Heavy Grazing Leads to Increased Dominance of Plant and Soil Nematode Communities.

ABSTRACT: Herbivore grazing plays a crucial role in grassland ecosystems, yet its comprehensive impact on plant and soil nematode diversity in desert steppe remains unclear. We assessed the impact of different grazing intensities (CK: no grazing, LG: light grazing, MG: moderate grazing, HG: heavy grazing, EG: extreme heavy grazing) on plant and soil nematode diversity in desert steppe. In the HG treatment, the diversity of plants and nematodes was the lowest and significantly lower than that in the CK treatment. Compared with CK, the Sobs, Shannon-Wiener, Inverse Simpson index, and Heip index of the plant community under HG decreased significantly by 23.78%, 37.97%, 47.43%, and 41.51%, respectively (p < 0.05). Simultaneously, the diversity indices of soil nematodes under HG also decreased sig

SUBMITTER: Dong R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12399570 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature