Linking Plant Community Characteristics and Soil Properties under Grazing Disturbance in a Desert Steppe Ecosystem

Linking Plant Community Characteristics and Soil Properties under Grazing Disturbance in a Desert Steppe Ecosystem | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL Ecology and Evolution This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 12 May 2026 V1 Latest version Share on Linking Plant Community Characteristics and Soil Properties under Grazing Disturbance in a Desert Steppe Ecosystem Authors : xiao guan 0009-0006-1914-4276 [email protected] , Yanling Wu [email protected] , Rui Dong 0009-0002-0954-930X [email protected] [email protected] , and Wentao Wang [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/authorea.15003159/v1 9 views 5 downloads Contents Abstract Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Grazing is a key driver of structural and functional changes in desert steppe ecosystems. However, the responses of plant communities and their functional groups to soil properties under different grazing intensities remain insufficiently understood. This study examined variations in plant community characteristics, including biomass, quantitative traits, and species diversity, under a gradient of grazing intensities (CK: no grazing; LG: light grazing; MG: moderate grazing; HG: heavy grazing; EG: extreme grazing). Species were classified into functional groups, and their corresponding soil physicochemical properties were analyzed. The results showed that aboveground biomass in CK and LG treatments was 85.59% and 70.91% higher, respectively, than in the EG treatment. The height and coverage of annual and biennial forbs and perennial grasses were highest in CK and lowest in EG, with large reductions of 92.24% and 70.67% in height and 99.10% and 70.78% in coverage, respectively. Species diversity indices (Sobs, Shannon–Wiener, and Pielou) reached their minimum values under HG, decreasing by 14.10%, 28.90%, and 35.36%, respectively. In contrast, Simpson's dominance index peaked in this treatment (P < 0.05). Soil analysis revealed that available nitrogen (AN) and available phosphorus (AP) declined with increasing grazing intensity, with reductions of 25.58% and 44.94%, respectively, in the HG treatment compared with CK. Pearson correlation analysis indicated significant positive relationships between AN, AP, and plant α-diversity, biomass, and structural characteristics (P < 0.05). Structural equation modeling further showed that grazing not only directly affected plant communities but also influenced them indirectly through reductions in soil available nutrients (AN and AP) (P < 0.05). In conclusion, regulating grazing intensity to maintain soil nutrient availability is essential for sustaining the stability and functioning of desert steppe ecosystems. Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 12 May 2026 Collection Ecology and Evolution Authors Affiliations xiao guan 0009-0006-1914-4276 [email protected] Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot, China, 010022 View all articles by this author Yanling Wu [email protected] Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot, China, 010022 View all articles by this author Rui Dong 0009-0002-0954-930X [email protected] [email protected] Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot, China, 010022 View all articles by this author Wentao Wang [email protected] Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot, China, 010022 View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 9 views 5 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation xiao guan, Yanling Wu, Rui Dong, et al. Linking Plant Community Characteristics and Soil Properties under Grazing Disturbance in a Desert Steppe Ecosystem. Authorea . 12 May 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/authorea.15003159/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . Format Please select one from the list RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks Direct import Tips for downloading citations document.getElementById('citMgrHelpLink').addEventListener('click', function() { popupHelp(this.href); return false; }); $(".js__slcInclude").on("change", function(e){ if ($(this).val() == 'refworks') $('#direct').prop("checked", false); $('#direct').prop("disabled", ($(this).val() == 'refworks')); }); View Options View options PDF View PDF Figures Tables Media Share Share Share article link Copy Link Copied! Copying failed. 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