The management of grassland is important in Mongolia. In order to evaluate the effects of grazing on grassland, plant and plant communities outside and inside the experimental grazing-free fences at the riverside of the Orkhon River and on the flat place at Mogod Sum (County), Bulgan Aimag (Province), north-central Mongolia, were compared based on the growth form. The fences (size: 5 m × 5 m, height: 1.5 m) were established in May, 2014 and the plants were surveyed in August. The riverside was dominated by
Carex duriuscula, a productive sedge, under heavy livestock grazing. Tall tufted type (Tt) plants were more abundant inside the fence. On the flat place, Tt type plants, such as
Stipa krylovii and
Leymus chinensis, and short tufted type (Ts) plants grew, showing a higher plant diversity. By eliminating grazing using fences, plants of Tt, Er (erect type), and Br (branched type) types were more abundant inside the fences than outside. The amounts of smaller plants including Ts, Pr (prostrate), Ro (rosette) types were not greatly different between inside and outside the fences. Tufted type plants (Tt, Ts) were more abundant inside the fences than outside probably because of their ability of tillering. From these responses, we concluded that the growth form is useful to evaluate the effects of grazing on grassland.
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