Effects of Different Grazing Intensities on Soil C, N, and P in an Alpine Meadow on the Qinghai—Tibetan Plateau, China

Gang Li, Zhi Zhang, Linlu Shi, Yan Zhou, Meng Yang, Jiaxi Cao, Shuhong Wu and Guangchun Lei
Additional contact information
Gang Li: School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Zhi Zhang: School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Linlu Shi: School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Yan Zhou: School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Meng Yang: School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Jiaxi Cao: School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Shuhong Wu: School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Guangchun Lei: School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-16

Abstract: Inappropriate grazing management is one of the most common causes of grassland degradation, and thus, an assessment of soil properties under different grazing intensities is critical for understanding its effects on ecosystem nutrient cycling and for formulating appropriate management strategies. However, the responses of certain main elements, including soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, to grazing in alpine meadow ecosystems remain insufficiently clarified. Here, we measured carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus contents in the topmost 30 cm of soil in an alpine meadow under three grazing intensities (light, moderate, and heavy) and found clear differences in soil physical and chemical properties among different grazing intensities and soil layers. As grazing intensity increased, soil water content, carbon and nitrogen contents and stocks, and carbon to phosphorus and nitrogen to phosphorus ratios decreased, whereas soil bulk density increased. However, soil phosphorus and carbon to nitrogen ratio remained stable. Our findings highlight the negative impacts of heavy grazing intensity, in terms of soil carbon and nitrogen loss and phosphorus mineralization. Moreover, we emphasize that further related studies are necessary to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of grazing on grassland ecosystems, and thereby provide information for sustainable management practices and eco-compensation policies.

Keywords: alpine meadow; grazing intensity; soil carbon; soil nitrogen; soil phosphorus (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/11/2584/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/11/2584/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:15:y:2018:i:11:p:2584-:d:183884

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().