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Impacts of Browsing and Grazing Ungulates on Plant Characteristics and Dynamics

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The Ecology of Browsing and Grazing II

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 239))

Abstract

Plant communities are intricate systems influenced by many factors, including disturbance by ungulates. Differential grazing and browsing preferences, as well as variation in the timing and severity of herbivory, have fitness consequences for plants that lead to shifts in their competitive relationships. In this Chapter, I summarize why different plant types are of variable preference to ungulates. Next, I discuss how plants react to herbivory via altered growth rates and resource reallocation. Then, I describe how these differential responses by individuals and populations of plants lead to change in the overall structure and composition of vegetation communities. I close by addressing vegetation recovery following reduced herbivore pressure, and impediments to recovery such as limited seed availability, recalcitrant layers, invasive species, and the need for site-specific management prescriptions.

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  1. Penn State Beaver, Monaca, PA, USA

    Autumn E. Sabo

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Correspondence to Autumn E. Sabo .

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  1. Division of Tropical Environment & Societies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia

    Iain J. Gordon

  2. Animal Sciences Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Herbert H. T. Prins

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Sabo, A.E. (2019). Impacts of Browsing and Grazing Ungulates on Plant Characteristics and Dynamics. In: Gordon, I., Prins, H. (eds) The Ecology of Browsing and Grazing II. Ecological Studies, vol 239. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25865-8_11

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