BACKGROUND The effects of grazing on soil methane (CH4) uptake in steppe ecosystems are important for understanding carbon sequestration and cycling because the role of grassland soil for CH4 uptake can have major impacts at the global level. Here, a meta-analysis of 27 individual studies was carried out to assess the response patterns of soil CH4 uptake to grazing in steppe ecosystems of China...

Question: Is the assumption of trait independence implied in Westoby’s (1998) leaf-height-seed (LHS) ecology strategy scheme upheld in a Mediterranean grazing system dominated by annuals? Is the LHS approach applicable at the community level? Location: Northern Israel. Methods: LHS traits (specific leaf area [SLA], plant height and seed mass), and additional leaf traits (leaf dry matter content...

three grass species, agropyron desertorum (agde) and agropyron elongatum (agel) and recently, bromus tomentellus (brto) are mainly used for range improvement as mixed seeding in semi-arid areas of iran. because there is little information about management of these grasses, this study was conducted at the sisab research station in northern iran to evaluate their responses to grazing management a...

Rangelands are the most important ecosystem for carbon sequestration. Knowledge of plant response to grazing is one of important requirements for rangeland management. Stocking rate is one of main factors in destruction of the vegetation cover in rangeland ecosystems. Livestock grazing has the potential to substantially alter carbon storage in grassland ecosystem. This study examined the effect...

global warming and climate change have drawn special attention to soil and its potential for stable carbon sequestration. soils are the largest stores of carbon in terrestrial carbon cycle and contain about three times more carbon than vegetation cover and two times more than that of atmosphere. studying the effects of grazing on soil carbon storage is important because of the major role soil o...

Understanding the importance of grassland management is crucial for predicting effects on forage production, pasture and ecosystem stability. Studies about impact in temperate humid environments soil, erosion aboveground biomass properties are lacking. This study investigates effect different managements—no grazing, moderate grazing heavy grazing—on soil properties, hydrological responses herba...

Responses of plants to grazing are better understood, and more predictable, than those of consumers in North American grasslands. In 2003, we began a large-scale, replicated experiment that examined the effects of grazing on three important arthropod groups-beetles, spiders, and grasshoppers-in shortgrass steppe of north-central Colorado. We investigated whether modifications of the intensity a...

Understanding the impacts of livestock grazing on wildlands is important for making appropriate ecosystem management decisions. Using livestock exclosures, we examined the effects of moderate cattle grazing on the abundance of California ground squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyii Richardson) and the spatial distribution of active burrows within their colonies in grassland and blue oak (Quercus do...