Please wait a minute...
Journal of Arid Land  2016, Vol. 8 Issue (6): 899-909    DOI: 10.1007/s40333-016-0005-z
Research Articles     
Long-term effects of mowing on plasticity and allometry of Leymus chinensis in a temperate semi-arid grassland, China
LI Xiliang1, HOU Xiangyang1*, REN Weibo1, Taogetao BAOYIN2*, LIU Zhiying2, Warwick BADGERY3, LI Yaqiong2, WU Xinhong1, XU Huimin2
1 National Forage Improvement Center, Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources and Utilization of Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hohhot 010010, China;
2 Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China;
3 New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Orange Agricultural Institute, Orange, New South Wales 2800, Australia
Download:   PDF(290KB)
Export: BibTeX | EndNote (RIS)      

Abstract  Mowing is an important land management practice for natural semi-arid regions. A growing body of empirical evidence shows that different mowing regimes affect the functioning of grassland ecosystems. However, the responses of plant functional traits to long-term mowing and their allometric scaling under long-term mowing are poorly understood. For a better understanding of the effects of mowing on grassland ecosystems, we analyzed the allometric traits of leaves and stems of Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel., a dominant grass species in eastern Eurasian temperate grassland, at different mowing intensities (no clipping, clipping once every two years, once a year and twice a year). Experiments were conducted on plots established over a decade ago in a typical steppe of Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia, China. Results showed that most of the functional traits of L. chinensis decreased with the increased mowing intensity. The responses of leaves and stems to long-term mowing were asymmetric, in which leaf traits were more stable than stem traits. Also significant allometric relationships were found among most of the plant functional traits under the four mowing treatments. Sensitive traits of L. chinensis (e.g. leaf length and stem length) were primary indicators associated with aboveground biomass decline under high mowing intensity. In conclusion, the allometric growth of different functional traits of L. chinensis varies with different long-term mowing practices, which is likely to be a strategy used by the plant to adapt to the mowing disturbances.

Key wordsprecipitation pattern      restoration      soil water dynamics      soil desiccation      vegetation type     
Received: 06 December 2015      Published: 01 December 2016
Fund:  

This study was ?nancially supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2014CB138806), the Natural Science Fund Project of Inner Mongolia (2015ZD02), the International Science and Technology Cooperation Program of China (2013DFR30760), the National Scientific and Technical Support Program of China (2012BAD12B02) and the Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest (201303060).

Corresponding Authors:
Cite this article:

LI Xiliang, HOU Xiangyang, REN Weibo, Taogetao BAOYIN, LIU Zhiying, Warwick BADGERY, LI Yaqiong, WU Xinhong, XU Huimin. Long-term effects of mowing on plasticity and allometry of Leymus chinensis in a temperate semi-arid grassland, China. Journal of Arid Land, 2016, 8(6): 899-909.

URL:

http://jal.xjegi.com/10.1007/s40333-016-0005-z     OR     http://jal.xjegi.com/Y2016/V8/I6/899

Acosta-Gallo B, Casado M A, Montalvo J, et al. 2011. Allometric patterns of below-ground biomass in Mediterranean grasslands. Plant Biosystems-An International Journal Dealing with All Aspects of Plant Biology, 145(3): 584–595.

Badger M R. 2013. Role of plant leaf development in optimising photosynthetic efficiency, capacity, growth and yield. In: Gready J E, Dwyer S A, Evans J R. Applying Photosynthesis Research to Improvement of Food Crops. Canberra: Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, 20.

Bahn M, Knapp M, Garajova Z, et al. 2006. Root respiration in temperate mountain grasslands differing in land use. Global Change Biology, 12(6): 995–1006.

Baoyin T, Li F Y, Bao Q H, et al. 2014. Effects of mowing regimes and climate variability on hay production of Leymus chinensis (Trin.) grassland in northern China. The Rangeland Journal, 36(6): 593–600.

