Effects of different grazing intensities on the soil seed bank in an alpine meadow
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Abstract
Using the alpine meadow of Guinan County, Qinghai Province as the research object, we combined an aboveground vegetation survey and an indoor germination test to study the characteristics of the soil seed bank and its relationship with the aboveground vegetation and soil physicochemical properties under different grazing intensities. We explored these relationships in order to provide a scientific reference for vegetation restoration and grassland management in alpine regions. The results showed that: 1) With an increase in grazing intensity, the soil seed bank density showed a “single hump” trend. 2) Regardless of grazing intensity, the seeds were mainly concentrated in the 0-5 cm of topsoil, and decreased with increasing depth in the soil layer. 3) The similarity between the soil seed bank and the aboveground vegetation in the alpine meadow was generally low. In the moderate grazing plots, forbs were dominant, the community species diversity increased, and similarity was relatively high. In the prohibited grazing plots, the populations tended to be balanced and the litter layer was thicker, with the lowest similarity. 4) After grazing disturbance, the height of the plant community decreased overall, aboveground vegetation cover increased, and seed bank density increased; the higher phosphorus content level was not conducive to seed storage. In conclusion, moderate grazing disturbance in alpine meadows is conducive to maintaining the species diversity of the grassland community, improving the seed storage in the seed bank, and promoting the renewal and establishment of vegetation, thus maintaining the stability of the grassland ecosystem.
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