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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2014, Vol. 13 Issue (6): 1165-1171    DOI: 10.1016/S2095-3119(13)60657-7
Special Focus:Climate Change and Agriculture Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search |
Vegetation Community Convergence of Pastoralists’ Pasture at Different Economic Levels in Desert Steppe
 YIN Yan-ting, REN Ji-zhou , HOU Xiang-yang
1、College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, P.R.China
2、Grassland Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Huhhot 010010, P.R.China
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摘要  Vegetation characteristics of pastoralist households’ pastures at different economic levels were quantified to compare the grassland conditions in Sunite Right Banner, Inner Mongolia, China in 2011 and 2012. The results showed that the heights of Stipa klemenzis and Cleistogenes songorica were similar among economic treatments. And the height of Allium polyrhizm had no significant differences between high-economic-level (HEL) and low-economic-level (LEL) treatments. There were no significant difference among treatments in the canopy cover of C. songorica. The densities of dominant species (S. klemenzis, C. songorica and A. polyrhizm) were significantly similar among treatments. Aboveground community biomass in reference area (CK) was higher than that in other three treatments in 2011, but their biomass showed no significant difference among three economic treatments; for 2012, biomass in HEL was higher than low-economic-level treatment (LEL), while the biomass in middle-economic-level treatment (MEL) and CK was similar to that in HEL and LEL, respectively. Aboveground biomass of S. klemenzis and C. songorica was similar among treatments in both 2011 and 2012. Biomass of A. polyrhizum had no significant difference between HEL and MEL. Households of LEL had rented out excess lands and those of HEL had leased their available lands thus resulting uniform utilization and convergence of pastoralist households’ pastures across all economic levels.

Abstract  Vegetation characteristics of pastoralist households’ pastures at different economic levels were quantified to compare the grassland conditions in Sunite Right Banner, Inner Mongolia, China in 2011 and 2012. The results showed that the heights of Stipa klemenzis and Cleistogenes songorica were similar among economic treatments. And the height of Allium polyrhizm had no significant differences between high-economic-level (HEL) and low-economic-level (LEL) treatments. There were no significant difference among treatments in the canopy cover of C. songorica. The densities of dominant species (S. klemenzis, C. songorica and A. polyrhizm) were significantly similar among treatments. Aboveground community biomass in reference area (CK) was higher than that in other three treatments in 2011, but their biomass showed no significant difference among three economic treatments; for 2012, biomass in HEL was higher than low-economic-level treatment (LEL), while the biomass in middle-economic-level treatment (MEL) and CK was similar to that in HEL and LEL, respectively. Aboveground biomass of S. klemenzis and C. songorica was similar among treatments in both 2011 and 2012. Biomass of A. polyrhizum had no significant difference between HEL and MEL. Households of LEL had rented out excess lands and those of HEL had leased their available lands thus resulting uniform utilization and convergence of pastoralist households’ pastures across all economic levels.
Keywords:  convergence       mental stocking rate       pastoralists       decision behavior       at the household scale  
Received: 16 September 2013   Accepted:
Fund: 

This research was funded by the National Basic Research Program of China (2014CB138806), the International Science & Technology Cooperation Program of China (2013DFR30760) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (70933004).

Corresponding Authors:  REN Ji-zhou, Tel: +86-471-4965293, Fax: +86-471-4961330, E-mail: renjiz@lzu.edu.cn; HOU Xiang-yang, Tel: +86-471-4965293, Fax: +86-471- 4961330, E-mail: houxy16@126.com     E-mail:  renjiz@lzu.edu.cn;houxy16@126.com

Cite this article: 

YIN Yan-ting, REN Ji-zhou , HOU Xiang-yang. 2014. Vegetation Community Convergence of Pastoralists’ Pasture at Different Economic Levels in Desert Steppe. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 13(6): 1165-1171.

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