Abstract
Maintenance of a desirable mixture of shrubs and grasses is a key issue
in sustainable grazing management. The aim of this study was to explore
the effect of long-term sheep grazing on desert steppe shrubs. Based on
a long-term controlled sheep stocking rate experiment in a desert steppe
of north China, combined with long-term random sampling monitoring of
above-ground vegetation standing crop (14 years) and short-term
systematic sampling monitoring of vegetation cover and individual
characteristics of shrubs (3 years), we analyzed plant community
changes, the current situation of shrubs and the response of individual
shrub characteristics to stocking rate. We found that low stocking rates
have increased the cumulative above-ground standing crop of shrubs and
herbaceous plants, but the cumulative above-ground standing crop of
shrubs under high grazing rates tends to be flat. The cover and height
of four shrub species generally showed a decrease with increasing
stocking rate, while the response of the four shrubs to the stocking
rate gradient varied. Among four shrub species, Artemisia frigida was
the most sensitive to stocking rate, followed by Ceratoides latens and
Caragana microphylla, while Kochia prostrata was relatively insensitive
to stocking rate. These results suggest that grassland managers can use
an appropriate stocking rate to maintain desirable plant community
composition and configuration in the temperate grassland.