The Influence of Different Grazing Intensities on the Characteristics of Algal Crusts in the Desert Steppe of Inner Mongolia

doi:10.11733/j.issn.1007-0435.2026.06.029

Acta Agrestia Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (6): 2269-2276.DOI: 10.11733/j.issn.1007-0435.2026.06.029

The Influence of Different Grazing Intensities on the Characteristics of Algal Crusts in the Desert Steppe of Inner Mongolia

WANG Ning-bin¹, LI Shao-yu², ZHENG Jia-hua², ZHANG Feng², ZHANG Bin², WANG Qi⁴, ZHAO Meng-li², JI Xiang^1,3

1. College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia 010010, China;
2. College of Grassland Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia 010010, China;
3. Chifeng University, Chifeng, Inner Mongolia 01500, China;
4. Ulanqab Agricultural and Pastoral Ecological Resources Protection Center, Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia 012000, China

Received:2025-07-11 Revised:2025-08-26 Published:2026-06-02

不同放牧强度对内蒙古荒漠草原藻结皮特征的影响

王宁斌¹, 李邵宇², 郑佳华², 张峰², 张彬², 王琪⁴, 赵萌莉², 季祥^1,3

1. 内蒙古农业大学生命科学学院, 内蒙古呼和浩特 010010;
2. 内蒙古农业大学草业学院, 内蒙古呼和浩特 010010;
3. 赤峰大学, 内蒙古赤峰 024000;
4. 乌兰察布市农牧业生态资源保护中心, 内蒙古乌兰察布 012000

通讯作者: 赵萌莉,E-mail:nmgmlzh@126.com;季祥,E-mail:jixiang@imau.edu.cn
作者简介:王宁斌(1998-),男,汉族,江西赣州人,硕士研究生,主要从事草地生态学研究,E-mail:1512914631@qq.com
基金资助:
科技部政府间合作项目（2024YFE0113100）；国家重点研发计划（2023YFF1304104）资助

Abstract

Abstract: Algal crusts represent a crucial type of biological soil crust in desert grasslands and serve as an important significant “ecological engineer”. They play a vital role in soil stabilization， water retention， wind erosion resistance， and carbon and nitrogen sequestration. However， researches on the effects of different grazing intensities on the characteristics of algal crusts in desert grasslands remains relatively limited. Based on a long-term grazing experiment platform （2004-present） in the desert grassland of Siziwang Banner， Inner Mongolia， in this study we investigated the impacts of varying grazing intensities on the algal crusts characteristics and identified the key driving factors. We measured the coverage， thickness， chlorophyll-a content of algal crusts， as well as related soil physicochemical properties under different grazing intensities. The results showed that as grazing intensity increased， the coverage， thickness， and chlorophyll-a content of algal crusts significantly decreased （P<0.05）. Structural equation modeling further revealed the key soil factors driving changes in algal crusts， among which soil available nitrogen was the most critical factor influencing characteristics of algal crusts. This study demonstrated that moderate and heavy grazing significantly inhibited the growth of algal crusts in desert grasslands， with soil bulk density， capillary water holding capacity， and soil available nitrogen were the most closely related factors to the changes in algal crusts characteristics. To maintain the ecological functions of algal crusts in desert grassland ecosystems， it is essential to strictly control grazing intensity， as long-term high-intensity grazing will lead to their severe degradation.

Key words: Desert steppe, Algal crusts, Grazing intensity, Soil physical and chemical properties

摘要： 藻结皮是荒漠草原重要的生物结皮类型，作为重要的“生态工程师”，在固土、保水、抗风蚀和碳氮固存方面作用显著。然而，关于不同放牧强度对荒漠草原藻结皮特征影响的研究相对较少。本研究依托内蒙古四子王旗荒漠草原长期放牧试验平台（2004年—至今），探究了不同放牧强度对藻结皮特征的影响及关键驱动因子。本研究测定了不同放牧强度下藻结皮的盖度、厚度、叶绿素a含量以及相关土壤理化性质。结果显示，随着放牧强度的增加，藻结皮盖度、厚度和叶绿素a含量均显著降低（P<0.05）。结构方程模型进一步揭示了驱动藻结皮变化的关键土壤因子，其中土壤速效氮是影响藻结皮特征的最关键因子。本研究表明，中度和重度放牧显著抑制了荒漠草原藻结皮的生长，其中与藻结皮特征变化最相关的关键因子是土壤容重、毛管持水量和土壤速效氮。为维持藻结皮在荒漠草原生态系统中的生态作用，严格控制放牧强度至关重要，长期高强度放牧将导致其严重退化。

关键词: 荒漠草原, 藻结皮, 放牧强度, 土壤理化性质

CLC Number:

S812

WANG Ning-bin, LI Shao-yu, ZHENG Jia-hua, ZHANG Feng, ZHANG Bin, WANG Qi, ZHAO Meng-li, JI Xiang. The Influence of Different Grazing Intensities on the Characteristics of Algal Crusts in the Desert Steppe of Inner Mongolia[J]. Acta Agrestia Sinica, 2026, 34(6): 2269-2276.

王宁斌, 李邵宇, 郑佳华, 张峰, 张彬, 王琪, 赵萌莉, 季祥. 不同放牧强度对内蒙古荒漠草原藻结皮特征的影响[J]. 草地学报, 2026, 34(6): 2269-2276.

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The Influence of Different Grazing Intensities on the Characteristics of Algal Crusts in the Desert Steppe of Inner Mongolia

不同放牧强度对内蒙古荒漠草原藻结皮特征的影响

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