Grazing alters seedling emergence number, dynamics, and diversity of herbaceous plants in a semiarid sandy grassland

Abstract Overgrazing in semiarid grassland is a major cause of vegetation degradation. Understanding the changes in seedling patterns driven by grazing is crucial to unveiling mechanisms of plant community regeneration and succession in grazed grassland. However, the dynamics of seedling emergence and species diversity under grazing are rarely studied. This study used periodical field investigation to examine the variation in seedling emergence, plant diversity, species composition, and seedling survival of herbaceous plants under four grazing intensities, including light (LG), moderate (MG), heavy (HG), and non‐grazed (NG), in a semiarid sandy grassland. The results showed that seedling number and density were significantly higher in HG plots, while the seedling survival rate was significantly lower in HG, and that seedling emergence dynamics varied with grazing. Seventy‐five percent of the seedlings in HG emerged during early spring in April, while approximately 50% of the seedlings in LG, MG, and NG emerged in May. Differences in species richness and diversity varied with growth stages and the diversity was always higher in LG than in other grazing habitats during the main growing season. Annual forb seedlings increased while annual grass seedlings decreased after grazing with no perennial grass seedlings in HG. Our study suggests that high seedling emergence but low seedling survival rate, and simple species composition especially the disappearance of perennial plants caused by HG may be an important factor leading to vegetation degradation in the semiarid grazed grassland.