Land Degradation & Development最新文献

{"title":"Assessing Thermal Activity and Ecological Response in Coal-Waste Dumps: A Case Study of Chorzów Dump","authors":"Anna K. Abramowicz, Oimahmad Rahmonov, Justyna Ciesielczuk","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5685","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5685","url":null,"abstract":"The Upper Silesian Coal Basin faces ongoing challenges with self-heating in coal waste dumps, a problem that leads to dangerous and unpredictable subsurface fires. This study investigates the thermal dynamics and vegetation response in a coal waste dump, expanding on previous research that links waste temperatures with plant health and distribution. The study area—a small, old coal waste dump located in a highly urbanized area—was subjected to comprehensive environmental monitoring focused on various fire determinants. The findings confirm that coal waste dumps, regardless of size and complexity, experience similar fire determinants, with vegetation colonization progressing in bands starting with pioneer species in less heat-affected areas. As the distance from the fire zone increases, plant density and diversity improve, indicating a recovery in thermally stabilized zones. The study also demonstrates the repeatability of relationships between subsurface temperatures and vegetation status across different coal waste dumps, supporting the use of plants as indicators of underground fires. Elevated subsurface temperatures in thermally active zones lead to clear ‘dying’ and ‘death’ zones, where excessive heat damages plant roots, causing die-offs. In contrast, areas with moderate temperatures allow vegetation growth, even in winter, due to favourable root-zone conditions. The study highlights the need for improved monitoring and fire mitigation strategies to address thermal activity in reclaimed sites, especially those with limited historical data. These insights are crucial for preventing similar issues in the future and minimizing the long-term impacts on surrounding communities and ecosystems.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"33 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144219521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Poplar–Soybean Intercropping and Fertilizer Application Increased Soil Fungal Diversity and Nutrient Content","authors":"Cheng Xu, Wenqi Song, Xiaopeng Liu, Zhuangzhuang Qian, Xiaomin Ge, Luozhong Tang","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5690","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5690","url":null,"abstract":"Intercropping significantly affects soil microbial communities and nutrient content; however, the influence of intercropping with fertilizer application on them has yet to be elucidated. A pot experiment was performed with three planting patterns: P (poplar monoculture; <i>Populus deltoides</i>), S (soybean monoculture; <i>Glycine max</i>) and PS (poplar–soybean intercropping), with three fertilizer application rates of 0, 5, and 10 g (10 kg of soil per pot). The soil properties and fungal community under different treatments were analyzed. Planting patterns and fertilizer application rates significantly influenced soil properties and fungal communities. The PS pattern exhibited significantly higher soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total potassium (TK), and ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N) contents; greater urease (UR) and sucrase (SUR) activities; and greater soil fungal diversity than did the S and P patterns. Soil nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N), available phosphorus (NH₄⁺-N, AP), available potassium (AK) contents, UR, SUR activities; and fungal diversity increased with a higher fertilizer application rate, with the highest values occurring in the 10 g fertilizer treatment. Structural equation modeling revealed that intercropping and fertilizer application affected soil nutrients by altering fungal community and enzyme activity. Soil water content and NO₃⁻-N content were the dominant factors affecting the soil fungal community (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). The PS pattern significantly decreases the relative abundance of soil pathogenic fungi and increases the relative abundance of soil fungi related to SOM transformation and nutrient utilization efficiency. In conclusion, these findings emphasize the importance of poplar intercropping and fertilizer application on soil quality, providing guidance for the selection and management of planting patterns in agriculture to improve soil quality.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"55 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144219518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Plant Functional Composition, Ecological Niche Distribution, and Biodiversity Measures Across Urban Grasslands of Different Size, Localisation, and Type","authors":"Małgorzata W. Raduła, Tomasz H. Szymura, Sebastian Świerszcz, Hassanali Mollashahi, Magdalena Szymura","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5683","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5683","url":null,"abstract":"Urban grasslands (UGs) are among the most abundant type of green infrastructure in cities worldwide. They deliver a range of ecosystem services and perform numerous ecosystem functions. To ensure the multifunctionality of UGs, enhancing their biodiversity is crucial; however, owing to urbanisation effects and inappropriate management, UGs often have low species richness. While urban vegetation has been studied in general, detailed ecological insights into the patterns of vegetation functional, ecological, and compositional attributes across different size, localisation, and type of UGs are still lacking. Better ecological knowledge regarding UGs vegetation will facilitate management aimed at increasing their biodiversity and multifunctionality. In the city of Wrocław, Central Europe, we surveyed 244 UG patches which differed in size (small, medium, and large), type (lawns, embankments, road verges, and UG in parks), and