Increasing grazing intensity leads to plant population fragmentation and weed invasion.
The study looked at how different levels of grazing affect the plant diversity and aboveground biomass of a grassland with Stipa baicalensis. They found that as grazing intensity increased, the Stipa baicalensis population became smaller and more spread out. Another grass species, Leymus chinensis, was better at handling grazing and had the most aboveground biomass with moderate grazing. Overall, the grassland's primary biomass decreased with more grazing. Weeds that were harder to eat and could handle grazing better increased with higher grazing intensity. The stability of the grassland population decreased with more grazing, but the effects on diversity, biomass, and stability didn't happen at the same time or in the same way. The grassland community's primary biomass responded quickly and strongly to grazing.