Responses of photosynthetic characteristics of Stipa baicalensis to grazing disturbance

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1258.2013.00054

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Our objective was to evaluate (a) the impact of livestock grazing disturbance on physiological traits of Stipa baicalensis and (b) the adaptive mechanisms that S. baicalensis employed.
Methods We investigated the diurnal variations of photosynthetic characteristics, water relations, light energy utilization, photosynthetic apparatus activity and osmotic regulation of S. baicalensis growing in both grazing and enclosed grassland of Hulun Buir, Inner Mongolia.
Important findings Both ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RUBPCase) and chlorophyll content increased and the direction of electronic chain was altered with grazing, which is beneficial for S. baicalensis to cope with the impact of grazing disturbance by accumulating more assimilates. The midday depression of photosynthesis of S. baicalensis in the enclosed grassland resulted from the decline of RUBPCase carboxylation capacity, which is due to the absence of P. The photochemical quenching (q_P) of S. baicalensis in the grazed grassland is higher, which reflects that it tended to use more absorbed solar energy to improve photosynthetic capacity, which was adaptive to the effects of grazing. Lower leaf water content of S. baicalensis in the grazed field led to the increase of osmotic regulating substances for obtaining sufficient water from the soil. In addition, grazing disturbance promoted the absorption and utilization of N by S. baicalensis. Negative correlation of leaf mass per area (LAM) with photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency (PNUE) and photosynthetic phosphorus-use efficiency (PPNE) was observed in the S. baicalensis in both grasslands. Our research demonstrated that various ecophysiological mechanisms were employed by S. baicalensis as adaptive to grazing.

Key words: fluorescence characteristics, grazing disturbance, photosynthetic characteristics, Stipa baicalensis, water relation

YAN Xin,GONG Ji-Rui,ZHANG Zi-Yu,HUANG Yong-Mei,AN Ran,QI Yu,LIU Min. Responses of photosynthetic characteristics of Stipa baicalensis to grazing disturbance[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2013, 37(6): 530-541.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.3724/SP.J.1258.2013.00054

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2013/V37/I6/530

Figures/Tables 10

Table 1 Main species composition of two grasslands

围封样地 Enclosed grassland	放牧样地 Grazing grassland
狼针草 Stipa baicalensis 羊草 Leymus chinensis 冷蒿 Artemisia frigida 柄状薹草 Carex pediformis 糙隐子草 Cleistogenes squarrosa 裂叶蒿 Artemisia tanacetifolia 草地早熟禾 Poa pratensis 阿尔泰狗娃花 Heteropappus altaicus	狼针草 Stipa baicalensis 羊草 Leymus chinensis 冷蒿 Artemisia frigida 宽叶薹草 Carex siderosticta 细叶白头翁 Pulsatilla turczaninovii 裂叶蒿 Artemisia tanacetifoli 长柱沙参 Adenophora stenanthina 柄状薹草 Carex pediformis

Table 2 Plant community distribution of two grasslands (mean ± SE, n = 4)

样地 Field type	平均高度 Average height (cm)	生物量 Biomass (g)	盖度 Coverage (%)
围封样地 Enclosed grassland	26.92 ± 0.1	237.500 ± 0.09	81.65 ± 0.06
放牧样地 Grazing grassland	10.46 ± 0.1	99.962 ± 0.16	71.24 ± 0.02

Fig. 1 Diurnal variations of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and air temperature in enclosed and grazing grassland (mean ± SE).

Table 3 Soil water content of enclosed and grazing grassland (mean ± SE, n = 4)

土壤深度 Soil depth (cm)	围封样地 Enclosed grassland (%)	放牧样地 Grazing grassland (%)
0-10	34.09 ± 0.04	30.66 ± 0.02
10-20	29.10 ± 0.09	26.00 ± 0.12
20-30	23.01 ± 0.07	20.49 ± 0.10
30-40	21.99 ± 0.90	17.93 ± 0.20

Fig. 2 Diurnal changes of photosynthetic characteristics of Stipa baicalensis in two grasslands (mean ± SE).

Fig. 3 Diurnal changes of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of Stipa baicalensis in two grasslands (mean ± SE).

Fig. 4 Diurnal change of water relations of Stipa baicalensis in enclosed and grazing grassland (mean ± SE).

Fig. 5 Diurnal change of chlorophyll (Chl), soluble sugar and protein content of Stipa baicalensis in two grasslands (mean ± SE).

Fig. 6 Diurnal changes of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (RUBPCase) activity and electronic transport rate (ETR) of Stipa baicalensis in the two grasslands (mean ± SE).

Fig. 7 Diurnal variations of leaf mass per area (LMA), photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency (PNUE), photosynthetic phosphorus-use efficiency (PPUE) and foliar P content of S. baicalensis in two grasslands (mean ± SE).

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