Impacts of grazing on species diversity among different plant communities on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau
The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau is a region with rich biodiversity and fragile ecosystems, and its plant species diversity is greatly affected by grazing activities. In this study, we aimed to explore the impact of grazing on the diversity of different plant communities on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. To th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2025.1560323/full |
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| author | Yu-Qi Ma Yu-Qi Ma Chun-Jing Wang Chun-Jing Wang De-Chao Chen De-Chao Chen Dong-Zhou Deng Dong-Zhou Deng Wu-Xian Yan Wu-Xian Yan Jing-Yu Yang Jing-Yu Yang Ji-Zhong Wan |
| author_facet | Yu-Qi Ma Yu-Qi Ma Chun-Jing Wang Chun-Jing Wang De-Chao Chen De-Chao Chen Dong-Zhou Deng Dong-Zhou Deng Wu-Xian Yan Wu-Xian Yan Jing-Yu Yang Jing-Yu Yang Ji-Zhong Wan |
| author_sort | Yu-Qi Ma |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau is a region with rich biodiversity and fragile ecosystems, and its plant species diversity is greatly affected by grazing activities. In this study, we aimed to explore the impact of grazing on the diversity of different plant communities on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. To this end, we collected grazing and vegetation data for the period of 1982–2015; calculated the grazing, Shannon–Wiener diversity, inverse Simpson’s, and Pielou’s evenness indices along with species richness; and conducted correlation and regression analyses. The results show that the grazing index was positively correlated with the richness of grassland plant communities, and in particular, there were significant relationships between the variance and maximum value of the grazing data and plant species richness. However, no significant correlations were found between the grazing index and diversity indices in shrub land and desert plant communities. Moderate grazing promotes the renewal and growth of grassland vegetation and increases plant species diversity. Therefore, grazing management plans should be developed based on specific ecological environments to achieve sustainable ecosystem development and to protect species diversity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d0ed4069efa44d75bb495fda02b5ce7d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2296-665X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-d0ed4069efa44d75bb495fda02b5ce7d2025-08-20T04:01:58ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Environmental Science2296-665X2025-08-011310.3389/fenvs.2025.15603231560323Impacts of grazing on species diversity among different plant communities on the Qinghai–Tibet PlateauYu-Qi Ma0Yu-Qi Ma1Chun-Jing Wang2Chun-Jing Wang3De-Chao Chen4De-Chao Chen5Dong-Zhou Deng6Dong-Zhou Deng7Wu-Xian Yan8Wu-Xian Yan9Jing-Yu Yang10Jing-Yu Yang11Ji-Zhong Wan12Sichuan Academy of Forestry, Chengdu, ChinaCollege of Life Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, ChinaSichuan Academy of Forestry, Chengdu, ChinaSichuan Provincial Forestry and Grassland Key Laboratory of Combating Desertilicatlon, Chengdu, ChinaSichuan Academy of Forestry, Chengdu, ChinaSichuan Provincial Forestry and Grassland Key Laboratory of Combating Desertilicatlon, Chengdu, ChinaSichuan Academy of Forestry, Chengdu, ChinaSichuan Provincial Forestry and Grassland Key Laboratory of Combating Desertilicatlon, Chengdu, ChinaSichuan Academy of Forestry, Chengdu, ChinaSichuan Provincial Forestry and Grassland Key Laboratory of Combating Desertilicatlon, Chengdu, ChinaSichuan Academy of Forestry, Chengdu, ChinaSichuan Provincial Forestry and Grassland Key Laboratory of Combating Desertilicatlon, Chengdu, ChinaKey Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, ChinaThe Qinghai–Tibet Plateau is a region with rich biodiversity and fragile ecosystems, and its plant species diversity is greatly affected by grazing activities. In this study, we aimed to explore the impact of grazing on the diversity of different plant communities on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. To this end, we collected grazing and vegetation data for the period of 1982–2015; calculated the grazing, Shannon–Wiener diversity, inverse Simpson’s, and Pielou’s evenness indices along with species richness; and conducted correlation and regression analyses. The results show that the grazing index was positively correlated with the richness of grassland plant communities, and in particular, there were significant relationships between the variance and maximum value of the grazing data and plant species richness. However, no significant correlations were found between the grazing index and diversity indices in shrub land and desert plant communities. Moderate grazing promotes the renewal and growth of grassland vegetation and increases plant species diversity. Therefore, grazing management plans should be developed based on specific ecological environments to achieve sustainable ecosystem development and to protect species diversity.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2025.1560323/fullChinagrazingplant communitiesQinghai-Tibet Plateauspecies diversityvegetation type |
| spellingShingle | Yu-Qi Ma Yu-Qi Ma Chun-Jing Wang Chun-Jing Wang De-Chao Chen De-Chao Chen Dong-Zhou Deng Dong-Zhou Deng Wu-Xian Yan Wu-Xian Yan Jing-Yu Yang Jing-Yu Yang Ji-Zhong Wan Impacts of grazing on species diversity among different plant communities on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau Frontiers in Environmental Science China grazing plant communities Qinghai-Tibet Plateau species diversity vegetation type |
| title | Impacts of grazing on species diversity among different plant communities on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau |
| title_full | Impacts of grazing on species diversity among different plant communities on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau |
| title_fullStr | Impacts of grazing on species diversity among different plant communities on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impacts of grazing on species diversity among different plant communities on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau |
| title_short | Impacts of grazing on species diversity among different plant communities on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau |
| title_sort | impacts of grazing on species diversity among different plant communities on the qinghai tibet plateau |
| topic | China grazing plant communities Qinghai-Tibet Plateau species diversity vegetation type |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2025.1560323/full |
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