Effects of Grazing on Vegetation Biomass and Soil Animals Communities in Xilingol Grassland

Soil animals can improve and maintain soil fertility,and then repair damaged ecosystem,they thus play an important role on matter cycling and energy flow within natural ecosystems.The vegetation biomass,density and diversity of soil meso-microfauna were investigated in grazing and grazing-prohibited pastures in Maodeng Pasture(E 115°13′~117°06′,N 43°02′~44°52′)of Xilingol grassland in Inner Mongolia,China to understand the impact of grazing on aboveground vegetation biomass and community of soil animals,and then provide basic data for sustainable management on grassland resources.The results showed that:(1)grazing significantly reduced the aboveground vegetation biomass;(2)grazing significantly reduced the density and diversity of soil meso-microfauna;(3)the density of soil meso-microfauna was positively related to the aboveground vegetation biomass.It was concluded that grazing exert important influence on community composition,diversity of soil animals in grassland in Inner Mongolia.