Ecological Archives A017-019-A1

Julia A. Klein, John Harte, and Xin-Quan Zhao. 2007. Experimental warming, not grazing, decreases rangeland quality on the Tibetan Plateau. Ecological Applications 17:541–557.

Appendix A. Vegetative properties at the four experimental study sites.

TABLE A1. Repeated-measure ANOVA results for comparison of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and belowground biomass (BG biomass) in the control plots of the four study sites. NDF = numerator degrees of freedom; DDF = denominator degrees of freedom. Hab = habitat, GH = grazing intensity history, Yr = year.

 
Total Vegetation
Palatable Vegetation
Grass
Sedge
MODEL
NDF
DDF
F
P
NDF
DDF
F
P
NDF
DDF
F
P
NDF
DDF
F
P
Hab 1 12 199.80 <0.005 1 12 144.88 <0.005 1 12 287.91 <0.005 1 12 13.07 <0.005
GH 1 12 38.02 <0.005 1 12 34.17 <0.005 1 12 27.93 <0.005 1 12 19.48 <0.005
Hab × GH 1 12 34.32 <0.005 1 12 18.64 <0.005 1 12 56.13 <0.005 1 12 28.91 <0.005
Yr 3 36 55.64 <0.005 2 24 12.60 <0.005 3 36 13.15 <0.005 3 36 21.56 <0.005
Yr × Hab 3 36 9.05 <0.005 2 24 0.69 0.51 3 36 15.45 <0.005 3 36 1.94 0.14
Yr × GH 3 36 0.99 0.41 2 24 0.60 0.55 3 36 9.97 <0.005 3 36 1.57 0.21
Yr × Hab × GH 3 36 13.12 <0.005 2 24 9.66 <0.005 3 36 12.34 <0.005 3 36 10.36 <0.005
                                 
 
Graminoid
Forb
Non-Palatable Forb
Palatable Forb
MODEL
NDF
DDF
F
P
NDF
DDF
F
P
NDF
DDF
F
P
NDF
DDF
F
P
Hab 1 12 196.40 <0.005 1 12 168.31 <0.005 1 12 14.90 <0.005 1 12 84.11 <0.005
GH 1 12 12.43 <0.005 1 12 51.34 <0.005 1 12 9.81 0.01 1 12 9.19 0.01
Hab × GH 1 12 63.48 <0.005 1 12 12.87 <0.005 1 12 5.82 0.03 1 12 0.37 0.55
Yr 3 36 18.05 <0.005 3 36 72.36 <0.005 2 24 14.06 <0.005 2 24 56.70 <0.005
Yr × Hab 3 36 13.62 <0.005 3 36 4.29 0.01 2 24 8.20 <0.005 2 24 1.93 0.17
Yr × GH 3 36 5.41 <0.005 3 36 10.00 <0.005 2 24 0.11 0.89 2 24 3.15 0.06
Yr × Hab × GH 3 36 13.84 <0.005 3 36 7.46 <0.005 2 24 3.22 0.06 2 24 1.65 0.21
                                 
 
Shrub
Root >2mm
Root <2mm
Total Root
MODEL
NDF
DDF
F
P
NDF
DDF
F
P
NDF
DDF
F
P
NDF
DDF
F
P
Hab - - - - 1 12 20.53 <0.005 1 12 25.74 <0.005 1 12 0.10 0.76
GH 1 6 21.73 <0.005 1 12 15.85 <0.005 1 12 12.14 <0.005 1 12 0.67 0.43
Hab × GH - - - - 1 12 0.43 0.52 1 12 9.47 0.01 1 12 4.69 0.05
Yr 3 18 18.25 <0.005 1 12 40.84 <0.005 1 12 35.89 <0.005 1 12 104.87 <0.005
Yr × Hab - - - - 1 12 25.98 <0.005 1 12 26.26 <0.005 1 12 3.20 0.10
Yr × GH 3 18 1.24 0.32 1 12 14.49 <0.005 1 12 19.64 <0.005 1 12 0.90 0.36
Yr × Hab × GH - - - - 1 12 1.21 0.29 1 12 7.51 0.02 1 12 0.44 0.52

 

 

TABLE A2. Mean and standard error values for aboveground production (g/m2/yr), belowground biomass (g/m2), leaf N content and leaf C:N ratio and % digestible dry matter for four study sites averaged over years 1999–2001. The aboveground estimates of total veg (total) and shrub (total) include woody shrub biomass; these values therefore represent peak standing biomass (g/m2) rather than productivity.  

 
HG Meadow
LG Meadow
HG Shrubland
LG Shrubland
 
Mean
± SE
Mean
± SE
Mean
± SE
Mean
± SE
Aboveground Vegetation
Total Veg.(foliar) 290.82 9.95 341.94 12.28 222.82 9.47 230.82 3.86
Total Veg. (total) 290.82 9.95 341.94 12.28 635.64 33.67 1068.85 21.12
Total Pal. Veg. 271.37 10.35 337.91 11.33 220.82 9.22 230.82 3.86
Grass 178.03 9.43 257.89 7.59 71.26 5.68 55.86 3.00
Sedge 11.51 1.46 15.21 3.41 31.85 7.72 9.16 1.55
Graminoids 189.54 9.82 273.10 9.29 103.11 9.12 65.01 3.87
Shrub (foliar) - - - - 81.60 6.26 141.01 4.56
Shrub (total) - - - - 494.41 43.18 979.04 25.64
Forb 101.28 5.36 68.84 6.70 38.11 5.17 24.80 3.61
Pal Forb 81.83 4.72 64.81 5.96 36.11 4.98 24.80 3.61
Non-Pal Forb 19.45 3.03 4.03 1.10 2.00 0.76 0.00 0.00
Belowground Vegetation
Fine (<2 mm)   23.77 13.01 8.79 5.99 149.67 22.15 42.69 12.95
Coarse (>2mm) 136.34 17.47 216.37 32.90 28.68 5.03 116.79 10.65
Total 160.11 28.33 225.15 29.33 178.35 19.57 159.48 18.03
Leaf N Content
Forb 1.84 0.07 2.20 0.07 2.05 0.09 2.00 0.08
Grass 1.66 0.04 1.85 0.07 1.90 0.07 1.64 0.03
Sedge 1.35 0.04 1.56 0.03 1.51 0.04 1.41 0.04
Shrub 1.99 0.05 2.14 0.04 - - - -
Leaf C:N Content
Forb 25.50 0.93 20.93 0.75 22.96 1.02 23.41 1.06
Grass 27.49 0.62 25.06 0.80 24.59 0.77 27.60 0.61
Sedge 33.22 0.91 28.45 0.50 29.66 0.74 31.94 1.05
Shrub 24.89 0.62 22.99 0.40 - - - -
% Digestible Dry Matter
All   60.80 6.25 58.89 6.76 55.51 10.07 50.35 9.12

 
 
   FIG. A1. Mean forb and forb species ANPP in the control plots (no warm, no clip) at all four study sites. GEFB = general forbs (all other forbs); SASU = Sausurrea superba; MOCH = Morina chinensis (less palatable forb); ASFL = Aster flaccidus; OXSP = Oxytropis spp. (unpalatable); GEST = Gentiana straminea (medicinal plant); POVI = Polygonum viviparum. Stellera chamaejasme, a forb species we measured separately because it is not palatable, was present at <1% in the control plots of the shrubland sites only. Therefore, it is not represented in this figure.

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