Grazing (放牧)
- Grazing
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Herbivores (in particular vertebrates) feed on plants. The effects of grazing on vegetatiion are positive, negative, or neutral.
Negative effects: often observed when over-grazingg occurs. The grazing leads soil erosion, water pollution, and lowering diversity.
Positive effects: Intermediate disturbance hypothesis predicts that moderate grazing supports high biodiversity. - Enclosure experiment
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To investigate the effects of grazing on vegetation, enclosure experiments are often conducted.
[Left] Around Toolik Lake, Alaska, on August 8 2009. [Right] In Nakajima Island enclosed by Toya Lake on July 21 2005. This enclosure is established for estimating the effects of deer grazing on vegetation. Clear differences between the inside and outside. - References
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- Tsuyuzaki, S. & Takahashi, H. 2007. Pits conserve species diversity in an overgrazed grassland. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research 5: 25-36
- Tsuyuzaki, S. & Tsujii, T. 1990. Preliminary study on grassy marshland vegetation, western part of Sichuan Province, China, in relation to yak-grazing. Ecological Research 5: 271-276