Grazing effects on feeding guilds of ground-dwelling arthropods vary with season and vegetation types in Mongolian grasslands

Abstract

Background

Livestock grazing is a major driver of arthropod community dynamics in drylands; however, its effects across vegetation types and seasons remain poorly understood.

Methods

We investigated seasonal (spring and summer) grazing effects on ground-dwelling arthropod communities by focusing on herbivore, detritivore, and omnivore abundance in steppe and desert steppe ecosystems of Mongolian grasslands.

Results

Grazing consistently increased herbivore abundance across all contexts. In the steppe, however, grazing effects on detritivores and omnivores were season-dependent: detritivore abundance declined under grazing only in summer, while omnivore abundance increased only in summer. These patterns likely reflect minimal grazing-induced changes in vegetation height during spring, when vegetation is not fully developed. In the desert steppe, seasonal interactions were weak, likely due to sparse vegetation limiting seasonal variation.

Conclusions

Grazing effects on arthropod communities vary with seasonal vegetation dynamics and differ between vegetation types. Accounting for seasonal variability is important for conserving arthropod communities in rangelands under climate change.