2007 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
A study on deterioration of biodiversity of Mongolian steppe caused by overgrazing
| Project/Area Number |
17405045
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 海外学術 |
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| Research Field |
Boundary agriculture
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| Research Institution | Azabu University (2007)
The University of Tokyo (2005-2006) |
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Principal Investigator |
TAKATSUKI Seiki Azabu University, Depart of Veterinary, professor (00124595)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
TSUNEKAWA Atsushi Tottori University, Arid Land Research Center, Director (60227452)
SATO Masatoshi Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, 畜産学部, Assistant professor (60260402)
SUDA Kazuki Rissho University, Faculty of Geo-environmental Science, Lecturer (60409563)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2005 – 2007
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| Keywords | Mongolia / grazing / steppe ecosystem / pollination / ecosystem engineer / Siberian marmot / growth form |
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| Research Abstract |
After the regime change in the 1990s, human and livestock population of Mongolia are rapidly increasing. Heavy grazing concentrates in urban areas. Such situations result in overgrazing in Mongolian steppe. Since pasturage is important in Mongolia, overgrazing has been studied in this context. However, effects of overgrazing on biodiversity of the steppe have been poorly studied. This study tried to describe and analyze the effects of overgrazing on the biodiversity of the steppe in eastern and northern Mongolia. We compared three sites: heavy, moderate, and light grazing. Plant communities were described and analyzed according to the growth form of Gimingham. At lightly grazed places, tall forbs abundantly grew, but decreased at middle grazing. At heavily grazed places, tall grasses disappeared and only short grasses, prostrate and rosette type plants survived. This results in relative dominance of the latter plants. Then, we studied pollination as a function of ecosystem members. We found very complex relations between forbs and pollinators at lightly grazed places, but the combinations became quite poor at middle grazed places. Unexpectedly, however, some dipteran pollinators visited Compositae flowers at heavily grazed places. This result suggests grazing strongly affects the pollination system of the Mongolian steppe. Besides, we studied the effects of mound formation of Siberian marmots on the Mongolian steppe. Mongolian people prefer marmot as a food material.
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