Grazing intensity and carbon pools in soils, roots and forage plants on the Thunder Bay community pasture

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Date
2020Author
Francis, Trent
Subject
Grazing intensitiesCarbon storage in forage plants
Grassland ecosystems
Grazing and carbon pools
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This thesis explores carbon (C) storage in the forage plants found on the
Thunder Bay Community Pasture (TBCP). Plant tissues, roots and shoots, were
collected from the TBCP and analyzed at Lakehead University using a loss on
ignition technique. This thesis summarizes the (C) pools, the importance and
influence of C on soils and plants species, comparing grazing intensities of cattle
on the pasture. C storage in the plant communities subjected to high grazing
intensity do not differ from levels found in areas subjected to light and medium
grazing intensities. Ultimately, plant species in all three functional groups
compared (annuals, grasses and legumes) did not have differences in above-
ground (C) stores at the grazing intensities observed in the TBCP.