Grazing activity increases decomposition of yak dung and litter in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau

Simple item page
dc.citation.issue1-2
dc.citation.volume444
dc.contributor.authorYang C
dc.contributor.authorZhang Y
dc.contributor.authorHou F
dc.contributor.authorMillner JP
dc.contributor.authorWang Z
dc.contributor.authorChang S
dc.contributor.editorShang Z
dc.date.accessioned2024-07-31T20:25:13Z
dc.date.available2024-07-31T20:25:13Z
dc.date.issued2019-11
dc.description.abstractAims: This study investigated the influences of herbivore grazing intensity and grazing season on decomposition and nutrient release of dung and litter, which aimed to improve our understandings of grazing affecting nutrient cycling in alpine meadows on the Qinghai-Tibetan Platean. Methods: A factorial design experiment comprising 3 grazing intensities (non-grazing, moderate grazing, and heavy grazing) and 2 grazing seasons (summer and winter), was applied to quantify the decomposition and chemistry of dung and litter in an alpine pasture using the litterbag technique. Litterbags were retrieved for analysis of mass loss and nutrient release with 180, 360, 540, and 720 days after placement. Results: Grazing activity accelerated the decomposition of dung and litter and increased nutrient release from dung and litter by increasing soil temperature compared with non-grazing pastures, whereas grazing season had no effect on decomposition. The decomposition time was shorter for dung than that for litter. Conclusions: Herbivores grazing benefited dung and litter decomposition and nutrient cycling directly by increasing soil temperature, which is likely to promote soil microbial activity due to low temperatures in alpine meadows, and indirectly through herbage ingestion and dung deposition which increase the organic debris concentration used for microorganisms growth and reproduction. This study provides insights into the mechanisms of grazing regulating nutrient cycling in alpine ecosystems.
dc.description.confidentialfalse
dc.edition.editionNovember 2019
dc.format.pagination239-250
dc.identifier.citationYang C, Zhang Y, Hou F, Millner JP, Wang Z, Chang S. (2019). Grazing activity increases decomposition of yak dung and litter in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. Plant and Soil. 444. 1-2. (pp. 239-250).
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s11104-019-04272-x
dc.identifier.eissn1573-5036
dc.identifier.elements-typejournal-article
dc.identifier.issn0032-079X
dc.identifier.piis11104-019-04272-x
dc.identifier.urihttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/71177
dc.languageEnglish
dc.publisherSpringer Nature Switzerland AG on behalf of the Royal Netherlands Society of Agricultural Science
dc.publisher.urihttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11104-019-04272-x
dc.relation.isPartOfPlant and Soil
dc.rights(c) 2024 The Author/s
dc.rightsCC BY 4.0
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectOrganic matter
dc.subjectYak
dc.subjectGrazing activity
dc.subjectAlpine meadow
dc.subjectDecomposition
dc.titleGrazing activity increases decomposition of yak dung and litter in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau
dc.typeJournal article
massey.identifier.uri-duplicatehttps://hdl.handle.net/10179/15169
pubs.elements-id444163
pubs.organisational-groupOther
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Published version.pdf
Size:
7.01 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
444163 PDF.pdf
Download
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Evidence.docx
Size:
1.51 MB
Format:
Microsoft Word XML
Description:
11104_2019_4272_MOESM1_ESM.docx
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
9.22 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download
Collections
Journal Articles