Overgrazing in Northern China Threatens Steppe Vegetation and Species Diversity
The researchers studied the vegetation in a nature reserve in northern China to see how grazing affects plant diversity. They found that as grazing intensity increases, the number of plant species decreases. Areas with heavy grazing had more Artemisia and Convolvulus ammanii plants. The type of vegetation was strongly linked to how much grazing occurred. This shows that grazing can harm the variety of plants in the grasslands.