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Linkages between grazing history and herbivore exclusion on decomposition rates in mineral soils of subalpine grasslands

Haynes, Alan ; Schütz, Martin ; Buchmann, Nina ; Page-Dumroese, Deborah ; Busse, Matt ; Risch, Anita

In: Plant and Soil, 2014, vol. 374, no. 1-2, p. 579-591

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    Titre
    • Linkages between grazing history and herbivore exclusion on decomposition rates in mineral soils of subalpine grasslands
    Auteur
    • Haynes, Alan. Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
    • Schütz, Martin. Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
    • Buchmann, Nina. Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
    • Page-Dumroese, Deborah. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 1221 South Main Street, 83843, Moscow, ID, USA
    • Busse, Matt. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, 3644 Avtech Parkway, 96002, Redding, CA, USA
    • Risch, Anita. Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
    Type de document
    • Postprint
    Identifiant OAI-PMH
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:325814
    Summary
    Background & aims: Herbivore-driven changes to soil properties can influence the decomposition rate of organic material and therefore soil carbon cycling within grassland ecosystems. We investigated how aboveground foraging mammalian and invertebrate herbivores affect mineral soil decomposition rates and associated soil properties in two subalpine vegetation types (short-grass and tall-grass) with different grazing histories. Methods: Using exclosures with differing mesh sizes, we progressively excluded large, medium and small mammals and invertebrates from the two vegetation types in the Swiss National Park (SNP). Mineral soil decomposition rates were assessed using the cotton cloth (standard substrate) method between May and September 2010. Results: Decomposition displayed strong spatio-temporal variability, best explained by soil temperature. Exclusion of large mammals increased decomposition rates, but further exclusion reduced decomposition rates again in the lightly grazed (tall-grass) vegetation. No difference among treatments was found in the heavily grazed (short-grass) vegetation. Heavily grazed areas had higher decomposition rates than the lightly grazed areas because of higher soil temperatures. Microbial biomass carbon and soil C:N ratio were also linked to spatio-temporal decomposition patterns, but not to grazing history. Conclusions: Despite altering some of the environmental controls of decomposition, cellulose decomposition rates in the SNP's subalpine grasslands appear to be mostly resistant to short-term herbivore exclusion.