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Zhao T, Suo R, Alemu AW, Zheng J, Zhang F, Iwaasa AD, Guo J, Zhao M, Zhang B. Mowing increased community stability in semiarid grasslands more than either fencing or grazing. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024:e2985. [PMID: 38772563 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
A substantial body of empirical evidence suggests that anthropogenic disturbance can affect the structure and function of grassland ecosystems. Despite this, few studies have elucidated the mechanisms through which grazing and mowing, the two most widespread land management practices, affect the stability of natural grassland communities. In this study, we draw upon 9 years of field data from natural grasslands in northern China to investigate the effects of gazing and mowing on community stability, specifically focusing on community aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and dominance, which are two major biodiversity mechanisms known to characterize community fluctuations. We found that both grazing and mowing reduced ANPP in comparison to areas enclosed by fencing. Grazing reduced community stability by increasing the likelihood of single-species dominance and decreasing the relative proportion of nondominant species. In contrast, mowing reduced the productivity of the dominant species but increased the productivity of nondominant species. As a consequence, mowing improved the overall community stability by increasing the stability of nondominant species. Our study provides novel insight into understanding of the relationship between community species fluctuation-stability, with implications for ecological research and ecosystem management in natural grasslands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianqi Zhao
- Yinshanbeilu Grassland Eco-hydrology National Observation and Research Station, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, China
- Institute of Water Resources for Pastoral Area Ministry of Water Resources, Hohhot, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
| | - Rongzhen Suo
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
| | - Aklilu W Alemu
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Swift Current Research and Development Center, Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Jiahua Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
| | - Feng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
| | - Alan D Iwaasa
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Swift Current Research and Development Center, Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Jianying Guo
- Yinshanbeilu Grassland Eco-hydrology National Observation and Research Station, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, China
- Institute of Water Resources for Pastoral Area Ministry of Water Resources, Hohhot, China
| | - Mengli Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
| | - Bin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
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Carlson SC, Vucetich JA, Elbroch LM, Perry S, Roe LA, Butler T, Bruskotter JT. The role of governance in rewilding the United States to stem the biodiversity crisis. Bioscience 2023; 73:879-884. [PMID: 38162572 PMCID: PMC10755707 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biad099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
A critical but underattended feature of the biodiversity crisis is the contraction of geographic range experienced by most studied terrestrial vertebrates. In the United States, the primary policy tool for mitigating the biodiversity crisis is a federal law, the Endangered Species Act (ESA). For the past two decades, the federal agencies that administer the ESA have interpreted the act in a manner that precludes treating this geographic element of the crisis. Therefore, the burden of mitigating the biodiversity crisis largely falls on wildlife agencies within state government, which are obligated to operate on behalf of the interests of their constituents. We present survey research indicating that most constituents expect state agencies to prioritize species restoration over other activities, including hunting. This prioritization holds even among self-identified hunters, which is significant because state agencies often take the provisioning of hunting opportunity as their top priority. By prioritizing rewilding efforts that restore native species throughout portions of their historic range, state agencies could unify hunting and nonhunting constituents while simultaneously stemming the biodiversity crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelby C Carlson
- Terrestrial Wildlife Ecology Lab, in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States
| | - John A Vucetich
- College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science at Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan, United States
| | | | - Shelby Perry
- Northeast Wilderness Trust, Montpelier, Vermont, United States
| | - Lydia A Roe
- Northeast Wilderness Trust, Montpelier, Vermont, United States
| | - Tom Butler
- Northeast Wilderness Trust, Montpelier, Vermont, United States
| | - Jeremy T Bruskotter
- Terrestrial Wildlife Ecology Lab, in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States
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