This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Grassland plants transfer large amounts of carbon to soil through their roots, and most of that carbon is stored underground. Therefore, promoting soil carbon storage can help combat climate change.
Grazers feed on grassland plants, and conventional wisdom often assumes that removing grazers benefits carbon storage, but a new study in Global Change Biology Communications reveals that the opposite may be the case. Drawing on real-world evidence from the long-term cessation of grazing in subarctic grasslands in Iceland, researchers found that grazing abandonment resulted in lower soil carbon, while continued grazing consistently resulted in higher soil carbon. Long-term grazing abandonment also promoted ecological shifts to vegetation types with lower soil carbon.
"The findings have important implications for climate policy, nature-based solutions, and sustainable grassland management worldwide," said corresponding author Anna Gudrun Thorhallsdottir, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Iceland at Holar. "They highlight the potential importance of grazing to sustain grasslands and enhance soil carbon storage." Sustained Livestock Grazing Enhances Soil Organic Carbon Storage in Sub-Arctic Grassland, Global Change Biology Communications (2026). DOI: 10.1002/gcb4.70049 Bachelor's in mathematical biology, Master's in creative writing.
Well-traveled with unique perspectives on science and language.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