locality (city centre and periphery). Functional traits composition, ecological niches distribution, and biodiversity measures were assessed based on plant species composition and information obtained from open databases, including disturbance indicator values for plants. The results showed that the main trade-offs in functional traits composition and species niche distribution were related to biomass loss associated with mowing frequency. The examined factors (patch size, locality, and type) significantly affected UG vegetation, with each having distinct influences on biodiversity and multifunctionality. Many factors related to urban expansion (e.g., urban heat islands, soil reaction change, landscape fragmentation, biological invasions) are difficult to mitigate. However, proper management, such as extensive mowing, could help moderate the negative impacts of urbanisation. Increasing or maintaining a high proportion of forbs in vegetation would also enhance the multifunctionality of UGs.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"85 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144219519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Divergent Responses of Autotrophic and Heterotrophic Respiration to Nitrogen Application in a Pinus tabulaeformis Plantation","authors":"Wenwen Lv, Jiwei Li, Lingbo Dong, Yang Liao, Ruihua Bai, Zhouping Shangguan, Lei Deng","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5692","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5692","url":null,"abstract":"Nitrogen (N) fertilization, as a plantation management technique, plays a vital role in maintaining plantation healthy development and affecting CO₂ emissions. However, the effect of N fertilization on soil respiration (Rs) in the planted forests remains debated. Distinguishing autotrophic respiration (Ra) and heterotrophic respiration (Rh) will help better understand the response of Rs to N fertilization. A 5-year field experiment with four N levels (0, 5, 10, and 20 g N m⁻² a⁻¹) was conducted in a <i>Pinus tabulaeformis</i> plantation in China to explore the responses of Rs and its components to N management. In the fourth and fifth years after N application, as the duration and level of N fertilization increased, its effect on Ra changed from inhibition (−28.9%) to promotion (42.5%), while the effect on Rh shifted from promotion (31.6%) to inhibition (−2.9%). This resulted in an average increase of 12.5% in Rs. This effect was due to a significant increase in fine root biomass and a decrease in microbial biomass under N fertilization. The positive effect of increased Ra due to the rise in fine root biomass on Rs outweighed the negative effect of reduced Rh caused by the decline in microbial biomass. N fertilization reduced the contribution of Rh to Rs by 5%–9%. Dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen, soil moisture, and soil temperature were key factors affecting Rs. Our findings indicate that N fertilization application promoted root growth while inhibiting soil microbial activity, ultimately promoting the growth of artificial forests and reducing the decomposition of organic matter.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144219520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impacts of Di(2-Ethylhexyl) Terephthalate on Multigenerational Fitness of Caenorhabditis elegans via Lipid Metabolism and Neural Regulation","authors":"Lei Wang, Jing Zhang, Evgenios Agathokleous, Shijin Ma, Zhenyang Yu","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5674","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5674","url":null,"abstract":"Di(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (DEHTP) is a substitutive plasticizer with wide occurrence in environmental and human samples and therefore its toxicity is urging concerns. Presently, its effects on the fitness of <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> (i.e., reproduction, lifespan, and behavior) were explored with a consecutive exposure over four generations (F1–F4). At mg/L and μg/L levels, DEHTP stimulated reproduction in F1 and F3 (e.g., 35% and 28% higher than the control at 8.0 mg/L) while inhibiting it in F2 and F4 (e.g., 22% and 18% less than the control at 8.0 mg/L), representing oscillation over generations. Meanwhile, DEHTP inhibited lifespan in F1 and F3 while stimulating it in F2 and F4, showing trade-off relationships with reproductive influences. Regarding behavior, DEHTP inhibited satiety quiescence duration, body bending, and head swing, while stimulating reverse and omega turns. In mechanism exploration, DEHTP disturbed lipid metabolites and lipid metabolism enzymes. Moreover, the effects on reproduction showed positive correlations with those on fatty acid synthase (FAS) and acyl-CoA (FA-CoA). DEHTP also disturbed neural regulations including neural transmitters and the expressions of related genes. Out of expectation, the effects on neural regulations were positively correlated with those on lipid metabolism, but not with locomotion behavior. Hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) showed that serotonin was more connected with neural regulations than other indicators in F1 and F3, while it was more connected with behavior than others in F2 and F4. The HCA results also supported the oscillatory changes in effects of DEHTP over generations.