Grassland Ecosystem Services Research Articles

Grassland ecosystem service value in the Tibetan Plateau has not recovered during 1995–2015

Grasslands in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) provide substantial ecosystem services (ESs) but face considerable challenges. Previous assessments of grassland ecosystem service value (GESV) have revealed substantial uncertainties due to inconsistencies in GES classifications, land use data, and assessment methods. Here, we propose a new classification system, present merged land use data, and develop integrated comprehensive assessment methods to reassess the GESV in the TP from 1995 to 2015, and then analyzed spatiotemporal changes and driving factors. Our findings indicate that: 1) grasslands dominate the TP, covering approximately 70 % of the land surface, but have been continuously declining, especially during 1995–2000. 2) The value equivalent factor method tends to overestimate GESV, and our reassessment further emphasized the critical role of grasslands. 3) Temporally, GESV exhibited a measured recovery post-2000, though it remained below initial levels. 4) Spatially, GESV declined from southeast to northwest, mainly influenced by precipitation, although this spatial gradient has gradually diminished. 5) Both climatic and anthropogenic factors significantly influenced changes in GESV, but even dual factors had limited explanatory power. Our reassessment sheds light on the spatiotemporal changes and drivers of GESV in the TP over two decades, which is important for grassland management in the region. However, methodological limitations remain, particularly with regard to data accuracy; and further exploration of spatial heterogeneity and multi-factor interactions are also required.

Have Climate Factor Changes Jeopardized the Value of Qinghai Grassland Ecosystem Services within the Grass–Animal Balance?

Internal and external environmental changes have led to changes in the service value of plateau ecosystems. Plateau ecosystems are facing a risk of falling into “recession”. Meanwhile, climate change has become an important factor affecting the service value of plateau grassland ecosystems. In this paper, from the perspective of how changes in climate factors inhibit the value of ecosystem services of plateau grasslands, we adopt the equivalent factor method to measure the value of grassland ecosystem services in eight municipal levels in Qinghai Province from 2000 to 2021. We also construct a fixed utility model to test how changes in climate factors affect the value of ecosystem services and use the grass–animal balance as a mediating effect model for the test. The results of the study showed that (1) the increase in temperature and precipitation among the changes in climate factors significantly suppresses the ecosystem service value of grassland in the plateau. (2) The mediation test shows that the grass–livestock balance helped suppress the effects of climate factor changes on the ecological service value of plateau grassland. (3) The heterogeneity test shows that the area containing the Three-River-Source National Park is more resistant to climate factor changes. Climate factor changes have a greater impact on the ecosystem service value of plateau grassland in high altitude areas and have a significant positive effect on sustained low grassland carrying pressure index status. Therefore, in the protection of plateau grassland ecosystems, we should pay attention to the inputs in the ecosystems as well as appropriate grazing. At the same time, this study can provide a reference value for the decision-making with respect to ecological natural resources protection or restoration in plateau grassland under the effects of climate factors.

High-resolution mapping of grassland canopy cover in China through the integration of extensive drone imagery and satellite data

Canopy cover is a crucial indicator for assessing grassland health and ecosystem services. However, achieving accurate high-resolution estimates of grassland canopy cover at a large spatial scale remains challenging due to the limited spatial coverage of field measurements and the scale mismatch between field measurements and satellite imagery. In this study, we addressed these challenges by proposing a regression-based approach to estimate large-scale grassland canopy cover, leveraging the integration of drone imagery and multisource remote sensing data. Specifically, over 90,000 10 × 10 m drone image tiles were collected at 1,255 sites across China. All drone image tiles were classified into grass and non-grass pixels to generate ground-truth canopy cover estimates. These estimates were then temporally aligned with satellite imagery-derived features to build a random forest regression model to map the grassland canopy cover distribution of China. Our results revealed that a single classification model can effectively distinguish between grass and non-grass pixels in drone images collected across diverse grassland types and large spatial scales, with multilayer perceptron demonstrating superior classification accuracy compared to Canopeo, support vector machine, random forest, and pyramid scene parsing network. The integration of extensive drone imagery successfully addressed the scale-mismatch issue between traditional ground measurements and satellite imagery, contributing significantly to enhancing mapping accuracy. The national canopy cover map of China generated for the year 2021 exhibited a spatial pattern of increasing canopy cover from northwest to southeast, with an average value of 56 % and a standard deviation of 26 %. Moreover, it demonstrated high accuracy, with a coefficient of determination of 0.89 and a root-mean-squared error of 12.38 %. The resulting high-resolution canopy cover map of China holds great potential in advancing our comprehension of grassland ecosystem processes and advocating for the sustainable management of grassland resources.

