The Trade-Offs and Synergistic Relationships between Grassland Ecosystem Functions in the Yellow River Basin

Degang Zhang,Baopeng Xie,Jie Yang

doi:10.3390/d13100505

Abstract

Grassland is the most important land use/cover type in the Yellow River basin. Studying its ecosystem services and the trade-off and synergistic relationships between its various functions is of great significance to high-quality development and the protection of the ecological environment in the Yellow River basin. This paper evaluates the five typical functions of grassland in the Yellow River basin quantitatively, including water yield, carbon storage, soil conservation, habitat quality, and NPP by adopting the InVEST model and the CASA model. It analyzes changes in the trade-offs and the synergistic relationships between the five ecosystem functions from 1990 to 2018 by adopting the correlation coefficient method. The paper also analyzes and explores the spatial heterogeneity of the trade-offs and synergistic relationships by adopting the bivariate spatial autocorrelation method. The results show that from 1990 to 2018, the average water yield depth, carbon storage, and NPP of the grassland in the Yellow River basin tended to increase; soil conservation and habitat quality showed a decreasing trend; and the spatial distribution of the five functions were clearly in line with zonal law. The five ecological functions were synergistic; the synergistic relationship between water yield and the other functions was relatively weak, and there was a strong synergistic relationship between the other four functions. The trade-offs and synergistic relationships between the five functions demonstrated significant spatial heterogeneity in space. This research provides a scientific basis for determining the optimal utilization and sustainable development of grassland resources.

Highlights

Grassland is the largest terrestrial ecosystem in China, performing multiple functions, such as animal husbandry production, biodiversity, soil and water conservation, and carbon storage, and making significant contributions to socio-economic development and ecosystem balance [1,2]
Coordinating the relationship between the various ecological functions of grassland is essential for the rational allocation of grassland production and ecological functions and the improvement of the overall functions of grassland ecological services; it is conducive to guiding humans to use grassland resources rationally
The five grassland ecosystem functions were evaluated by adopting the InVEST

Summary

Introduction

Grassland is the largest terrestrial ecosystem in China, performing multiple functions, such as animal husbandry production, biodiversity, soil and water conservation, and carbon storage, and making significant contributions to socio-economic development and ecosystem balance [1,2]. Due to climate change and human interference, about 50% of the grassland in the world is degrading [3], resulting in an overall decline in grassland ecosystem functions, causing problems such as reduced biomass, reduced biodiversity, and increased soil erosion [4,5]. The major cause of the above problems is the imbalance between the various ecological functions of grassland. Overgrazing has played a more significant role than animal husbandry in the production of grassland, it destroys the restoration of grassland vegetation while affecting the performance of other ecological functions.

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion