| Abstract: | In order to understand the temporal changes of botanical composition in grassland ecosystem, and to clarify the relation between these changes and environmental impacts, such as climatic factors and artificial disturbance, a grazing trail was carried out during a 21-year period from 1974 at a sown grassland of the National Grassland Research Institute, located in Nishinasuno, the central area of Japan. The data sets of biomass for each mouth(from April to November)of the 21-year period were analyzed in this paper. The botanical composition of aboveground biomass varied greatly witl both season and year. The biomass ratio of improved herbage species to invaded native plants gradually decreased each year. This may have been owing to meteorological factors, such as Iow air-temperature in winter, dry and hot summers, grassland management(including grazing intensity and fertilizer application), and inter-specific competition between native and introduced herbage plants. |
