Effect of vertebrate grazing on plant and insect community structure.
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Authors: J. L. Rambo, and S. H. Faeth
Date: 1999
Journal: Conservation Biology
Volume: 13
Number: 5
Pages: 1047-1054
Summary of Methods: Long-term (7-9 years) and short-term (1 year) grazing exclosures were used to determine the effects of grazing on plant and insect abundance, species richness and evenness over different time intervals. Short-term grazing exclusion decreased plant species richness and created a less balanced plant community, possibly because dominant species were able to out-compete less dominant species for resources after being released from grazing pressure. Long-term grazing exclusion also decreased species richness, however, the plant community composition was more even, indicating that species dominance was reduced over time. Grazing exclusion enhanced insect abundance, most likely due to the increased levels of available forage, but did not affect diversity or evenness of insect communities. The results suggest that vertebrate grazing may increase plant richness, even in nutrient-poor, semi-arid grasslands, but may decrease insect abundances.
Article Summary / Main Points: None
Vegetation Types:
MLRA Ecoregions:
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: species richness, exclosures, grazing, community structure, disturbance, evenness
Annotation: Cattle were rotated onto both the long-term and short-term exclosure sites each summer for periods ranging from 4-30 days. Generally, the number of cattle and duration of foraging was adjusted each summer such that about 70% of the standing, aboveground biomass was consumed. Elk and deer, on the other hand, may forage year-round, and the authors could not ascertain the relative contribution of cattle, elk, and deer to cumulative grazing at the long and short-term sites. But deer and elk are common at the sites.
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