The relationship between structure and ecosystem services of forest and grassland based on pattern analysis method: A case study of the Mongolian Plateau

Global warming has led to severe land desertification on the Mongolian plateau. It puts great environmental pressure on vegetation communities. This pressure leads to fragmentation of land use and landscape patterns, thus triggering changes in the spatial distribution patterns of vegetation. The spatial distribution pattern of vegetation is crucial for the performance of its ecosystem services. However, there is not enough research on the relationship between large-scale spatial distribution patterns of vegetation and ecosystem services. Therefore, this study is to construct an ecological spatial network on the Mongolian Plateau based on landscape ecology and complex network theory. Combining pattern analysis methods to analyze the network, we obtained the spatial and temporal trends of forest and grass spatial distribution patterns from 2000 to 2100, and explored the relationship between the topological properties of source patches and ecosystem services in different patterns. It was found that there are four basic patterns of spatial distribution of forest and grass in the Mongolian Plateau. The Core-Linked Ring pattern accounts for 40.74 % and exhibits the highest stability. Under the SSP5-RCP8.5 scenario, source patches are reduced by 22.76 % in 2100. Topological indicators of source patches showed significant correlations with ecosystem services. For example, the CUE of grassland patches in the Centralized Star pattern was positively correlated with betweeness centrality. The most significant improvement in WUE after optimization is 19.90 % compared to pre-optimization. The conclusion of the study shows that the spatial distribution pattern of vegetation can be used to enhance the stability of ecological spatial network and improve ecosystem services at a larger scale. It can provide a certain reference for the study of spatial patterns of vegetation distribution in arid and semi-arid areas.

Improving grassland ecosystem services for human wellbeing in the karst desertification control area: Anthropogenic factors become more important

Elucidating the spatial and temporal patterns of grassland ecosystem service value (ESV) changes under different karst geomorphic types (KGTs) is crucial for promoting regional sustainable development and enhancing human well-being. Karst ecosystems are characterized by high spatial heterogeneity. However, analyses of the drivers of spatial and temporal changes in ESV in karst grasslands at multiple scales are lacking. In this study, the South China Karst (SCK) region was selected as the focus area, the gross ecosystem product (GEP) accounting method was used to quantify the grassland ESV from 2000 to 2020, and the GeoDetector model was used to elucidate the spatial and temporal evolution of the GEP, the drivers, and their interactions in different KGTs. The results indicate the following: (1) Over the past 20 years, the grassland GEP of SCK has increased from ¥ 14,844.24 × 108 in 2000 to ¥ 17,174.90 × 108 in 2020. Among the various KGTs, the karst gorge exhibited the fastest GEP increase (24.93 %) and karst hilly depressions the slowest (6.22 %). (2) The karst grassland GEP showed a strong positive spatial correlation with significant clustering characteristics (p < 0.05). (3) There are significant differences in the factors influencing the GEP of grasslands with different KGT values, and although they are generally influenced by factors such as NPP, precipitation, and population density, anthropogenic factors are becoming increasingly important. In addition, the multifactor interaction explained GEP better than the single factor. Based on our findings, we propose targeted grassland ESV restoration approaches and management recommendations for various KGTs dominated by distinct factors. Our results provide a scientific basis for decision-making regarding karst ecosystem service enhancement and value realization.

