THE PERILS OF HAVING TASTY NEIGHBORS: GRAZING IMPACTS OF LARGE HERBIVORES AT VEGETATION BOUNDARIES

Ecology ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 84 (11) ◽  
pp. 2877-2890 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen C. F. Palmer ◽  
Alison J. Hester ◽  
David A. Elston ◽  
Iain J. Gordon ◽  
Sue E. Hartley

1996 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 270 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Landsberg ◽  
J Stol

The densities and distributions of sheep, kangaroos and feral goats were assessed from extensive dung surveys following dry, moderate and green seasons in three large paddocks in the wooded rangelands of north-westem New South Wales. Densities of sheep (21 9nanimals/km2) were around the long-term district average. Densities of goats (24 animals/km2) were often higher than sheep. Densities of kangaroos (1 1 animals/km2) were usually much lower than either sheep or goats. Animal density was usually related to vegetative cover (ground cover for sheep and kangaroos, shrub and tree cover for goats), but there were also differences among paddocks. Distribution of kangaroos showed the most differentiation according to vegetation type, with densities being consistently high on a small area of alluvial grassland and very low in the paddock with no alluvial plains and the lowest levels of ground cover. The distributions of sheep and goats were correlated in the dry season and both species showed similar ranges in preferences for different vegetation types. Of the large herbivores present in these woody rangelands, kangaroos were the most selective in terms of the vegetation types they grazed, and goats were the least selective. Because their grazing activities are focussed on alluvial grasslands, kangaroos have potential to degrade this locally uncommon vegetation type. However, the densities of kangaroos in other, more widespread, vegetation types were uniformly low. Goats were frequently the most abundant large herbivores present and were also the least selective. Therefore goats probably have the greatest potential for causing widespread grazing impacts across much of these woody rangelands.



2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anke S. K. Frank ◽  
Glenda M. Wardle ◽  
Aaron C. Greenville ◽  
Chris R. Dickman

Removing cattle as a management tool to conserve biodiversity may not necessarily alter grazing impacts on vegetation if other introduced or native herbivores move in and replace the cattle after removal. This study investigated whether there was a difference in the abundance of native red kangaroos (Osphranter (Macropus) rufus) and introduced feral camels (Camelus dromedarius) on arid rangelands where cattle had been recently removed compared with where cattle remained. Activity was measured by clearing and weighing dung, and by counting animal sightings. Kangaroos were encountered more frequently in high quality habitat (gidgee woodland) where cattle had been recently removed. However, kangaroo dung in newly cattle-free areas comprised only ~1.5% of the weight of cattle dung in this habitat where cattle still grazed, indicating no grazing compensation by the native herbivore. Camels showed no clear preference for particular habitat types but used dune tops usually avoided by kangaroos and cattle. There was no indication of camels using habitats differently in areas where cattle were removed. Camel dung collected across all habitats comprised less than a tenth the weight of cattle dung, but almost five times as much as kangaroo dung. As cattle removal had occurred relatively recently, further monitoring is needed to determine its impact over longer periods, especially through low and high rainfall cycles. Methods to improve the monitoring of large herbivores in the presence and absence of livestock and to assess whether anticipated conservation goals are achieved are discussed.



2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgia H. Stoppelaire ◽  
John Brock ◽  
Chris Lea ◽  
Mark Duffy ◽  
William Krabill


2016 ◽  
pp. 5-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirte Iubelt ◽  
Laural Saito ◽  
Ashton Montrone ◽  
Peter Weisberg ◽  
Robert Blank




2021 ◽  
Vol 494 ◽  
pp. 119310
Author(s):  
Rafał Kowalczyk ◽  
Tomasz Kamiński ◽  
Tomasz Borowik


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 418-430
Author(s):  
Nicholas J. Balfour ◽  
Rachael Durrant ◽  
Adrian Ely ◽  
Christopher J. Sandom


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Valérie Andrieu-Ponel ◽  
Pierre Rochette ◽  
François Demory ◽  
Hülya Alçiçek ◽  
Nicolas Boulbes ◽  
...  

AbstractCereals are a central resource for the human diet and are traditionally assumed to have evolved from wild grasses at the onset of the Neolithic under the pressure of agriculture. Here we demonstrate that cereals may have a significantly longer and more diverse lineage, based on the study of a 0–2.3 Ma, 601 m long sedimentary core from Lake Acıgöl (South-West Anatolia). Pollen characteristic of cereals is abundant throughout the sedimentary sequence. The presence of large lakes within this arid bioclimatic zone led to the concentration of large herbivore herds, as indicated by the continuous occurrence of coprophilous fungi spores in the record. Our hypothesis is that the effects of overgrazing on soils and herbaceous stratum, during this long period, led to genetic modifications of the Poaceae taxa and to the appearance of proto-cereals. The simultaneous presence of hominins is attested as early as about 1.4 Ma in the lake vicinity, and 1.8 Ma in Georgia and Levant. These ancient hominins probably benefited from the availability of these proto-cereals, rich in nutrients, as well as various other edible plants, opening the way, in this region of the Middle East, to a process of domestication, which reached its full development during the Neolithic.



Author(s):  
Pascal Marchand ◽  
Mathieu Garel ◽  
Nicolas Morellet ◽  
Laura Benoit ◽  
Yannick Chaval ◽  
...  
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