Grazer effects on soil carbon storage vary by herbivore assemblage in a semi-arid grassland

Abstract

Accounting for 10%–30% of global soil organic carbon, grassland soils potentially present a large reservoir for storing atmospheric CO2. Livestock grazing management can substantially affect grassland soil carbon (C) storage, but few controlled experiments have explored how herbivore assemblages (different herbivore species and combinations) affect soil C storage. We examined effects of moderate grazing by different herbivore assemblages (no grazing; sheep grazing; cattle grazing; mixed grazing by sheep and cattle) on soil organic carbon storage in two types of grassland communities (high forbs/high diversity and low forbs/low diversity), within a semi-arid grassland with a 5-year grazing history. We found that herbivore assemblage generated varying effects on soil C storage and the effects were subject to grassland community types. In the low diversity community, none of three herbivore assemblages studied had obvious effects on soil C storage. In the high diversity community, however, sheep grazing significantly decreased soil C storage due to high selectivity for high quality forbs, and cattle grazing had no effects on soil C storage, while mixed grazing by sheep and cattle significantly increased soil C storage. Overall, soil C storage was highest in mixed-grazed grassland sites with high diversity. Synthesis and applications. Our study suggests that explicitly incorporating grazer species and the combination of grazing livestock into grassland grazing management may help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Caution should be exercised when using grazer species with high food selectivity in grazing management aimed at climate mitigation, especially in grasslands with abundant high quality forbs and high plant diversity, as sheep grazing may reduce soil carbon (C) storage. Moreover, mixed grazing, including multiple herbivore species, may contribute to a reduction in foraging selectivity for a plant community by means of complementary foraging. It could therefore be considered as an optimal grazing management strategy to maintain and improve soil C storage.