The regional hydrology and ecosystems of the northeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau have changed over the past 40 years driven by intense human activity and regional climate changes. Annual mean air temperature has increased in the region. Streamflow from the northeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau has decreased significantly. Overall, a number of Alpine step meadows and ...

Plant communities differ in their species composition, and, thus, also in their functional trait composition, at different stages in the succession from arable fields to grazed grassland. We examine whether aerial hyperspectral (414–2501 nm) remote sensing can be used to discriminate between grazed vegetation belonging to different grassland successional stages. Vascular plant species were reco...

Within a theoretical model context, the sensitivity and instability of the grassland ecosystem to finite-amplitude perturbations are studied. A new approach of conditional nonlinear optimal perturbations (CNOPs) is adopted to investigate this nonlinear problem. It is shown that the linearly stable grassland (desert) states can be nonlinearly unstable with finite-amplitude initial perturbations,...

Accurate estimation of green aboveground biomass in arid and semiarid grassland is essential for a variety of studies, such as sustainable grassland management, fire risk assessment, climate change, and environmental degradation. A great need exists for the establishment of robust method for estimating green aboveground biomass in arid and semiarid grassland due to the influences of soil backgr...

In regularly burned grassland on Morro Santana, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil, we investigated differences in the floristic composition and their relation to soil properties, aspect and distance from the forest border. In 48 plots of 0.75 m2, we identified a total of 201 species from a local species pool of approximately 450 to 500 species. Most species occurred in low frequencies, showing clumpy di...

Beef producers must consider management strategies and technologies for reducing potential adverse environmental effects of their farms while maintaining or improving profit. One choice is between using perennial grassland or corn as the primary crop on the farm for feed production. Perennial grassland production systems are generally regarded as more favorable due to reduced nutrient losses to...

BACKGROUND The importance of soil biota in the composition of mature plant communities is commonly acknowledged. In contrast, the role of soil biota in the early establishment of new plant communities and their relative importance for soil abiotic conditions are still poorly understood. AIMS AND METHODS The aim of this study was to understand the effects of soil origin and soil fungal communi...

Grazing on natural rangelands, which are areas dominated by native vegetation that are used for livestock grazing, can achieve desired vegetation outcomes, preserve native habitat, and economically benefit multiple stakeholders. It is a powerful tool that can be manipulated to reduce wildlife declines and benefit ecosystems. However, the benefits of conservation grazing systems on many wildlife...

WHEN your chairman asked for a description of grassland research in the United States, present and future, the mere thought of the task brought me a picture of a flea contemplating an elephant. Grassland agriculture is so large and varied in its entirety, is spread over so many disciplines, and is so complex in the interrelationships of the biological, social and economic communities that I can...