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"168 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144211364","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Efficiency of Vegetative Filter Strips in Mitigating Soil Erosion and Surface Runoff","authors":"Tomáš Laburda, David Zumr, Jan Devátý, Saunak Sinha Ray, Petr Koudelka, Josef Krása, Tomáš Dostál, John Steven Schwartz","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5671","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5671","url":null,"abstract":"Vegetative filter strips (VFS) are widely used in agriculture to reduce soil erosion and sediment transport during heavy rainfall events. This study assessed their effectiveness in controlling surface runoff and sediment transport under controlled field conditions. Experiments were conducted on plots of varying lengths (4 and 8 m), slopes (5° and 10°), and vegetation cover (grass, bare soil, and mixed). A suspension of micronized sand and water (40 g·L<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>) was applied at a flow rate of 0.5 L·s<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> to simulate surface runoff. The results confirmed that vegetation cover significantly reduced runoff (up to 91%) and sediment transport (up to 98%). The plot length played a dominant role in sediment and runoff reduction, while the slope had minimal effect within the tested range. Runoff and sediment transport were significantly higher on bare soil plots, providing evidence of the importance of vegetation in erosion control. A key methodological contribution of this study was the differentiation of VFS efficiency based on calculation methods. Two efficiency metrics were applied: (1) RE (the ratio of inflow to outflow), and (2) RE2 (comparison with a bare soil plot). While sediment reduction differed only slightly (4.7%) between the methods, runoff reduction varied more significantly (19.9%), highlighting the impact of the calculation method. Additionally, VFS preferentially trapped coarser sediment, allowing finer particles to pass through and resulting in a reduction of the median grain size (D<jats:sub>50</jats:sub>) from 33 to 6 μm in the transported material. This study underscores the effectiveness of VFS in mitigating sediment transport, highlighting the importance of vegetation cover and filter strip length. It further emphasizes that VFS performance can be optimized through methodological consistency, even when only a minimal land area is allocated for implementation.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144201595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"What Is the Effect of Long‐Term Revegetation on Soil Stoichiometry? Case Study Based on In Situ Long‐Term Monitoring on the Loess Plateau, China","authors":"Yile Pei, Shihao Gong, Xinyu Zhang, Zeyu Zhang, Hanyun Zhang, Tonggang Zha","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5665","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5665","url":null,"abstract":"Soil nutrient stoichiometry is fundamental to ecosystem functioning. However, it remains unclear how long‐term vegetation restoration affects its dynamics. This study utilized long‐term monitoring to compare soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) stoichiometric characteristics with cropland as a control, across four stand types: cropland (CK), natural secondary forest (NSF), <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"><jats:italic>Robinia pseudoacacia</jats:italic></jats:styled-content> and <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"><jats:italic>Pinus tabuliformis</jats:italic></jats:styled-content> mixed forest (RPF), <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"><jats:italic>R. pseudoacacia</jats:italic></jats:styled-content> plantation (RF), and <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"><jats:italic>P. tabuliformis</jats:italic></jats:styled-content> plantation (PTF). Specific focus was given to soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP), as well as their C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios. During 30 years of vegetation restoration, SOC and TN increased by 11.65% and 7.46%, while TP decreased significantly by 11.74%. Furthermore, SOC and TN increased significantly with natural restoration forest (NSF) and stabilized by the 25th year. Under artificial restoration (PF, RF, RPF), SOC and TN initially decreased but recovered to their initial values after approximately 13–15 years, and stabilized by the 25th year. Finally, the C:N ratio did not change significantly, while the C:P and N:P ratios varied temporally with early fluctuations (0–10 year period), significant increases in the mid‐term (10–20 year period), and stabilization in the late stage (20–30 year period). Climate indirectly influenced SOC, TN, and TP through vegetation factors. SOC and TN were directly affected by both soil and vegetation factors, while TP was primarily influenced by vegetation factors. Over the 30‐year period, as vegetation biomass gradually accumulated, the nutrient dynamics shifted from being soil‐mediated to vegetation‐mediated. Long‐term vegetation restoration primarily enhances soil nutrient dynamics through biological pathways, with trees and herbaceous plants playing key roles in nutrient dynamics and stoichiometric optimization. NSF is more effective than artificial restoration in enhancing soil nutrient accumulation and optimizing stoichiometric ratios. These results offer valuable guidance for developing effective restoration strategies in the Loess Plateau.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"110 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144201649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Plant Functional Traits Mediate the Effects of Flooding on Biomass Allocation in Invasive Plant Communities","authors":"Jie Zheng, Songlin Zhang, Dongdong Ding, Yuanyuan Wu, Jie Gao, Changxiao Li","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5648","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5648","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding biomass allocation strategies in invasive plants is crucial for developing effective management approaches. However, the mechanisms by which plant functional traits and soil properties influence biomass allocation in invaded communities, particularly in invasion‐prone riparian zones, remain poorly understood. Here, we collected data on functional traits, biomass, and soil factors from invasive (IP) and non‐invasive (NP) plant communities under similar site conditions in the riparian zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir in China during 2021. We examined the roles of plant community traits and soil factors in shaping biomass allocation and evaluated the applicability of the