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Ecosystem service multifunctionality in typical and desert steppes under different grazing management strategies.

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Title: Ecosystem service multifunctionality in typical and desert steppes under different grazing management strategies.
Authors: Fan Y; Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology, School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China., Bao T; Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology, School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China., Zhang P; Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Hohhot 010031, China., Qing H; Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology, School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China., Wang B; Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology, School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China. Electronic address: wbj8383@163.com.
Source: Journal of environmental management [J Environ Manage] 2025 Nov; Vol. 394, pp. 127351. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Sep 23.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Language: English
Journal Info: Publisher: Academic Press Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0401664 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1095-8630 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 03014797 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Environ Manage Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Original Publication: London ; New York, Academic Press.
MeSH Terms: Grassland* , Ecosystem* , Herbivory* , Conservation of Natural Resources*/methods, Animals ; China ; Desert Climate
Abstract: Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Grasslands play a critical role in delivering diverse ecosystem services (ESs), yet they face growing threats from unsustainable grazing practices. This study investigates the impacts of three grazing management strategies-no grazing (NG), deferred grazing (DG), and continuous grazing (CG)-on multiple ESs and ecosystem service multifunctionality (ES-multifunctionality) in the typical and desert steppes of Inner Mongolia. We quantified ten ESs across provisioning, regulating, and supporting categories and assessed their trade-offs and synergies using a trade-off index and correlation analysis. ES-multifunctionality was evaluated using a multi-threshold approach under four weighted scenarios. Results showed that grazing duration significantly affected both individual ESs and ES-multifunctionality. NG consistently promoted higher ESs and ES-multifunctionality, while CG caused substantial declines, with ES-multifunctionality over 0.34 lower than NG at all thresholds. Trade-offs among ESs intensified under CG, whereas synergies predominated under NG. DG moderated trade-offs among ESs, maintaining intermediate levels of ES-multifunctionality, which were 0.01-0.37 lower than those under NG across all thresholds. In the typical steppe, both synergies and trade-offs occurred, while in the desert steppe, synergies predominated with only one weak trade-off. ES-multifunctionality values under NG were similar between steppe types with differences of less than 0.09, but under DG and CG those were higher in the typical steppe with differences of 0.01-0.33. These findings highlight the ecological benefits of deferred grazing practices for sustaining grassland multifunctionality and provide critical insights for adaptive grassland management policies in arid and semiarid regions.
(Copyright © 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: Ecosystem service multifunctionality; Ecosystem services; Grazing management; Inner Mongolia steppe; Trade-offs and synergies
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20250924 Date Completed: 20251108 Latest Revision: 20251108
Update Code: 20251108
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127351
PMID: 40992307
Database: MEDLINE
Description
Abstract:Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.<br />Grasslands play a critical role in delivering diverse ecosystem services (ESs), yet they face growing threats from unsustainable grazing practices. This study investigates the impacts of three grazing management strategies-no grazing (NG), deferred grazing (DG), and continuous grazing (CG)-on multiple ESs and ecosystem service multifunctionality (ES-multifunctionality) in the typical and desert steppes of Inner Mongolia. We quantified ten ESs across provisioning, regulating, and supporting categories and assessed their trade-offs and synergies using a trade-off index and correlation analysis. ES-multifunctionality was evaluated using a multi-threshold approach under four weighted scenarios. Results showed that grazing duration significantly affected both individual ESs and ES-multifunctionality. NG consistently promoted higher ESs and ES-multifunctionality, while CG caused substantial declines, with ES-multifunctionality over 0.34 lower than NG at all thresholds. Trade-offs among ESs intensified under CG, whereas synergies predominated under NG. DG moderated trade-offs among ESs, maintaining intermediate levels of ES-multifunctionality, which were 0.01-0.37 lower than those under NG across all thresholds. In the typical steppe, both synergies and trade-offs occurred, while in the desert steppe, synergies predominated with only one weak trade-off. ES-multifunctionality values under NG were similar between steppe types with differences of less than 0.09, but under DG and CG those were higher in the typical steppe with differences of 0.01-0.33. These findings highlight the ecological benefits of deferred grazing practices for sustaining grassland multifunctionality and provide critical insights for adaptive grassland management policies in arid and semiarid regions.<br /> (Copyright © 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
ISSN:1095-8630
DOI:10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127351