Effects of mowing regimes on above- and belowground biota in semi-arid grassland of northern China.

Mowing is a widely used practice for haymaking in the semi-arid grassland of northern China. Yet, how it impacts above- and belowground biota and ultimately affects the grassland ecosystem is unclear. Here we address this question by investigating the effects of three mowing regimes (no mowing, mowing once per year, mowing twice every three years) on vegetation characteristics, soil properties, and microbial communities in semi-arid grassland of Inner Mongolia. Our results show that two types of mowing treatments preserve high plant productivity by increasing subordinate species. However, mowing once per year led to grassland degradation when applied over a seven-year period. Mowing twice every three years facilitates soil bacterial communities and microbial interactions by generating a nutrient-rich ecological niche, whereas mowing once per year negatively impacted them via lessen the substrate quality. Given its clear positive effects upon above- and belowground biota, mowing twice every three years is the most suitable, convenient management practice for sustaining plant species richness on this type of grassland, a finding which suggests that sustainable utilization of grassland resources can only be achieved by using modest rotation cutting practices.