Benot M L, Mony C, Lepš J, et al. 2013. Are clonal traits and their response to defoliation good predictors of grazing resistance? Botany, 91(2): 62–68.

Bösing B M, Susenbeth A, Hao J, et al. 2014. Effect of concentrate supplementation on herbage intake and live weight gain of sheep grazing a semi-arid grassland steppe of North-Eastern Asia in response to different grazing management systems and intensities. Livestock Science, 165: 157–166.

Byrne H, Conroy P J, Whisstock J C, et al. 2013. A tale of two specificities: bispecific antibodies for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Trends in Biotechnology, 31(11): 621–632.

Chen S Y, Cai Y Y, Zhang L X, et al. 2014. Transcriptome analysis reveals common and distinct mechanisms for sheep grass (Leymus chinensis) responses to defoliation compared to mechanical wounding. PLoS ONE, 9(2): e89495.

Cingolani A M, Posse G, Collantes M B. 2005. Plant functional traits, herbivore selectivity and response to sheep grazing in Patagonian steppe grasslands. Journal of Applied Ecology, 42(1): 50–59.

Cruz P, De Quadros F L L, Theau J P, et al. 2010. Leaf traits as functional descriptors of the intensity of continuous grazing in native grasslands in the south of Brazil. Rangeland Ecology & Management, 63(3): 350–358.

Davidson A M, Jennions M, Nicotra A B. 2011. Do invasive species show higher phenotypic plasticity than native species and, if so, is it adaptive? A meta-analysis. Ecology Letters, 14(4): 419–431.

Díaz S, Lavorel S, McIntyre S, et al. 2007. Plant trait responses to grazing-a global synthesis. Global Change Biology, 13(2): 313–341.

Falster D S, Warton D I, Wright I J. 2006. SMATR: Standardised major axis tests and routines, ver 2.0. [2015-12-20]. http://www.bio.mq.edu.au/ecology/SMATR/.

Guo Y J, Han L, Li G D, et al. 2012. The effects of defoliation on plant community, root biomass and nutrient allocation and soil chemical properties on semi-arid steppes in northern China. Journal of Arid Environments, 78: 128–134.

Han W W, Luo Y J, Du G Z. 2007. Effects of clipping on diversity and above-ground biomass associated with soil fertility on an alpine meadow in the eastern region of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 50(3): 361–368.

He N P, Yu Q, Wu L, et al. 2008. Carbon and nitrogen store and storage potential as affected by land-use in a Leymus chinensis grassland of northern China. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 40(12): 2952–2959.

Herrero-Jáuregui C, Schmitz M, Pineda F. 2014. Effects of different clipping intensities on above- and below-ground production in simulated herbaceous plant communities. Plant Biosystems, 150(3): 468–476.

Laing C G, Granath G, Belyea L R, et al. 2014. Tradeoffs and scaling of functional traits in Sphagnum as drivers of carbon cycling in peatlands. Oikos, 123(7): 817–828.

Laliberté E, Tylianakis J M. 2012. Cascading effects of long-term land-use changes on plant traits and ecosystem functioning. Ecology, 93(1): 145–155.

Lavorel S, Grigulis K, Lamarque P, et al. 2011. Using plant functional traits to understand the landscape distribution of multiple ecosystem services. Journal of Ecology, 99(1): 135–147.

Lavorel S. 2013. Plant functional effects on ecosystem services. Journal of Ecology, 101(1): 4–8.

Li Q, Zhou D W, Jin Y H, et al. 2014. Effects of fencing on vegetation and soil restoration in a degraded alkaline grassland in northeast China. Journal of Arid Land, 6(4): 478–487.

Li S Y, Verburg P H, Lv S H, et al. 2012. Spatial analysis of the driving factors of grassland degradation under conditions of climate change and intensive use in Inner Mongolia, China. Regional Environmental Change, 12(3): 461–474.