Effect of plant communities on bacterial and fungal communities in a Central European grassland

BackgroundGrasslands provide fundamental ecosystem services that are supported by their plant diversity. However, the importance of plant taxonomic diversity for the diversity of other taxa in grasslands remains poorly understood. Here, we studied the associations between plant communities, soil chemistry and soil microbiome in a wooded meadow of Čertoryje (White Carpathians, Czech Republic), a European hotspot of plant species diversity.ResultsHigh plant diversity was associated with treeless grassland areas with high primary productivity and high contents of soil nitrogen and organic carbon. In contrast, low plant diversity occurred in grasslands near solitary trees and forest edges. Fungal communities differed between low-diversity and high-diversity grasslands more strongly than bacterial communities, while the difference in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) depended on their location in soil versus plant roots. Compared to grasslands with low plant diversity, high-diversity plant communities had a higher diversity of fungi including soil AMF, a different fungal and soil AMF community composition and higher bacterial and soil AMF biomass. Root AMF composition differed only slightly between grasslands with low and high plant diversity. Trees dominated the belowground plant community in low-diversity grasslands, which influenced microbial diversity and composition.ConclusionsThe determinants of microbiome abundance and composition in grasslands are complex. Soil chemistry mainly influenced bacterial communities, while plant community type mainly affected fungal (including AMF) communities. Further studies on the functional roles of microbial communities are needed to understand plant-soil-microbe interactions and their involvement in grassland ecosystem services.

Reducing N fertilization in the framework of the European Farm to Fork strategy under global change: Impacts on yields, N2O emissions and N leaching of temperate grasslands in the Alpine region

ContextThe reduction of N fertilization in agriculture as part of the Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy plays a central role in the integrated nutrient management action plan of the European Commission. However, the implications of this strategy for mitigating N losses and possible side-effects on grassland yields under global change are largely unknow. ObjectiveWe examined how a 20% reduction in N fertilization according to the F2F strategy is likely to impact yields, N2O emissions and N leaching of four intensively managed temperate grasslands in the Alpine region, two of them located in Switzerland, the other two in Germany. MethodsFollowing automatic data-driven calibration supported by inverse modeling and a cross-validation step, the process-based model DayCent was used for conducting the analysis. Global change scenarios under the representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5 and a baseline scenario (current climate) were created for the time frame 2041–2060 with the help of the stochastic weather generator LARS-WG. Results and conclusionsOur results indicated that, under current conditions of climate and CO2 levels (400 ppm), a 20% decrease in N fertilization would lead to a 5% drop in yields, but also in a 15% decline in N2O emissions and a 21% decline in N leaching (largely as NO3−). Under global change conditions (i.e., climate change and higher atmospheric CO2 levels), we found that increased yields, mainly induced by higher CO2 levels, are likely to compensate for yield losses resulting from the reduction in N fertilization. In addition, we found that the effectiveness of the F2F strategy to mitigate N losses is likely to be preserved under global change, still with stronger effect on N leaching. The F2F-induced decline in N losses was stronger when the latter were expressed per unit of harvested dry matter, i.e., up to 17% for N2O and up to 42% for N leaching. Although significant, these abatements in N losses are still below the 50% reduction level envisaged by the F2F strategy. Actions related to other axes of the strategy (e.g., sustainable food consumption) will be necessary to further reduce N fertilization and, therefore, to reach this ambitious goal. SignificanceOur results highlight the usefulness of models in accounting for interacting effects of global change and mitigation practices on multiple ecosystem services of grasslands. They allow quantification of the impact of new policies.

Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Multispectral Sensors to Model Forage Yield for Grasses of Semiarid Landscapes

Forage yield estimates provide relevant information to manage and quantify ecosystem services in grasslands. We fitted and validated prediction models of forage yield for several prominent grasses used in restoration projects in semiarid areas. We used field forage harvests from three different sites in Northern Utah and Southern California, USA, in conjunction with multispectral, high-resolution UAV imagery. Different model structures were tested with simple models using a unique predictor, the forage volumetric 3D space, and more complex models, where RGB, red edge, and near-infrared spectral bands and associated vegetation indices were used as predictors. We found that for most dense canopy grasses, using a simple linear model structure could explain most (R2 0.7) of the variability of the response variable. This was not the case for sparse canopy grasses, where a full multispectral dataset and a non-parametric model approach (random forest) were required to obtain a maximum R2 of 0.53. We developed transparent protocols to model forage yield where, in most circumstances, acceptable results could be obtained with affordable RGB sensors and UAV platforms. This is important as users can obtain rapid estimates with inexpensive sensors for most of the grasses included in this study.

