Short-term effect of mowing winter pastures of Gansu wapiti on forage regeneration

The study investigated the short-term effect of mowing winter pastures of deer (Cervus elaphus kansuens) on pasture productivity and community characteristics during the best growth period, under different stocking rates (1.00, 1.45, 2.45, 3.45, 4.85, and 6.90 AUM·hm-2). We found that: 1) in mowed pastures, species richness increased with increasing stocking rate up to 4.85 AUM·hm-2 and mowing significantly increased the above-ground biomass. 2) In the mowed pastures, compensation index values indicated greater plant height and above-ground biomass. Highest compensation index was observed in the pastures grazed at 3.45 and 6.90 AUM·hm-2, respectively. The effects of stocking rates on compensation index varied with differences in the dominant plant species. 3) Simpson's dominance and Pielou's evenness indices for mowed pastures were generally higher in heavily grazed pastures. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index of mowed pastures increased with increasing stocking rates up to 4.85 AUM·hm-2, and the difference owing to mowing of pastures at all stocking rates, except at 4.85 AUM·hm-2, were significant. 4) We observed variation in responses among plant functional groups to pasture mowing under different stocking rates. Therefore, we suggest that stocking rates should be considered when winter pastures are mowed for maximizing production potential and maintaining the stability of community structure.