Li X L, Wu Z N, Liu Z Y, et al. 2015a. Contrasting effects of long-term grazing and clipping on plant morphological plasticity: Evidence from a rhizomatous grass. PLoS ONE, 10(10): e0141055, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141055.

Li X L, Liu Z Y, Wang Z, et al. 2015b. Pathways of Leymus chinensis individual aboveground biomass decline in natural semiarid grassland induced by overgrazing: A study at the plant functional trait scale. PLoS ONE, 10(5): e0124443, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124443.

Makkonen M, Berg M P, Handa I T, et al. 2012. Highly consistent effects of plant litter identity and functional traits on decomposition across a latitudinal gradient. Ecology Letters, 15(9): 1033–1041.

McIntire E J B, Hik D S. 2002. Grazing history versus current grazing: leaf demography and compensatory growth of three alpine plants in response to a native herbivore (Ochotona collaris). Journal of Ecology, 90(2): 348–359.

Middleton B A, Holsten B, Van Diggelen R. 2006. Biodiversity management of fens and fen meadows by grazing, cutting and burning. Applied Vegetation Science, 9(2): 307–316.

Milchunas D G, Vandever M W. 2013. Grazing effects on aboveground primary production and root biomass of early-seral, mid-seral, and undisturbed semiarid grassland. Journal of Arid Environments, 92: 81–88.

Moreno García C A, Schellberg J, Ewert F, et al. 2014. Response of community-aggregated plant functional traits along grazing gradients: insights from African semi-arid grasslands. Applied Vegetation Science, 17(3): 470–481.

Moreno L, Bertiller M B. 2015. Phenotypic plasticity of morpho-chemical traits of perennial grasses from contrasting environments of arid Patagonia. Journal of Arid Environments, 116: 96–102.

Niklas K J, Cobb E D. 2006. Biomass partitioning and leaf N, P-stoichiometry: comparisons between tree and herbaceous current-year shoots. Plant, Cell and Environment, 29(11): 2030–2042

Niu K C, Choler P, Zhao B B, et al. 2009. The allometry of reproductive biomass in response to land use in Tibetan alpine grasslands. Functional Ecology, 23(2): 274–283.

Schrama M J J, Cordlandwehr V, Visser E J W, et al. 2013. Grassland cutting regimes affect soil properties, and consequently vegetation composition and belowground plant traits. Plant and Soil, 366(1–2): 401–413.

Thorne M A, Frank D A. 2009. The effects of clipping and soil moisture on leaf and root morphology and root respiration in two temperate and two tropical grasses. Plant Ecology, 200(2): 205–215.

Van Bodegom P M, Douma J C, Witte J P M, et al. 2012. Going beyond limitations of plant functional types when predicting global ecosystem-atmosphere fluxes: Exploring the merits of traits-based approaches. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 21(6): 625–636.

Warton D I, Duursma R A, Falster D S, et al. 2012. Smatr 3-an R package for estimation and inference about allometric lines. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 3(2): 257–259.

Wu Z Y. 1980. Vegetation of China. Beijing: Science Press. (in Chinese)

Xu X, Sherry R A, Niu S L, et al. 2013. Net primary productivity and rain-use efficiency as affected by warming, altered precipitation, and clipping in a mixed-grass prairie. Global Change Biology, 19(9): 2753–2764.

Zheng S X, Ren H Y, Lan Z C, et al. 2010. Effects of grazing on leaf traits and ecosystem functioning in Inner Mongolia grasslands: Scaling from species to community. Biogeosciences, 7(3): 1117–1132.

