title: Effects of mowing on methane uptake in a semiarid grassland in northern China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mowing is a widely adopted management practice for the semiarid steppe in China and affects CH(4) exchange. However, the magnitude and the underlying mechanisms for CH(4) uptake in response to mowing remain uncertain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In two consecutive growing seasons, we measured the effect of mowing on CH(4) uptake in a steppe community. Vegetation was mowed to 2 cm (M2), 5 cm (M5), 10 cm (M10), 15 cm (M15) above soil surface, respectively, and control was set as non-mowing (NM). Compared with control, CH(4) uptake was substantially enhanced at almost all the mowing treatments except for M15 plots of 2009. CH(4) uptake was significantly correlated with soil microbial biomass carbon, microbial biomass nitrogen, and soil moisture. Mowing affects CH(4) uptake primarily through its effect on some biotic factors, such as net primary productivity, soil microbial C\N supply and soil microbial activities, while soil temperature and moisture were less important.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study found that mowing affects the fluxes of CH(4) in the semiarid temperate steppe of north China.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Lihua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dufa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Shuli
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.forename: Changhui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Changliang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.forename: Linghao
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D018533:Biomass; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D002681:China; D003889:Desert Climate; D017753:Ecosystem; D006813:Humidity; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis; D006109:Poaceae / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D012621:Seasons; D012987:Soil; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen; D008697:Methane