Karst grassland forage quality and its determinants in Guizhou Province of Southwest China
Forage quality is a key property of grassland ecosystems. In this study, grassland forage qualities were measured at 373 sampling sites throughout Guizhou Province in the karst mountain region of Southwest China, and the factors affecting it were explored. The forage quality level of most plant spec...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
PeerJ Inc.
2023-05-01
|
| Series: | PeerJ |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/15323.pdf |
| _version_ | 1827599382798663680 |
|---|---|
| author | Dengming He Baocheng Jin Xuechun Zhao Hua Cheng Chao Chen Huanhuan Wang Jinping Zhang Yaoyao Zhang Qin Yang Kun Liu Min Han Zhongcai Li Jing Peng |
| author_facet | Dengming He Baocheng Jin Xuechun Zhao Hua Cheng Chao Chen Huanhuan Wang Jinping Zhang Yaoyao Zhang Qin Yang Kun Liu Min Han Zhongcai Li Jing Peng |
| author_sort | Dengming He |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Forage quality is a key property of grassland ecosystems. In this study, grassland forage qualities were measured at 373 sampling sites throughout Guizhou Province in the karst mountain region of Southwest China, and the factors affecting it were explored. The forage quality level of most plant species was categorized into four levels: (1) preferred forage species; (2) desirable forage species; (3) consumed but undesirable forage species; and (4) non-consumable or toxic forage species. High temperature and precipitation appeared to facilitate the growth of preferred forage species, but limited the growth of other plants. Increasing soil pH had a positive impact on the number and biomass of preferred forage plants, but a negative influence on other plants, especially non-consumable or toxic plants. Both GDP and population density had a positive correlation with the number and biomass of preferred forage species, while such correlations for other levels of forage species tended to be negative. Grazing could lead to a decrease in the preferred forage species. Therefore, it is suggested that by focusing on soil improvement in grassland and maintaining an appropriate grazing intensity, global warming and rapid economic growth in Guizhou Province will likely contribute to increase the forage quality of karst grasslands in Southwest China. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:11:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bb140812e90e4893921b24684b98051b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:11:58Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-bb140812e90e4893921b24684b98051b2023-12-03T13:59:13ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592023-05-0111e1532310.7717/peerj.15323Karst grassland forage quality and its determinants in Guizhou Province of Southwest ChinaDengming He0Baocheng Jin1Xuechun Zhao2Hua Cheng3Chao Chen4Huanhuan Wang5Jinping Zhang6Yaoyao Zhang7Qin Yang8Kun Liu9Min Han10Zhongcai Li11Jing Peng12College of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, ChinaCollege of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, ChinaCollege of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, ChinaSchool of Tourism, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan, ChinaCollege of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, ChinaCollege of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, ChinaCollege of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, ChinaCollege of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, ChinaCollege of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, ChinaCollege of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, ChinaGuizhou Institute of Natural Resources Survey and Planning, Guizhou Department of Natural Resources, Guiyang, Guizhou, ChinaGuizhou Institute of Natural Resources Survey and Planning, Guizhou Department of Natural Resources, Guiyang, Guizhou, ChinaGuizhou Institute of Natural Resources Survey and Planning, Guizhou Department of Natural Resources, Guiyang, Guizhou, ChinaForage quality is a key property of grassland ecosystems. In this study, grassland forage qualities were measured at 373 sampling sites throughout Guizhou Province in the karst mountain region of Southwest China, and the factors affecting it were explored. The forage quality level of most plant species was categorized into four levels: (1) preferred forage species; (2) desirable forage species; (3) consumed but undesirable forage species; and (4) non-consumable or toxic forage species. High temperature and precipitation appeared to facilitate the growth of preferred forage species, but limited the growth of other plants. Increasing soil pH had a positive impact on the number and biomass of preferred forage plants, but a negative influence on other plants, especially non-consumable or toxic plants. Both GDP and population density had a positive correlation with the number and biomass of preferred forage species, while such correlations for other levels of forage species tended to be negative. Grazing could lead to a decrease in the preferred forage species. Therefore, it is suggested that by focusing on soil improvement in grassland and maintaining an appropriate grazing intensity, global warming and rapid economic growth in Guizhou Province will likely contribute to increase the forage quality of karst grasslands in Southwest China.https://peerj.com/articles/15323.pdfBiodiversity Climate change Grazing Nutrient-dilution effect Karst |
| spellingShingle | Dengming He Baocheng Jin Xuechun Zhao Hua Cheng Chao Chen Huanhuan Wang Jinping Zhang Yaoyao Zhang Qin Yang Kun Liu Min Han Zhongcai Li Jing Peng Karst grassland forage quality and its determinants in Guizhou Province of Southwest China PeerJ Biodiversity Climate change Grazing Nutrient-dilution effect Karst |
| title | Karst grassland forage quality and its determinants in Guizhou Province of Southwest China |
| title_full | Karst grassland forage quality and its determinants in Guizhou Province of Southwest China |
| title_fullStr | Karst grassland forage quality and its determinants in Guizhou Province of Southwest China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Karst grassland forage quality and its determinants in Guizhou Province of Southwest China |
| title_short | Karst grassland forage quality and its determinants in Guizhou Province of Southwest China |
| title_sort | karst grassland forage quality and its determinants in guizhou province of southwest china |
| topic | Biodiversity Climate change Grazing Nutrient-dilution effect Karst |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/15323.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dengminghe karstgrasslandforagequalityanditsdeterminantsinguizhouprovinceofsouthwestchina AT baochengjin karstgrasslandforagequalityanditsdeterminantsinguizhouprovinceofsouthwestchina AT xuechunzhao karstgrasslandforagequalityanditsdeterminantsinguizhouprovinceofsouthwestchina AT huacheng karstgrasslandforagequalityanditsdeterminantsinguizhouprovinceofsouthwestchina AT chaochen karstgrasslandforagequalityanditsdeterminantsinguizhouprovinceofsouthwestchina AT huanhuanwang karstgrasslandforagequalityanditsdeterminantsinguizhouprovinceofsouthwestchina AT jinpingzhang karstgrasslandforagequalityanditsdeterminantsinguizhouprovinceofsouthwestchina AT yaoyaozhang karstgrasslandforagequalityanditsdeterminantsinguizhouprovinceofsouthwestchina AT qinyang karstgrasslandforagequalityanditsdeterminantsinguizhouprovinceofsouthwestchina AT kunliu karstgrasslandforagequalityanditsdeterminantsinguizhouprovinceofsouthwestchina AT minhan karstgrasslandforagequalityanditsdeterminantsinguizhouprovinceofsouthwestchina AT zhongcaili karstgrasslandforagequalityanditsdeterminantsinguizhouprovinceofsouthwestchina AT jingpeng karstgrasslandforagequalityanditsdeterminantsinguizhouprovinceofsouthwestchina |