Impacts of land use and cover changes on ecosystem service values from 1992 to 2052 in Gena District, Southwest Ethiopia

Land use and cover changes alter the functions and structures of ecosystem, resulting in variations in Ecosystem Service Values (ESVs). Thus, we examined the impacts of land use/land cover (LULC) changes on ESVs from 1992 to 2052 using geospatial technologies. The Landsat images were classified using the supervised maximum likelihood classification technique, and future changes in LULC were predicted using the CA-Markov model. Ecosystem Service Values coefficients were adopted from empirical studies and ESVs changes were evaluated based on the benefit transfer method using LULC data for the study periods, with their corresponding modified ESVs coefficients. The results revealed that, the proportions of grassland, forestland and shrubland declined by 58.5 %, 48.15 % and 33.48 %, respectively, from 1992 to 2022. Simultaneously, the highest rate of expansions of waterbodies (34 times), farmland and settlement threefold as well as bareland (60.2 %) from 1992 to 2022 was noticed. As a result, decreasing trends were experienced in the total ESVs of the district from US$33.6 million in 1992 to US$27.79 million in 2022, and are anticipated to further decline to US$25.94 million in 2052. The ESVs of forestland, shrubland and grassland shrank from 53.1 %, 40 % and 2.78 % in 1992 to 33.28 %, 33.16 % and 1.4 % in 2022 these changes are anticipated to continue for the next three decades, except trend for the increase in grassland ecosystem service value. Therefore, the government should redesign effective land management strategies to alleviate the negative consequences of LULC changes, facilitate payment for ecosystem services, and design ecotourism to boost the income of residents for major land use management-based production systems to increase the ESV in the district.

A global meta-analysis on the effects of organic and inorganic fertilization on grasslands and croplands.

A central role for nature-based solution is to identify optimal management practices to address environmental challenges, including carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation. Inorganic fertilization increases plant aboveground biomass but often causes a tradeoff with plant diversity loss. It remains unclear, however, whether organic fertilization, as a potential nature-based solution, could alter this tradeoff by increasing aboveground biomass without plant diversity loss. Here we compile data from 537 experiments on organic and inorganic fertilization across grasslands and croplands worldwide to evaluate the responses of aboveground biomass, plant diversity, and soil organic carbon (SOC). Both organic and inorganic fertilization increase aboveground biomass by 56% and 42% relative to ambient, respectively. However, only inorganic fertilization decreases plant diversity, while organic fertilization increases plant diversity in grasslands with greater soil water content. Moreover, organic fertilization increases SOC in grasslands by 19% and 15% relative to ambient and inorganic fertilization, respectively. The positive effect of organic fertilization on SOC increases with increasing mean annual temperature in grasslands, a pattern not observed in croplands. Collectively, our findings highlight organic fertilization as a potential nature-based solution that can increase two ecosystem services of grasslands, forage production, and soil carbon storage, without a tradeoff in plant diversity loss.

