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  • © 2020

Grassland Ecosystems of China

A Synthesis and Resume

  • Offers a comprehensive coverage of the advances in Chinese grassland ecosystem studies
  • Puts forwards a new classification system of grassland biomes
  • Suitable for undergraduate and graduate students in ecology, environmental science, natural resource management, agriculture, and other relevant fields

Part of the book series: Ecosystems of China (EC, volume 2)

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Table of contents (16 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvii
  2. Introduction

    • Linghao Li, Jiquan Chen, Xingguo Han, Wenhao Zhang, Changliang Shao
    Pages 1-21
  3. Overview of Chinese Grassland Ecosystems

    • Linghao Li, Jiquan Chen, Xingguo Han, Wenhao Zhang, Changliang Shao
    Pages 23-47
  4. Natural Conditions Influencing Chinese Grassland Ecosystems

    • Linghao Li, Jiquan Chen, Xingguo Han, Wenhao Zhang, Changliang Shao
    Pages 49-79
  5. Major Regional Grasslands in China

    • Linghao Li, Jiquan Chen, Xingguo Han, Wenhao Zhang, Changliang Shao
    Pages 81-120
  6. Types and Distribution of Chinese Grassland Ecosystems

    • Linghao Li, Jiquan Chen, Xingguo Han, Wenhao Zhang, Changliang Shao
    Pages 121-147
  7. Meadow Steppe Ecosystem

    • Linghao Li, Jiquan Chen, Xingguo Han, Wenhao Zhang, Changliang Shao
    Pages 149-191
  8. Typical Steppe Ecosystem

    • Linghao Li, Jiquan Chen, Xingguo Han, Wenhao Zhang, Changliang Shao
    Pages 193-248
  9. Desert Steppe Ecosystem

    • Linghao Li, Jiquan Chen, Xingguo Han, Wenhao Zhang, Changliang Shao
    Pages 249-283
  10. Alpine Steppe Ecosystem

    • Linghao Li, Jiquan Chen, Xingguo Han, Wenhao Zhang, Changliang Shao
    Pages 285-306
  11. Montane Steppe Ecosystem

    • Linghao Li, Jiquan Chen, Xingguo Han, Wenhao Zhang, Changliang Shao
    Pages 307-337
  12. Shrubby Steppe Ecosystem

    • Linghao Li, Jiquan Chen, Xingguo Han, Wenhao Zhang, Changliang Shao
    Pages 339-364
  13. Sandy Grassland Ecosystem

    • Linghao Li, Jiquan Chen, Xingguo Han, Wenhao Zhang, Changliang Shao
    Pages 365-400
  14. Desert Rangeland Ecosystem

    • Linghao Li, Jiquan Chen, Xingguo Han, Wenhao Zhang, Changliang Shao
    Pages 401-454
  15. Meadow Grassland Ecosystem

    • Linghao Li, Jiquan Chen, Xingguo Han, Wenhao Zhang, Changliang Shao
    Pages 455-514
  16. Marsh Grassland Ecosystem

    • Linghao Li, Jiquan Chen, Xingguo Han, Wenhao Zhang, Changliang Shao
    Pages 515-544
  17. Tussock and Savanna Ecosystems

    • Linghao Li, Jiquan Chen, Xingguo Han, Wenhao Zhang, Changliang Shao
    Pages 545-583

About this book

This book provides a comprehensive overview of grassland ecosystems based on publications by Chinese scholars. It offers an up-to-date review of the recent advances in grassland research in China, discusses the climatic and physical conditions governing the grasslands, describes their types and distribution, and introduces a new classification scheme for grassland ecosystems. Further, it details the plant, animal, and microbial compositions of each grassland ecosystem type, examining the above and below ground relationships between phytomass, vegetation succession, and past/current management practices with a particular focus on the steppes in China. It also includes references that are only available in the Chinese language.

This scientifically rigorous book offers insights into knowledge gaps for the scientific community and identifies pressing issues facing practitioners of grassland ecology and management. It can be used as a textbook for undergraduate and graduate studentsin ecology, environmental science, natural resource management, agriculture, and other relevant fields, and is also a valuable reference resource for researchers studying drylands in China or around the globe.

