Grazing Enhances System Carbon Balance via the Soil‐Plant‐Livestock Carbon Pump Regulation Despite Suppressing Specific Carbon Cycling Pathways

Abstract Grazing is among the most direct and effective strategies for anthropogenic regulation of carbon cycling in global grasslands. Through a 24‐year grazing experiment, we propose a conceptual framework of the “Soil‐Plant‐Livestock Carbon Pump” to elucidate the mechanisms underlying grazing effects on carbon cycling within plant, soil, livestock, and soil‐plant‐livestock system. Our results indicate that although each unit increase in grazing intensity reduced carbon in above‐ground standing biomass and litter by 4.91 and 0.91 g C m −2 yr −1 , respectively, grazing ultimately had a significant positive effect on system carbon balance. Specifically, grazing reconfigured the pathways of plant carbon allocation, soil carbon inputs, and livestock carbon consumption. Further analysis revealed that plant and soil carbon cycling pathways were the key direct factors regulating system carbon balance, while livestock indirectly explained 10.6%–44.9% of the variance. Furthermore, from a holistic system perspective, grazing constrained the system carbon pump efficiency, which in turn negatively regulated the carbon balance, accounting for 32%–61% of the variance. These findings indicate that grazing can regulate system carbon balance through the soil‐plant‐livestock carbon pump. Understanding the operating mechanisms of the system carbon cycle is crucial for developing a dual ecological and economic growth strategy.