Search results for "grassland management"
showing 4 items of 4 documents
Long-term annual burning of grassland increases CO2 emissions from soils.
2016
7 pages; International audience; Grasslands have potential to mitigate against climate change because of their large capacity to store soil organic carbon (SOC). However, the long-term impact of grassland management such as burning, which is still common in many areas of the world, on SOC is still a matter of debate. The objective of this study was to quantify the long-term effects of annual burning on CO2 output from soils and SOC stocks. The study was performed on a 62 years old field trial comparing annual burning (AB) to no burning associated with tree encroachment (NB), and to annual mowing (AM) with all treatments laid out in randomized block design with three replicates per treatment…
Effects of mowing on fungal endophytes and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in subalpine grasslands
2013
International audience; In French subalpine grasslands, cessation of mowing promotes dominance of Festuca paniculata, which alters plant diversity and ecosystem functioning. One of the mechanisms underpinning such effects may be linked to simultaneous changes in the abundance of fungal symbionts such as endophytes and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. In field conditions, mowing reduced the abundance of the endophyte Neotyphodium sp. in leaves of F. paniculata by a factor of 6, and increased mycorrhizal densities by a factor of 15 in the soil. In greenhouse experiments, the mycorrhizal colonization of Trifolium pratense and Allium porrum increased 3- fold and 3.8- fold respectively in mown vs u…
Grassland fire effect on soil organic carbon reservoirs in a semiarid environment
2013
Abstract. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of an experimental fire used for grassland management on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. The study was carried out on Hyparrhenia hirta (L.) Stapf (Hh) grassland and Ampelodesmos mauritanicus (Desf.) T. Durand & Schinz (Am) grasslands located in the north of Sicily. Soil samples were collected at 0–5 cm before and after the experimental fire, and SOC was measured. During the grassland fire, soil surface temperature was monitored. Biomass of both grasses was analysed in order to determine dry weight and its chemical composition. The results showed that SOC varied significantly with vegetation type, while it is not affecte…
Grassland fire effect on soil organic carbon reservoirs in semiarid environment.
2011
The effect of fire on soil organic matter content is highly variable and depends on several factors including fire intensity, soil type and nature of burned material. Grassland in semiarid environment are often managed by shepherds with annual burning in order to enhance pasture recovery. The aim of this work was investigating the effect of fire as grassland management tool on soil organic carbon (SOC) reservoirs and on post-fire plant recovery. The study was conducted on Hyparrenia hirta grassland and Ampelodesma mauritanicus grassland, located in the Province of Palermo, in the north of Sicily. Soil samples were collected at two depth (0-5 and 5-20 cm) before and after experimental fire a…