Ecology and Restoration of Grassland—2nd Edition
A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Diversity".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 127
Special Issue Editor
Interests: grassland degradation; hydrologic process; water cycle; water conservation function
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Grasslands are a vital component of terrestrial ecosystems, covering approximately 40% of the global vegetated area. They play an irreplaceable role in critical ecological processes such as biodiversity conservation, water and soil resource regulation, sustainable livestock production, and global carbon and nitrogen cycles. However, overgrazing, climate change, and intensified anthropogenic disturbances are accelerating grassland degradation worldwide, triggering cascading ecological effects, including retrogressive vegetation succession, the deterioration of soil physicochemical properties, and a decline in hydrological regulation functions. Current research on degraded grassland restoration predominantly focuses on aboveground vegetation reconstruction techniques, with insufficient attention paid to key scientific issues such as belowground soil–microbial interaction mechanisms and root–soil–water coupling processes. Moreover, there is a lack of a systematic theoretical framework integrating multi-trophic interactions and ecosystem multifunctionality.
This Special Issue aims to establish an interdisciplinary research platform, with a focus on soliciting cutting-edge contributions in the following areas:
(1) Cascading response mechanisms of vegetation–soil–water systems during grassland degradation;
(2) Adaptive restoration techniques for degraded grasslands across different climate zones;
(3) Aboveground–belowground synergistic recovery mechanisms driven by microbiomes;
(4) Restoration effectiveness evaluation based on ecosystem multifunctionality enhancement;
(5) Innovative applications of artificial intelligence and remote sensing in degradation monitoring.
We particularly encourage research on fundamental theories such as ecohydrological processes in arid and semi-arid regions, soil carbon pool stability maintenance, and plant–microbial interaction networks, as well as systemic solutions that integrate ecological restoration practices with sustainable development goals. By synthesizing multidimensional research findings, we hope to provide new theoretical foundations and technical paradigms for the ecological restoration of degraded grasslands worldwide.
Dr. Xiaowei Guo
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- grasslands
- ecosystem degradation
- biodiversity conservation
- soil–microbial interactions
- restoration techniques
- ecosystem multifunctionality
- climate change
- ecohydrological processes
- remote sensing monitoring
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