Analysis of spatial-temporal variations of grassland gross ecosystem product based on machine learning algorithm and multi-source remote sensing data: A case study of Xilinhot, China

The Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP) of grassland ecosystems refers to the total value of the final products and services provided by the grassland of a particular region for human well-being each year. GEP serves as an important indicator for assessing the health of ecosystems. This study focused on Xilinhot, investigating the feasibility of integrating machine learning (ML) algorithms such as stepwise linear regression (SLR), random forest (RF), support vector regression (SVR), and k-nearest neighbor regression (KNN) with multi-source remote sensing data to model grassland GEP. Based on this, the study extracted the spatial-temporal variation characteristics and driving factors of GEP in the study area over the past 20 years. The results: (1) RF demonstrates significant predictive accuracy (R2=0.6409, RMSE=0.15), making it suitable for simulating grassland GEP in the study area. This underscores the potential of employing ML in conjunction with multi-source remote sensing data for grassland GEP estimation. (2) GEP exhibited a distribution pattern that gradually increased from the northwest to the southeast. Over time, there has been a consistent upward trend in GEP, peaking at 23.6 billion CNY in 2020. Among them, the proportion of the material and cultural service values increased annually, while the regulating service value remained stable. This indicates effective protection of the Xilinhot grassland ecosystem. (3) The driving force from climate change is greater than that from human activities, and it predominantly interacts with factors such as terrain and altitude, exerting significant effects on grassland ecosystems. This study can provide technical reference for the evaluation of grassland ecosystem services.

Recreation and its synergies and trade-offs with other ecosystem services of Alpine and pre-Alpine grasslands

Alpine and pre-Alpine grasslands provide numerous ecosystem services including provisioning services (e.g. fodder production), regulating services (e.g. soil erosion reduction), and cultural services (e.g. recreation). While intensively managed grasslands specifically target the production of fodder, more extensively used grasslands are known for being hotspots of biodiversity. However, there is a need to better understand the relationship among the supply of ecosystem services, specifically regarding the use of grasslands for cultural ecosystem services such as recreation. In this study, we investigated the synergies and trade-offs of ecosystem services and analyzed underlying variables related to the recreational use of grasslands. We investigated the supply of recreation (indicated by Photo-User-Days from geo-tagged photos on grasslands), fodder production (indicated by yield), and regulating and habitat ecosystem services (indicated by agri-environmental payments), and analyzed their relationship to management-related variables with a Redundancy Analysis. To better explain the recreational use of grasslands, we further analyzed how environmental and infrastructural features influence the occurrence of Photo-User-Days with a hurdle regression. Finally, we conducted spatial analyses to understand the distribution of Photo-User-Days in space. We found a weak but significant negative relationship between Photo-User-Days and yield, which implies that people slightly prefer extensive grassland to intensive grassland for recreation. Our results also show that agri-environmental schemes targeted towards extensive grassland management can positively influence the recreational use. Other factors, such as proximity to touristic features (e.g. castles), presence of infrastructural features (e.g. cable cars), and environmental characteristics (e.g. low share of croplands, distance to forests), also influenced the spatial distribution of photos on grasslands. The importance of these factors underscores the value of grasslands as a component of the cultural landscape for recreational purposes. These results also suggest that cultural ecosystem services of grasslands can be considered to be co-produced by natural, social, and infrastructural components. The study further discusses limitations to the explanatory power of geo-tagged photo analysis to determine the wide range of cultural ecosystem services of grasslands. We conclude that grasslands play an important role for recreation in (pre-)Alpine landscapes, which can also be effectively supported through targeted agri-environmental payments.

Connecting competitor, stress-tolerator and ruderal (CSR) theory and Lund Potsdam Jena managed Land 5 (LPJmL 5) to assess the role of environmental conditions, management and functional diversity for grassland ecosystem functions

