Consumer control of grassland plant production
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Authors: D. A. Frank, M. M. Kuns, and D. R. Guido
Date: 2002
Journal: Ecology
Volume: 83
Number: 3
Pages: 602-606
Summary of Methods: In Yellowstone National Park, Frank et al. examined the effects of large herds of migratory herds of ungulates on ecosystem primary production by comparing aboveground (NAP) and belowground production (NBP), in grazed and ungrazed (fenced) grasslands from nine widely variable grasslands. Grazers stimulated aboveground, belowground, and whole-grassland productivity by 21%, 35%, and 32%, respectively. Root production was stimulated seven times more than shoot production, indicating that the major effect of herbivores in this system was a positive feedback on root growth. Results refute the prevailing notion that grassland herbivory leads to a reduction in root productivity, and a concomitant decline in soil carbon content, and provide a potential explanation for how organic-rich soil developed in grassland that was grazed throughout millennia.
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: yellowstone national park, grassland, herbivory, minirhizotron, primary production, root growth, ungulates
Annotation: None
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