title: Contribution of urine and dung patches from grazing sheep to methane and carbon dioxide fluxes in an inner mongolian desert grassland.
abstract: The effects of sheep urine and dung patches on methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes were investigated during the summer-autumn in 2010, to evaluate their contribution to climate change in a desert grassland in Inner Mongolia, China. Results indicate that the cumulative CH4 emissions for dung patches, urine patches and control plots were - -0.076, -0.084, and -0.114 g/m(2) and these were net CH4 sinks during the measured period. The level of CH4 intake from urine and dung plots decreased 25.7%, and 33.3%, respectively, compared with a control plot. CO2 fluxes differed (p<0.01) in urine plots, with an average of 569.20 mg/m(2)/h compared with control plots (357.62 mg/m(2)/h) across all sampling days. Dung patches have cumulative CO2 emissions that were 15.9% higher compared with the control during the 55-d period. Overall, sheep excrement weakened CH4 intake and increased CO2 emissions.
authors: Department of Soil Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2.
authors: Yuanyuan
authors: Y
authors: Jiang
authors: Department of Soil Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2.
authors: Shiming
authors: S
authors: Tang
authors: Department of Soil Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2.
authors: Chengjie
authors: C
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Soil Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2.
authors: Pei
authors: P
authors: Zhou
authors: Department of Soil Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2.
authors: Mario
authors: M
authors: Tenuta
authors: Department of Soil Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2.
authors: Guodong
authors: G
authors: Han
authors: Institute of Grassland Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100094, China .
authors: Ding
authors: D
authors: Huang
keywords: CO2 and CH4 Fluxes; Greenhouse Effect; Inner Mongolia Desert Grassland; Sheep; Urine and Dung Patches