The geographical variation in grassland forage quality on the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is driven mainly by climate

• Published in: Ecological processes Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 12
• Main Authors: Wu, Shulan, Lü, Xiaotao, Liu, Qinghua, Wuda, Erke, Li, Liu, Zhao, Chunzhang, Huang, Juanjuan, Li, Shuang, Hu, Youbang, Du, Wenzhi, Li, Hewen, Chen, Chaoqun, Luo, Lin, Raza, Ali, Yin, Chunying
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.12.2025; Springer Nature B.V; SpringerOpen
• Subjects: Alpine meadow; alpine meadows; altitude; Body condition; botanical composition; Carbohydrates; China; Climate; Community composition; Composition; Crude protein; Earth and Environmental Science; Environment; Forage; Forb-dominated grassland; forbs; geographical variation; Geographical variations; Grassland management; Grasslands; latitude; Livestock; livestock productivity; longitude; Non-fiber carbohydrates; nutritive value; Plant communities; Plants; Plateaus; Regional variations; Relative feed value; Soil; Soil conditions; Soil properties; Sustainable development; Tibetan Plateau; China; Forb-dominated grassland; Crude protein; Relative feed value; Soil properties; Non-fiber carbohydrates; Alpine meadow
• ISSN: 2192-1709; 2192-1709
• DOI: 10.1186/s13717-025-00583-3

Background Forage quality is a fundamental determinant for livestock productivity in natural grasslands, and is sensitive to the variations in climate, soil, and plant community composition. However, the contributions of those factors to the regional variation of forage quality largely remain unclea...