Effect of exclusion of livestock in two species of palatable shrubs of the Tehuacan Valley, Mexico
Por:
Baraza, E, Valiente-Banuet, A
Publicada:
1 dic 2012
Resumen:
In many areas of the planet extensive grazing has been considered as a limitation to the conservation of vegetation. However, herbivores have a fundamental role in maintaining ecosystems and their effects on plant communities are complex and specific. Therefore, studies that analyzed the effect of these herbivores on vegetation are needed. In this study we analyze the response, in the short time, of 2 species of shrubs, one of them in critical state of conservation, to the exclusion of livestock with 3 enclosures. The results show that, in just a few months, the plants included in the enclosures were greater (major canopy area) than plants outside enclosures. However, only one of them shows a decline in reproductive investment while for the other we did not found changes in reproductive effort between plants grazed and not grazed. So we can consider that this shrub species is, to some degree, adapted to be consumed. It will require a long-term monitoring to analyze possible changes in
Filiaciones:
Valiente-Banuet, A:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Lab Ecol Comunidades, Inst Ecol, Mexico City 04510, DF, Mexico
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