Abstract/Details

Spatial patterns of vegetation and soil fertility along a grazing gradient in a desert steppe in Inner Mongolia, China

Lin, Yang.   University of Alberta (Canada) ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  2010. MR56661.

Abstract (summary)

Spatial heterogeneities of vegetation and soil can strongly affect ecological processes in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. However, little is known about how those spatial patterns respond to grazing intensity in such systems. I studied how grazing intensity affect the spatial patterns of vegetation and soil nutrients at scales ranging from 0.1 to 18.7 m in a desert steppe in Inner Mongolia, China. Vegetation patches were more fragmented and homogeneous under higher grazing pressure. Heavy grazing also destroyed the spatial aggregation of plant species richness. Spatial heterogeneity of soil water and organic matter contents decreased along the gradient of increasing grazing intensity, while that of soil mineral N was first increased and then decreased along the grazing gradient. Both percent plant cover and power-law modeling could be used to indicate the risk of desertification associated with increasing grazing pressure.

Indexing (details)


Subject
Ecology;
Range management;
Land use planning
Classification
0329: Ecology
0536: Land Use Planning
0777: Range management
Identifier / keyword
Social sciences; Biological sciences
Title
Spatial patterns of vegetation and soil fertility along a grazing gradient in a desert steppe in Inner Mongolia, China
Author
Lin, Yang
Number of pages
104
Degree date
2010
School code
0351
Source
MAI 48/04M, Masters Abstracts International
Place of publication
Ann Arbor
Country of publication
United States
ISBN
978-0-494-56661-9
University/institution
University of Alberta (Canada)
University location
Canada -- Alberta, CA
Degree
M.Sc.
Source type
Dissertation or Thesis
Language
English
Document type
Dissertation/Thesis
Dissertation/thesis number
MR56661
ProQuest document ID
305221679
Copyright
Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works.
Document URL
https://www.proquest.com/docview/305221679