Degradation by overgrazing is common in many areas of the world and optimising grassland functions depends upon finding suitable grazing tactics. This four-year study on the northern China steppe investigated combinations of rest, moderate or heavy grazing pressure early in the summer growing season, then moderate or heavy grazing in the mid and late season. Results showed that moderate grazing...

Infiltration rate of water into the soil depends on the factors such as rock and litter cover, canopy cover, rainfall intensity, coarse material, land slope, soil texture and amount of initial soil moisture. The most important factors that are effective in the water infiltration rate of rangelands are livestock trampling and vegetation reduction due to the overgrazing. In present study, through...

The effect of cattle grazing on the soil nematode and protozoan communities, and on microbial biomass, was measured in Israel’s northern highlands. Three grazing areas were compared: (1) with 1 1 cow ha 1 y ; (2) 0 55 cow ha 1 y ; and (3) control—no grazing for almost 18 years. Soil samples were collected from the upper 10 cm level of each area (n1⁄4 24), in autumn, before the onset of the rain...

infiltration rate of water into the soil depends on the factors such as rock and litter cover, canopy cover, rainfall intensity, coarse material, land slope, soil texture and amount of initial soil moisture. the most important factors that are effective in the water infiltration rate of rangelands are livestock trampling and vegetation reduction due to the overgrazing. in present study, through...

Seed germination plays an important role in determining the composition and regeneration of plant populations (Stipa breviflora). However, the influencing factors and strategies employed for seed germination in desert grasslands under grazing remain unknown. Therefore, in this study, the reproductive allocation, seed density, seed properties, and corresponding seed germination rates of S. brevi...

The relationship between intensity and timing of cattle grazing on changes in the size and composition of the soil seed bank were investigated in a 3-yr study in a Mediterranean grassland in northeastern Israel. Treatments included manipulations of stocking rates and of grazing regimes, in a factorial design. The retrieved soil seed bank community was rich in species, with 133 species accountin...

A modified litter-bag method was used to measure plant fineroot decomposition in relation to biomass quality in a mixedgrass prairie. Measurements were made during three years on moderately and heavily grazed pastures that had been under cattle grazing for 17 years prior to sampling. Although we found no significant difference in initial fine-root litter quality between grazing treatments, nitr...

Grazing intensity elicits changes in the composition of plant functional groups in both shortgrass steppe (SGS) and northern mixed-grass prairie (NMP) in North America. How these grazing intensity-induced changes control aboveground net primary production (ANPP) responses to precipitation remains a central open question, especially in light of predicted climate changes. Here, we evaluated effec...

Greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes and soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation in grassland ecosystems are intimately linked to grazing management. This study assessed the carbon equivalent flux (Ceq) from 1) an irrigated, heavily stocked, low-density grazing system, 2) a nonirrigated, lightly stocked, high-density grazing system, and 3) a grazing-exclusion pasture site on the basis of the GHG emission...