Abstract. Forage offtake, leaf biomass and soil organic carbon storage are important ecosystem services of permanent grasslands, which are determined by climatic conditions, management and functional diversity. However, functional diversity is not independent of climate and management, and it is important to understand the role of functional diversity and these dependencies for ecosystem services of permanent grasslands, since functional diversity may play a key role in mediating impacts of changing conditions. Large-scale ecosystem models are used to assess ecosystem functions within a consistent framework for multiple climate and management scenarios. However, large-scale models of permanent grasslands rarely consider functional diversity. We implemented a representation of functional diversity based on the competitor, stress-tolerator and ruderal (CSR) theory and the global spectrum of plant form and function into the Lund Potsdam Jena managed Land (LPJmL) dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM) forming LPJmL-CSR. Using a Bayesian calibration method, we parameterised new plant functional types (PFTs) and used these to assess forage offtake, leaf biomass, soil organic carbon storage and community composition of three permanent grassland sites. These are a temperate grassland and a hot and a cold steppe for which we simulated several management scenarios with different defoliation intensities and resource limitations. LPJmL-CSR captured the grassland dynamics well under observed conditions and showed improved results for forage offtake, leaf biomass and/or soil organic carbon (SOC) compared to the original LPJmL 5 version at the three grassland sites. Furthermore, LPJmL-CSR was able to reproduce the trade-offs associated with the global spectrum of plant form and function, and similar strategies emerged independent of the site-specific conditions (e.g. the C and R PFTs were more resource exploitative than the S PFT). Under different resource limitations, we observed a shift in the community composition. At the hot steppe, for example, irrigation led to a more balanced community composition with similar C, S and R PFT shares of aboveground biomass. Our results show that LPJmL-CSR allows for explicit analysis of the adaptation of grassland vegetation to changing conditions while explicitly considering functional diversity. The implemented mechanisms and trade-offs are universally applicable, paving the way for large-scale application. Applying LPJmL-CSR for different climate change and functional diversity scenarios may generate a range of future grassland productivities.

Exploring the complex trade-offs and synergies of global ecosystem services

The trade-off and synergy relationship of ecosystem services is an important topic in the current assessment. The value of each service provided by the ecosystem is substantially affected by human activities, and conversely, its changes will also affect the relevant human decisions. Due to varying trade-offs among ecosystem services and synergies between them that can either increase or decrease, it is difficult to optimize multiple ecosystem services simultaneously, making it a huge challenge for ecosystem management. This study firstly develops a global Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP) accounting framework. It uses remote sensing data with a spatial resolution of 1 km to estimate the ecosystem services of forests, wetlands, grasslands, deserts, and farmlands in 179 major countries in 2018. The results show that the range of global GEP values is USD 112–197 trillion, with an average value of USD 155 trillion (the constant price), and the ratio of GEP to gross domestic product (GDP) is 1.85. The trade-offs and the synergies among different ecosystem services in each continent and income group have been further explored. We found a correspondence between the income levels and the synergy among ecosystem services within each nation. Among specific ecosystem services, there are strong synergies between oxygen release, climate regulation, and carbon sequestration services. A trade-off relationship has been observed between flood regulation and other services, such as water conservation and soil retention services in low-income countries. The results will help clarify the roles and the feedback mechanisms between different stakeholders and provide a scientific basis for optimizing ecosystem management and implementing ecological compensation schemes to enhance human well-being.

Realizing the value of grassland ecosystem services: global practice and its inspiration for the karst desertification control area

The conflict between grassland ecosystem conservation and economic development is an important but challenging question. Realizing the value of ecosystem services (ES) is considered to be a solution for the dual sustainability of ecology and economy. However, there is a lack of systematic understanding of value realization of grassland ES, especially in the karst desertification (KDC) area, which is still at an exploratory stage. We obtained 527 studies from 48 countries in the past 20 years through the Scopus database, and systematically reviewed the current understandings and practices by the content analysis method, and enlightened the inspiration for the grassland in the KDC area. Results showed that: (i) Over the past 20 years, the literature number showed a fluctuating growth trend, and the study areas are mainly concentrated in economically developed countries with rich grassland resources; (ii) Pathways such as grassland management and payment for ecosystem services (PES) are widely used to improve grassland ES and human well-being, and most studies have shown positive effects; (iii) Their performance is significantly impacted by stakeholders, governments, as well as the attributes of ES, and a path of government-led, stakeholder participation and market-oriented operation should be explored; and (iv) There are still some knowledge gaps, such as, uneven distribution of study areas, few effective pathways for realizing the public grassland ES value, and deficient linkage mechanisms of “grassland ES-industry development-economic system feedback-ecosystem protection,” and so on. Based on our findings, we not only make recommendations for the current dilemma of realizing the value of grassland ES, but also put forward the enlightenments to the grassland in the KDC area based on experiences and lessons learned from global practices. The results can provide theoretical guidance for the ecological protection and sustainable development of grasslands in fragile areas.

