Multifunctionality of shrub-encroached grasslands under grazing

Abstract

Research Highlight Discussing: Li, L., Liu, J., Luo, Y., Sun, Y., Zhang, J., Wang, T., Zhu, N., Bao, Y., Xu, N., & Yan, Y. (2025). Grazing-induced enhancement of shrub ‘multifunctional island’ effect is associated with altered soil bacterial β diversity in shrub-encroached grasslands. Journal of Applied Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.70025. Increasing the intensity of shrub encroachment and grazing is threatening biodiversity and ecosystem services of grasslands worldwide. Understanding the effect of grazing on the structure and function of shrub-encroached grasslands is crucial for grassland conservation and restoration. Recent studies have begun to examine the influences of shrub encroachment and grazing, singly or in combination, on ecosystem functions, but most of them have mainly concentrated on individual functional variables in grasslands. In a field experiment in Inner Mongolia, Li et al. (2025) took a holistic approach to assess ecosystem multifunctionality of a shrub-encroached grassland under grazing with durations ranging from 5 to nearly 40 years. They found that the presence of shrubs substantially enhanced ecosystem multifunctionality, a phenomenon referred to as the ‘multifunctional island’ effect. Such a ‘multifunctional island’ effect of shrubs was further amplified by grazing, which was closely linked to changes in soil bacterial β diversity. These results emphasize the role of soil microbiota in mediating the effect of grazing on ecosystem multifunctionality, offering a possible new angle for conservation and restoration of grasslands in shrub-encroached regions.