Grazing intensity elicits changes in the composition of plant functional groups in both shortgrass steppe (SGS) and northern mixed-grass prairie (NMP) in North America. How these grazing intensity-induced changes control aboveground net primary production (ANPP) responses to precipitation remains a central open question, especially in light of predicted climate changes. Here, we evaluated effec...

Grazing-induced plant defences that reduce palatability to herbivores are widespread in terrestrial plants and seaweeds, but they have not yet been reported in seagrasses. We investigated the ability of two seagrass species to induce defences in response to direct grazing by three associated mesograzers. Specifically, we conducted feeding-assayed induction experiments to examine how mesograzer-...

This study was conducted in Alzzazah area which lies approximately 25 km East of El-Dmazein city, the capital of the Blue Nile State, Sudan. This study was carried out at the end of the autumn 2015. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impacts of continuous grazing on the rangeland of the study area. To determine this effect, two range sites were selected to represent the rangeland in the s...

The effects of grazing rest on rangelands are different in different climates and knowledge of these effects is necessary to apply correct management. For this purpose, this study was carried out on the percent vegetation cover (PVC) and forage production (FP) of range species at the Nir Range Research Station in Yazd province as a model of steppe rangelands of Iran. In the study area, differen...

Methane (CH4) emissions from ruminants should be accounted for the natural grazed rangeland ecosystems when devising greenhouse gas budget inventory, in particular, their contribution to global warming. In this study, CH4 emission from sheep respiration at different grazing intensities (light grazing, 0.75 sheep/ha, LG; moderate grazing, 1.50 sheep/ha, MG; and heavy grazing, 2.25 sheep/ha, HG) ...

Responses of plants to grazing are better understood, and more predictable, than those of consumers in North American grasslands. In 2003, we began a large-scale, replicated experiment that examined the effects of grazing on three important arthropod groups-beetles, spiders, and grasshoppers-in shortgrass steppe of north-central Colorado. We investigated whether modifications of the intensity a...

Question: Is the assumption of trait independence implied in Westoby’s (1998) leaf-height-seed (LHS) ecology strategy scheme upheld in a Mediterranean grazing system dominated by annuals? Is the LHS approach applicable at the community level? Location: Northern Israel. Methods: LHS traits (specific leaf area [SLA], plant height and seed mass), and additional leaf traits (leaf dry matter content...

Grazing lands in the southeastern United States of America are managed primarily for introduced plant species that have high forage production potential or that fit in a niche within a farming system. Forages are typically managed with fertilization and grazing pressure on a seasonal basis, depending upon growth habit. Nitrogen (N) application is one of the key determinants of pasture productiv...