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Grazing Livestock to Increase Soil Carbon and Nitrogen
Author(s) -
Butler-Lapointe Nick
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
natural sciences education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2168-8281
DOI - 10.4195/nse2014.0001se
Subject(s) - grazing , environmental science , trampling , agronomy , soil carbon , pasture , nitrogen cycle , carbon cycle , productivity , stocking , carbon sequestration , carbon fibers , nitrogen , greenhouse gas , agroforestry , ecology , ecosystem , soil water , carbon dioxide , biology , soil science , zoology , chemistry , materials science , macroeconomics , organic chemistry , composite number , economics , composite material
Pasture is a common land use and can potentially sequester large amounts of atmospheric carbon while simultaneously producing food. Increased soil carbon and nitrogen levels improve the productivity of pasture land as well as removing carbon from the atmosphere, reducing this driver of global warming. Grazing animals at an appropriate stocking density increases soil carbon and nitrogen levels through a number of pathways including the defoliation of plants by grazing, the physical effects of trampling plant matter, and animal waste. These effects are tied to plant physiological responses and to soil microbes responsible for nutrient cycling. Understanding the way grazing influences the storage and cycling of carbon and nitrogen also has implications for the way pastures should be managed to optimize these effects.