optimal and isometric allocation theories. Results showed that biomass trade‐off values for both IP and NP were greater than zero and increased with elevation, indicating that riparian plants allocate more biomass to aboveground portions to combat flooding, consistent with the optimal allocation theory. Biomass allocation in NP was primarily influenced by soil physicochemical properties (e.g., bulk density and pH), whereas in IP, it was mainly determined by dominant functional traits, such as community‐weighted mean height (CWM_H). The structural equation model explained 78% and 62% of the variation in biomass trade‐off for NP and IP, respectively. Furthermore, it demonstrated that functional traits (e.g., CWM_H) mediated flooding's effects on biomass allocation in invaded communities. These findings underscore distinct allocation strategies between invaded and non‐invaded communities and highlight the importance of trait‐based mechanisms in driving invasive plant success. This study emphasizes the need to consider dominant trait dynamics when managing invasions in flood‐affected riparian systems.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"133 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144153352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Intercropping and Green Manure Return Mitigate Arsenic Contamination in Rice via Induced Shifts in Soil Enzymatic Activities and Microbial Communities","authors":"Farhan Nabi, Juxia He, Rakhwe Kama, Sumbal Sajid, Muslim Qadir, Cai Huabo, Chongjian Ma, Huashou Li","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5670","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5670","url":null,"abstract":"Arsenic (As)‐accumulating plants are used in monoculture or intercropping to remediate contaminated soils, but their As‐rich biomass poses environmental risks. Using this biomass as green manure is a promising strategy to improve soil health, crop yield, and microbial diversity. However, its effects on stress tolerance and As accumulation in brown rice remain poorly understood. This study investigates the impact of five green manures derived from monoculture or intercropping of As‐accumulating plants on brown rice physiology and soil microbial communities in As‐contaminated soil under crop rotations. The application of green manure significantly increased brown rice yield (25.42–39.53 g/plant) and alleviated physiological stress. Activities of oxidative stress‐related enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase, and peroxidase) were reduced by 38.70%, 40.13%, and 37.30%, respectively, along with a 48.46% decrease in malondialdehyde content. Green manure also improved soil physicochemical properties, including pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and soil organic matter (SOM), while reducing available soil As concentration. These improvements were accompanied by enhanced soil enzyme activities (β‐glucosidase, protease, urease, and acid phosphatase) and distinct shifts in microbial community composition. Notably, the relative abundances of <jats:italic>Proteobacteria</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Chloroflexi</jats:italic> decreased, while <jats:italic>Nitrospira, Sphingomonas, Acidibacter, Rokubacteriales, Pedomicrobium, Nocardioides, Saccharimonas, Terrimonas, Haliangium</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>Flavobacterium</jats:italic> increased. These taxa exhibited strong negative correlations with soil As concentrations and positive associations with pH, CEC, SOM, and soil enzyme activities. Green manure from postphytoremediation biomass improved brown rice stress resilience, yield, soil quality, and beneficial microbial populations. This approach offers a sustainable way to reduce As risks and boost productivity in crop rotation systems.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144145646","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ephedra sinica Influences the Grazing Activities of Mixed Grazing Cattle and Sheep in Desert Steppe","authors":"Zhenhao Zhang, Xiaowei Gou, Yuping Rong, Yi Hu, Zhengyi Zhang, Peiru Ao, Yunxiang Cheng","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5668","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5668","url":null,"abstract":"The grazing activities of ungulates are closely related to their own energy expenditure and the pasture status, but few studies have considered the mechanism under mixed grazing in desert steppe. Here, we statistically analyzed the spatio‐temporal distribution pattern of ungulates' grazing activities by equipping GPS collars with triaxial acceleration sensors on mixed grazing cattle and sheep. Then, based on the spatial distribution and seasonal changes of pasture vegetation, a structural equation model of ungulates' grazing characteristics and energy expenditure was established, and the response model of mixed grazing cattle and sheep to grassland resources in desert steppe was discussed. The results showed that the cattle's daily grazing ODBA, grazing time and range increased over time, while the sheep's decreased. Both cattle and sheep showed spatial and temporal differences in daily grazing activity on pasture, and the differences between plots (spatial) tended to be more significant than the differences between months (temporal). The grazing activities of cattle and sheep on mixed pasture in desert steppe were influenced by vegetation cover (NDVI) as well as by the composition of the vegetation species, especially the distribution of poisonous forages (<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\"><jats:italic>Ephedra sinica</jats:italic></jats:styled-content>). This study provides a new idea for the mixed grazing of ungulates and the sustainable utilization of grassland resources in desert steppe, and suggests that human management should be used to intervene in the distribution of poisonous forages on pastures.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"132 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144145645","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}