3. Potential ecological effects of toxic weeds
Traditionally, toxic weeds are not only thought to cause economic losses to livestock production but are also thought to do great harm to grasslands and lead to their degradation (James et al. 2005; Luet al. 2012; Zhao et al. 2013). However, this parochial view may neglect the manifold ecological roles that toxic weeds can play as important natural components of grassland ecosystems. For instance, toxic weeds can provide a number of ecological, social and economic benefits by improving soil quality, protecting forage resources and promoting the sustainable development of grasslands.