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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Soil Sci.
Sec. Soil Biogeochemistry & Nutrient Cycling
Volume 4 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fsoil.2024.1525837

Effects of grazing on alpine grassland soil available nutrients across the Tibetan Plateau

Provisionally accepted
Zhou Tongyong Zhou Tongyong 1Zhou Tongyong Zhou Tongyong 2Yangong Du Yangong Du 3*
  • 1 Qinghai Institute of Technology, Xining, Qinghai Province, China
  • 2 Qinghai Normal University, Xining, Qinghai Province, China
  • 3 Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Xining, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau are increasingly affected by grazing, resulting in complex changes in soil nutrient availability. This meta-analysis evaluates the effects of different grazing intensities on soil available nitrogen (AN), phosphorus (AP), and potassium (AK), and identifies key environmental drivers. Results show that grazing significantly increased AN by 11.9% and reduced AK by 14.5%, while its impact on AP was negligible. Light grazing (LG) and moderate grazing (MG) both significantly enhanced AN, with increases of 6.88% and 17.90%, respectively, whereas heavy grazing (HG) reduced AN by 1.52%. LG and MG also positively affected AP, whereas HG caused a substantial decline of 11.04%. In terms of AK, LG led to a slight increase (2.05%), but MG and HG both caused significant reductions of 11.01% and 10.35%, respectively. Temperature emerged as a critical factor, reducing AN and increasing AK, highlighting its importance under climate change scenarios. These findings emphasize that grazing intensity plays a pivotal role in regulating soil nutrient levels, with LG showing the most consistent positive effects on nutrient availability. Thus, managing grazing intensity, particularly favoring light grazing, is crucial to maintaining soil fertility and supporting the long-term productivity of alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau.

    Keywords: nutrient cycling, ecosystem management, Available nitrogen, Grazing intensity, alpine meadows

    Received: 10 Nov 2024; Accepted: 13 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Tongyong, Tongyong and Du. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Yangong Du, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Xining, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.