A global meta‐analysis of grazing effects on soil seed banks

Bibliographic Data

ID21647697
AuthorsYa‐Fei Shi (0000-0001-6265-2141, Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou PR China, corresponding author), Shanheng Shi (China Agricultural University), Shan‐Heng Shi (College of Agronomy and Biotechnology China Agricultural University Beijing PR China), Xiaomin Huang (0000-0001-8040-511X, Yangzhou University, corresponding author), Xiao‐Min Huang (Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Cultivation and Physiology, Agricultural College Yangzhou University Yangzhou PR China), Yingsha Jiang (0000-0002-1567-2374, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Ying‐Sha Jiang (Key Laboratory of Land Surface Process and Climate Change in Cold and Arid Regions, Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou PR China), Jia Liu (0000-0002-9209-1215, Arid Land Research Center Tottori University Tottori Japan), Yang Zhao (0000-0003-4913-8505, Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou PR China), Zhi‐Shan Zhang (0000-0003-0731-0354, Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou PR China)
Year2022
Volume33
Issue11
Pages1892-1900
Publication date2022-07-15
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLand Degradation and Development (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1085-3278 • E-ISSN: 1099-145X
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ldr.4271
OpenAlexW4220691088
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited47

Livestock grazing is a major disturbance affecting plant diversity and abundance in terrestrial ecosystems. The intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH) predicts that moderate‐intensity grazing should produce the highest species diversity, while the Milchunas‐Sala‐Lauenroth (MSL) model posits that the IDH is valid only for mesic areas. However, it remains unclear how grazing affects soil seed bank and whether or not the IDH or MSL models are valid for soil seed bank communities. Here, we presented a global meta‐analysis synthesizing 483 observations: we found that grazing had a negative effect on soil seed bank abundance, but did not alter seed bank richness or the compositional similarity between the soil seed bank and the aboveground vegetation. Further refining the analysis, light‐intensity grazing was found to increase seed bank richness, while moderate‐intensity grazing had no effect, and heavy‐intensity grazing had a negative effect. Additionally, for both arid and mesic areas, soil seed bank richness declined with grazing intensity increased. Overall, grazing effects on soil seed banks differed from expectations set by studies of aboveground vegetation. Our study provides key insights for policy‐makers managing livestock grazing and grassland conservation

Agroforestry · Agronomy · Biology · Conservation grazing · Ecosystem · Grassland · Grazing · Grazing pressure · Soil seed bank · Species richness · Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies · Environmental Science · Plant and animal studies · Rangeland and Wildlife Management · Ecology

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