Institute of Grassland Research

Reconciling intrinsic and ecosystem water-use efficiency reveals physiological mechanisms underlying carbon-water coupling across biological scales

Understanding how carbon-water coupling scales from leaves to ecosystems remains a major challenge because water-use efficiency (WUE) metrics integrate physiological, hydrological, and ecological processes. We integrated tree-ring width, triple stable isotopes (δ13C, δ18O and δ2H...

The gut microbiota of Brandt’s vole under varying population densities reveals contrasting patterns in the natural environment

The population density of rodents fluctuates due to intrinsic and extrinsic factors, inducing density-dependent effects on organisms and their habitats. The gut microbiota of herbivores plays a pivotal role in digestion, immunity, environmental adaptation, and host fitness. Crowd...

Small mammalian herbivores at moderate densities facilitate livestock growth by improving vegetation composition in grasslands

Small mammals and large herbivores have co-evolved in grasslands for millions of years, yet how they interplay remains unclear. Although large herbivores can significantly affect the smaller ones, the reversal effect is largely unknown. On the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, plateau pik...

Integrated Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analyses Reveal the Auxin-Mediated Regulatory Network Governing Alfalfa Responses to Phosphorus Deficiency Stress

Auxin plays a positive role in plant responses to low-phosphorus stress. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)-mediated responses to phosphorus deficiency in alfalfa remain poorly understood. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivar ‘Zhongmu No. 3’...

Stellera chamaejasme encroachment enhances plant carbon density but drives vertical soil organic carbon redistribution in degraded typical steppe during the early growing season

Abstract Background The expansion of poisonous weed Stellera chamaejasme resulting from unreasonable grazing practices is altering plant composition and soil properties in degraded grasslands in Inner Mongolia. However, the impacts of S. chamaejasme encroachment on plant carbon d...

Grazing impacts on desert steppe prokaryotic communities: nitrogen speciation, depth stratification, and rhizosphere dynamics

Grazing-induced changes in soil prokaryotic communities are well documented at the surface, yet how grazing reorganizes microbial assembly across soil depth gradients and between bulk soil and rhizosphere compartments remains poorly resolved. This study examines whether prokaryot...

Spatial Variation in Soil Erosion and Potential Pattern of Soil Nutrient Loss in the Southeastern Low Mountains and Hills of the Daxing’anling Mountains

Soil erosion and the nutrient loss it causes are core issues threatening sustainable land use in arid and semi-arid regions. In this study, our aim was to reveal the spatiotemporal differentiation characteristics of soil erosion and soil nutrients in an ecologically fragile area...

Silicon-mediated regulation of photosynthesis, ion homeostasis and antioxidant defense improves salinity tolerance in Agropyron cristatum × A. desertorum cv. Hycrest-Mengnong

Abstract Soil salinity is a major abiotic stress that severely limits plant growth and productivity worldwide, particularly under changing climate conditions. Silicon (Si) has emerged as a promising approach for improving plant tolerance to salinity stress; however, its integrate...