Effects of climate, topography and grazing disturbance on ecosystem services of temperate grasslands in Inner Mongolia

Abstract

Understanding the complex relationship between environmental factors and ecosystem services contributes to effective restoration of degraded grasslands and sustainable management of grassland ecosystems. This study establishes 760 grassland sampling plots (1.5 × 1.5 m) with the aim of exploring the effects of environmental factors on functions and services of grassland ecosystems in Inner Mongolia, China. The results of Monte Carlo permutation test indicate that annual precipitation (eigenvalue = 0.431), mean annual temperature (eigenvalue = 0.035) and slope (eigenvalue = 0.098) have greater influences on grassland ecosystem services compared to other environmental factors (e.g., soil properties, grazing and elevation). Annual precipitation promotes plant traits and diversity and then positively influences net primary productivity (NPP) (r² = 0.62 p < 0.05). In addition, it promotes community resilience (ET) and then positively influences NPP-WS, NPP-WY, NPP-SE (r² = 0.53 p < 0.05). Mean annual temperature exerts a negative influence on water yield (WY), windbreak sand fixation (WS) and soil erosion (SE) (r² = 0.41 p < 0.05). Slope has negative influences on plant traits and ecosystem stability, ultimately affecting on NPP-WS and WY-WS (r² = 0.43 p < 0.05). Disturbance exerts a dual effect, positively enhancing community variability but negatively influencing resilience, while actively modulating the trade-off intensity of WY-SE (r² = 0.42 p < 0.05). This study reveals the effects of climate, topography and grazing disturbance on grassland ecosystem services, providing data and theoretical support for the protection and management of temperate grassland ecosystems.