Plant biotype interacting grazing activity shapes grassland ecosystem functions

AbstractGrasslands play an essential role in maintaining the health of planet Earth, but many grasslands have lost their ecosystem services due to unsustainable management practices, such as overgrazing. Little is known about how grazing activity interacts with plant biotypes, impacting grassland ecosystem services. Here, we (1) assessed the relative performance of five plant biotypes in response to grazing activities and (2) determined the effectiveness of grazing exclusion in enhancing soil physiochemical properties in grasslands. The synthesis of 39,214 observations on plant‐, soil‐, and anthropogeny‐related factors from 88 published studies revealed that grazing exclusion increased aboveground plant biomass accumulation by 100.4% (±4.2 SE), belowground biomass by 70.2% (±25.7), total soil C content by 21.4% (±1.7), and soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration by 14.3% (±0.8), on average, as compared to moderate‐to‐heavy (MtH) grazing. Plant biotypes responded to grazing activities differently; alpine meadows increased total soil C content by 107.2%, alpine steppes increased SOC by 52.2%, but desert steppes decreased total C content by 21.8% under the grazing exclusion. All plant biotypes reduced soil bulk density by 6.4%–19.4% under grazing exclusion. Soil microbial community diversity responded to grazing activities inconsistently, ranging from an 18% decrease to a 26% increase in soil microbial diversity compared to MtH grazing. We conclude that selecting appropriate plant biotypes alongside improved grazing management will enhance grassland ecosystem functions and services as plant biotypes affect aboveground and belowground biomass and interface with soil physiochemical properties.

Activity budget and movement patterns of Brown Swiss and Alpine Grey lactating cows during summer grazing in alpine pastures

We used GPS tracking to monitor the grazing patterns of Brown Swiss and Alpine grey lactating cows on an alpine summer pasture (2038 m a.s.l.; SD = 146) in the Dolomites. The pasture (171 ha) was managed with a continuous grazing system (0.52 LU/ha) with morning and evening milking in the barn, guided grazing during the ‘day’, and free grazing at ‘night’. GPS positions were collected from 8 Brown Swiss multiparous and 9 Alpine Grey (4 primiparous and 5 multiparous) cows every two minutes. We inferred behaviours (grazing, resting, walking) from movement metrics, activity sensors and direct behavioural observations. After excluding milking periods, the cows grazed for 8 h/d, rested 10–11 h/d, and walked for 1.5/d. Grazing extended into late evening after milking, and resting prevailed throughout the ‘night’ until the morning milking. When grazing and resting, cows mainly used grasslands as the preferred habitat, but forest and sparse shrub were also used remarkably without consistent negative or positive selection. The pasture use was highly heterogeneous, with higher animal loads close to the barn, especially at night, and in areas with gentler slopes. Alpine Grey primiparous cows were less limited by slope and distance from the barn in their movement but were more selective in habitat use than multiparous cows. Differences between multiparous cows of the two breeds were less marked. Further studies should help understand the internal and external drivers of cattle grazing patterns to devise management practices combining animals’ productivity and welfare with the conservation of the grassland ecosystem services.

Light grazing intensity enhances ecosystem services in semi-arid grasslands through plant trait associations