Authors and Affiliations

  • State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Beijing, China

    Linghao Li, Xingguo Han, Wenhao Zhang

  • Center for Global Change & Earth Observations, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA

    Jiquan Chen

  • Grassland & Remote Sensing Group, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China

    Changliang Shao

About the authors

Dr. Linghao Li is a Professor of Ecology at the Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research focuses on vegetation ecology, grassland ecosystem ecology, and restoration ecology, and covers ecological topics such as carbon and nitrogen cycling of terrestrial ecosystems, nutrient use efficiency of grassland plants, and plant root ecology. He received his B. S. from Inner Mongolia Agricultural University in 1986 and Ph. D. from Xiamen University in 1994. He established the Duolun Restoration Ecology Research Station in 2000 and served as the director until 2016. The station is among the most outstanding field research bases of grassland ecology in the world, from which more than 600 research papers have been published in high-profile journals, such as Ecology, Ecology Letters, Global Change Biology, and Journal of Ecology, and others. He has made significant efforts in bringing the achievements of Chinese scholars to the world through English copy-writing and editing of important national monographs such as Vegetation of China, Soils of China, and Tibetan Grasslands.

Dr. Jiquan Chen received his Ph. D. in Ecosystem Analysis from University of Washington in 1991 and is currently a professor at Michigan State University. He was a Bullard Fellow at Harvard University and on the faculty of University of Washington, Michigan Technological University, and University of Toledo. His research and education on grassland ecosystems were rooted in his undergraduate training at Inner Mongolia University (1979-1983) and long term research on the Mongolian Plateau. He has also conducted research on edge effects in fragmented landscapes, 3-D canopy of forests, ecosystem carbon/water/energy fluxes using tower and chambers, riparian zone management, agricultural and bioenergy crops, grassland (rangeland) ecology, dynamics of urban systems, and the role of institution in shaping landscape-regions under the changing globe. He is a fellow of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He has served as the Editor-in-Chief for Ecological Processes since 2016, part of the editorial board of over a dozen professional journals, and co-editor for the book series of Landscape Studies for Springer. He has authored and co-authored over 400 journal papers and 11 books.

Dr. Wenhao Zhang is a Professor of Eco-physiology at the Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He received his Ph. D from the Department of Biology at the University of Newcastle in 1993. His research concerns principally plant nutrition physiology, plant ecology, and grassland management, on which over 100 journal papers have been published, with several of these having been selected as the highly cited papers of ESI.  He is the Editor-in-Chief for Journal of Plant Ecology, being the editors for New Phytologist, Journal of Experimental Botany, BMC Plant Biology, and Environmental and Experimental Botany.

Dr. Xingguo Han is a Professor of Ecology at the Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, where he had served as the director of the institute for eight years. He received his Ph.D. in Fundamental Ecology from the University of Georgia, and thus his research covers a rather wide range of ecological subjects, including soil ecology, biogeochemical cycles of terrestrial ecosystems, ecosystem functions of grasslands, restoration ecology, biodiversity conservation, and global change ecology, and so forth. He had been the chairman of the Chinese Botanical Society, vice-chairman of the Ecological Society of China, and the regional councilor of IUCN. He has authored or co-authored over 500 journal papers and 6 books, quite a few of which got published in Nature, Science, and top journals of ecology.

Dr. Changliang Shao is a Professor of Ecology at Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. He got his Ph.D from Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences under the supervision of Dr. Linghao Li. He conducted his post-doctoral research work at Michigan State University, with Dr. Jiquan Chen being his mentor. His research lies in the coupled effects of global climate change and human activities on bioenergy and carbon/water fluxes of terrestrial ecosystems. 

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Grassland Ecosystems of China

  • Book Subtitle: A Synthesis and Resume

  • Authors: Linghao Li, Jiquan Chen, Xingguo Han, Wenhao Zhang, Changliang Shao

  • Series Title: Ecosystems of China

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3421-8

  • Publisher: Springer Singapore

  • eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life Sciences, Biomedical and Life Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-981-15-3420-1Published: 30 September 2020

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-981-15-3423-2Published: 01 October 2021

  • eBook ISBN: 978-981-15-3421-8Published: 29 September 2020

  • Series ISSN: 2730-5473

  • Series E-ISSN: 2730-5481

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XVII, 583

  • Number of Illustrations: 105 b/w illustrations, 20 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Ecosystems, Terrestial Ecology, Animal Ecology, Plant Ecology, Biodiversity

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access