-term monitoring
KW - Plant available water
KW - Semiarid steppe
KW - Soil moisture
KW - Soil temperature
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79951809707&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11104-010-0460-9
DO - 10.1007/s11104-010-0460-9
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:79951809707
VL - 340
SP - 89
EP - 102
JO - Plant and soil
JF - Plant and soil
SN - 0032-079X
IS - 1
ER -