Grasslands provide multiple ecosystem services (ESs) including provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services that are largely affected by livestock grazing. Linking plant functional traits (PFTs) to ecosystem processes and functions has attracted extensive ecological research to explore the responses and inter-relations of ecosystem services to environmental and management changes. However, little information is available on the links between PFTs and ESs in most ecosystems. We conducted a grazing experiment to investigate the response of PFTs at different levels, including in plant organs (leaves and stems), individual plants, and the overall community in a typical steppe region of Inner Mongolia. Additionally, we examined the effect of animal grazing at four intensities (nil, light, moderate, and heavy) and explored the dynamic interconnections between PFTs and ecosystem services in grasslands. Our analysis revealed that the highest total ecosystem service and provisioning service were achieved under light- and moderate-grazing treatments, respectively. Heavy grazing also increased provisioning service but with a large decline in regulating and total ecosystem services. These changes in ESs were closely associated with grazing-induced variations in PFTs. Compared to no grazing, light grazing increased plant size-related functional traits, such as height, leaf length, leaf area, stem length, and the ratio of stem length to diameter. In contrast, heavy grazing decreased these PFTs. Provisioning and regulating services were determined by plant above-ground community function and structural properties, while supporting service was jointly affected by the below-ground community and soil properties. Our results indicate that light grazing should be recommended for the best total ESs, although moderate grazing may lead to high short-term economic benefits. Moreover, PFTs are powerful indicators for provisioning and regulating services. These findings provide a valuable reference for developing effective management practices to achieve targeted ESs using PFTs as indicators.

The content of mineral nitrogen in a 0-30 cm soil layer as an indicator of ecosystem services: А case study of grasslands

Nitrogen’s role in agriculture lies in its mineral form, impacting plant availability and potential losses, with soil nitrogen content in grassy areas playing a vital role in ecosystem services like regulation and maintenance. The research aimed to evaluate these services using the mineral nitrogen indicator in the 0-30 cm soil layer, and to establish the link between their biophysical and financial values. This was done considering usage type, soil type, and corn as an alternative feed for ruminants. Services were assessed across 1,540 points in permanent green areas (meadows, pastures, alternating), grass cultivation areas (short-term), and corn fields. The study affirmed the significant contribution of grasslands to ecosystem services, evaluated through the “content of Nmin in a 0-30 cm” soil layer, which exhibited variations based on usage, type, and regional distinctions. The highest biophysical and monetary values of ecosystem services were found in grasslands designated for meadow use, while the lowest accumulation of Nmin in the 0-30 cm layer, thus impacting the scope of environmental services was observed in mineral soils subjected to short-term alternating crop cultivation (55.2 kg⸱ha-1) and corn cultivation (70.9 kg⸱ha-1). Across various usage methods and soil types, the region characterized by intensified livestock production, the Podlaskie Province displayed the highest biophysical and monetary values for grassland ecosystem services compared to the other provinces under study. In contrast, the remaining provinces exhibited comparatively lower values in this regard. The provided monetary value, based on current nitrogen fertilizer costs and grassland/corn extent, can universally gauge ecosystem service worth from fodder plants across farms, regions, and nations

Research Progress on Grassland Eco-Assets and Eco-Products and Its Implications for the Enhancement of Ecosystem Service Function of Karst Desertification Control

Grasslands in karst ecological fragile areas can effectively mitigate climate change, conserve biodiversity, maintain human well-being, and play a significant role in improving the health of regional ecosystems and farmers’ livelihoods. Thus, the study of grassland ecological assets and ecological products comprehensively examines their effects on grassland ecosystem services based on the traditional paradigm. This procedure is crucial from a strategic perspective for rebuilding damaged grassland ecosystems in karst regions, strengthening the efficacy of desertification control, and encouraging sustainable economic growth. In this review, 143 pertinent works on grassland ecological assets and ecological products are numerically and qualitatively analyzed. The findings demonstrated the following: (i) After 2012, there was an exponential increase in the number of studies. The most frequently researched topics were ecological assets, functional enhancement, and service management contents, accounting for 82.09% of the total literature; the research regions were primarily distributed in Asia and North America. (ii) The research patterns were slowly diversifying and becoming more interdisciplinary. (iii) There are five key scientific issues to be addressed in the research on grassland ecosystems and we summarize the main developments and landmark achievements. (iv) There is an intrinsic relationship between grassland ecological assets, ecological products, and desertification control, and we propose insights into the enhancement of karst grassland ecosystem service functions based on three perspectives: fragile environment, trade-off synergy, and service management. This study provides valuable insights for the development of regional ecological livestock and the scientific promotion of integrated desertification control.