The seed bank created by the dung of large herbivores drives seed circulation in an alpine meadow

Seed circulation (i.e., sexual reproduction) is vital for the regeneration of aboveground grassland vegetation (AGV). It occurs in several steps: seed production (seed rain, SR), dispersal (endozoochory, i.e., dung seed bank, DSB), formation of the soil seed bank (SSB), germination, seedling growth, and establishment of adult plants. However, the effects of seasonal rotational grazing on these seed circulation components and their interactions remain unclear, particularly in alpine regions. We found that AGV, SR, SSB, and DSB were analyzed during seasonal (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) grazing by yaks ( Poephagus grunniens ) in an alpine meadow on the northeastern Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau to address this issue. AGV species richness gradually decreased from 2020 to 2022 in all seasonal paddocks, and species density was significantly greater in warm‐season paddocks (summer and autumn) than in cold‐season paddocks (spring and winter). Grazing during the flowering and seed‐setting periods (mid‐June to early August) reduced both the richness and density of SR species and interrupted SSB supplementation. The density of DSB species in the warm‐season paddocks was significantly greater than that in the cold‐season paddocks. AGV → SR → SSB and AGV → DSB → SSB were two essential seed circulation pathways of alpine meadows under seasonal grazing, and the contribution of DSB to grassland renewal should not be ignored. Seasonal grazing affects the circulation of grassland seeds through livestock, particularly regarding phenology. Grazing during seed maturation (mid‐August to late September) promoted the renewal and development of grassland vegetation by driving seed circulation through DSB. We recommend that proper rotation of seasonal grazing pastures are effective grazing managements as well as plant diversity conservation strategies in alpine regions.