The impact of grazing and precipitation on the emergence and survival of dominant plants in sandy grassland

doi:10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2024.00097

Journal of Desert Research ›› 2025, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (1): 103-111.DOI: 10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2024.00097

The impact of grazing and precipitation on the emergence and survival of dominant plants in sandy grassland

Yuhui He^a^,^a(), Xinping Liu^a^,^c, Hongjiao Hu^a^,^c, Yuanzhi Xu^a^,^c

^a.Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands /, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources，Chinese Academy of Sciences，Lanzhou 730000，China
^b.Lanzhou Ecological Agriculture Experimental Research Station /, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources，Chinese Academy of Sciences，Lanzhou 730000，China
^c.Naiman Desertification Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources，Chinese Academy of Sciences，Lanzhou 730000，China

Received:2024-05-15 Revised:2024-10-14 Online:2025-01-20 Published:2025-01-13

Abstract

Abstract:

Grazing seriously affects the growth and survival of plants in sandy grassland. To clarify whether the impact of grazing on plant seedlings varies with rainfall changes， our study investigated the effects of grazing on seedling emergence and survival of two dominant annual plants in dry and wet years in semi-arid sandy grasslands. The results showed that moderate grazing was beneficial for seedling emergence of the dominant grass plant Setaria viridis in both dry and wet years， while heavy grazing promoted the seedling emergence of the dominant forb plant Corispermum macrocarpum， especially in wet years. Whether in dry or wet years， the monthly emergence of S. viridis increased firstly， and then decreased， with peaking in May. However， the seedling emergence of C. macrocarpum decreased with time in wet years. There was no significant difference in individual survival and seedling survival rate of S. viridis among grazing intensities in both dry and wet years. While the seedling survival rate of C. macrocarpum decreased with grazing in both dry and wet years. However， the individuals of C. macrocarpum survived more in heavy grazed plots in wet years， and the individuals survived more in light grazed plots in dry years.

Key words: rainfall changes, grazing disturbance, dominant plants, seedling emergence, individual survival

CLC Number:

Q948.1

Yuhui He, Xinping Liu, Hongjiao Hu, Yuanzhi Xu. The impact of grazing and precipitation on the emergence and survival of dominant plants in sandy grassland[J]. Journal of Desert Research, 2025, 45(1): 103-111.

Figures/Tables 7

Table 1 Precipitation during the growing season from April to August in two experimental years （mm）

年份	4月	5月	6月	7月	8月	总量
2019	6.2	72.0	59.8	61.6	141.4	341.0
2020	3.0	92.6	43.6	30.6	59.4	229.2

Table 2 Results of two-way ANOVA on the effects of grazing and rainfall changes on seedling emergence of two dominance plants

因子	狗尾草		大果虫实
因子	F	P	F	P
降水	19.445	0.000	15.744	0.000
放牧强度	19.985	0.000	17.356	0.000
降水×放牧强度	0.301	0.741	15.712	0.000

Fig.1 Changes of total seedling emergence number of two dominant plants with grazing intensities in wet and dry year

Fig.2 Seedling dynamics of two dominant plants in wet and dry year with grazing

Fig.3 The proportion of monthly seedling emergence in wet and dry year with grazing

Table 3 Results of two-way ANOVA on the effects of grazing and rainfall changes on plant survival of two dominance plants

指标		降水		放牧强度		降水×放牧强度
指标		F	P	F	P	F	P
个体存活数量	狗尾草	13.372	0.000	2.352	0.102	0.904	0.409
	大果虫实	14.500	0.000	20.710	0.000	19.617	0.000
幼苗存活率	狗尾草	1.311	0.274	0.983	0.402	0.239	0.791
	大果虫实	4.849	0.048	7.311	0.008	1.828	0.203

Fig.4 Changes of plant survival with grazing in wet and dry year

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The impact of grazing and precipitation on the emergence and survival of dominant plants in sandy grassland

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