Long-term yak-grazing alters plant fine-root C:N:P stoichiometry in a Tibetan alpine meadow

Abstract Grazing affects plant carbon sequestration and nutrient cycles, changing the carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry in grassland ecosystems. However, the effects of grazing intensity on fine-root C:N:P stoichiometry in alpine meadows remain unclear. Here, we examine how grazing intensity influences the fine-root C:N:P stoichiometry in Tibetan alpine meadows. We conducted a long-term (9 years) experiment on the effects of four grazing intensities (ungrazed, light, moderate and heavy grazing) on an alpine meadow on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Light and moderate grazing increased fine-root C and N concentrations and the N:P ratio, but decreased the C:N ratio, whereas heavy grazing had no effect on C:N:P stoichiometry. The fine-root C:N:P stoichiometry differed among the plant functional groups at different grazing intensities. In addition, grazing intensity indirectly affected fine-root C:N:P stoichiometry by changing aboveground biomass (AGB) and soil physicochemical properties. Overall, we found that grazing intensity regulated fine-root C:N:P stoichiometry in alpine meadows by changing AGB and soil physicochemical properties. Our findings have important implications for improving alpine meadow ecosystem protection by implementing sustainable grazing intensities on the Tibetan Plateau.