3.2 Effect of stocking rate on cover of shrubby plants
As shown in Fig. 4, the cover of shrubby plants decreased with increasing stocking rate. Accordingly, the cover of perennial grasses increased with increasing stocking rate. Fig. 5 further highlights this trend, showing that stocking rate had a limiting effect on shrub cover. The cover of Artemisia frigida , Kochia prostrata ,Caragana microphylla and Ceratoides latens decreased with increasing stocking rate. However, the results of analysis of variance showed that the cover of Artemisia frigida , Caragana microphylla and Ceratoides latens was significantly different at different stocking rates (P <0.05). Although there was a decreasing trend in the cover of Kochia prostrata , there was no statistically significant difference under different stocking rates. This suggests that Artemisia frigida , Caragana microphyllaand Ceratoides latens are more sensitive to stocking rate thanKochia prostrata .