Zhou X H, Wan S Q, Luo Y Q. 2007. Source components and interannual variability of soil CO2 efflux under experimental warming and clipping in a grassland ecosystem. Global Change Biology, 13(4): 761–775.
[1] NAN Weige, DONG Zhibao, ZHOU Zhengchao, LI Qiang, CHEN Guoxiang. Ecological effect of the plantation of Sabina vulgaris in the Mu Us Sandy Land, China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2024, 16(1): 14-28.
[2] LI Wenye, ZHANG Jianfeng, SONG Shuangshuang, LIANG Yao, SUN Baoping, WU Yi, MAO Xiao, LIN Yachao. Combination of artificial zeolite and microbial fertilizer to improve mining soils in an arid area of Inner Mongolia, China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2023, 15(9): 1067-1083.
[3] Mohsen SHARAFATMANDRAD, Azam KHOSRAVI MASHIZI. Evaluation of restoration success in arid rangelands of Iran based on the variation of ecosystem services[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2023, 15(11): 1290-1314.
[4] WANG Yaobin, SHANGGUAN Zhouping. Formation mechanisms and remediation techniques for low-efficiency artificial shelter forests on the Chinese Loess Plateau[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2022, 14(8): 837-848.
[5] Keiichi KIMURA, Akito KONO, Susumu YAMADA, Tomoyo F KOYANAGI, Toshiya OKURO. Grazing and heat stress protection of native grass by a sand-fixing shrub in the arid lands of northern China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2022, 14(8): 867-876.
[6] WANG Kun, WANG Xiaoxia, FEI Hongyan, WAN Chuanyu, HAN Fengpeng. Changes in diversity, composition and assembly processes of soil microbial communities during Robinia pseudoacacia L. restoration on the Loess Plateau, China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2022, 14(5): 561-575.
[7] HUANG Laiming, ZHAO Wen, SHAO Ming'an. Response of plant physiological parameters to soil water availability during prolonged drought is affected by soil texture[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2021, 13(7): 688-698.
[8] ZHOU Siyuan, DUAN Yufeng, ZHANG Yuxiu, GUO Jinjin. Vegetation dynamics of coal mining city in an arid desert region of Northwest China from 2000 to 2019[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2021, 13(5): 534-547.
[9] KE Zengming, LIU Xiaoli, MA Lihui, TU Wen, FENG Zhe, JIAO Feng, WANG Zhanli. Effects of restoration modes on the spatial distribution of soil physical properties after land consolidation: a multifractal analysis[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2021, 13(12): 1201-1214.
[10] ZHOU Tairan, HAN Chun, QIAO Linjie, REN Chaojie, WEN Tao, ZHAO Changming. Seasonal dynamics of soil water content in the typical vegetation and its response to precipitation in a semi-arid area of Chinese Loess Plateau[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2021, 13(10): 1015-1025.
[11] Masoud BAZGIR, Reza OMIDIPOUR, Mehdi HEYDARI, Nasim ZAINALI, Masoud HAMIDI, Daniel C DEY. Prioritizing woody species for the rehabilitation of arid lands in western Iran based on soil properties and carbon sequestration[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2020, 12(4): 640-652.
[12] Zahra JAFARI, SayedHamid MATINKHAH, Mohammad R MOSADDEGHI, Mostafa TARKESH. Evaluation of the efficiency of irrigation methods on the growth and survival of tree seedlings in an arid climate[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2020, 12(3): 495-507.
[13] LIU Weichao, FU Shuyue, YAN Shengji, REN Chengjie, WU Shaojun, DENG Jian, LI Boyong, HAN Xinhui, YANG Gaihe. Responses of plant community to the linkages in plant-soil C:N:P stoichiometry during secondary succession of abandoned farmlands, China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2020, 12(2): 215-226.
[14] HADIAN Fatemeh, JAFARI Reza, BASHARI Hossein, TARTESH Mostafa, D CLARKE Kenneth. Estimation of spatial and temporal changes in net primary production based on Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach (CASA) model in semi-arid rangelands of SemiromCounty, Iran[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2019, 11(4): 477-494.
[15] Shanshan JIN, Youke WANG, Xing WANG, Yonghong BAI, Leigang SHI. Effect of pruning intensity on soil moisture and water use efficiency in jujube (Ziziphus jujube Mill.) plantations in the hilly Loess Plateau Region, China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2019, 11(3): 446-460.