The impact of large herbivores on woodland-grassland dynamics in fragmented landscapes: The role of spatial configuration and disturbance

Autor: Koen Kramer, Astrid J.A. van Teeffelen, Peter Schippers, Michiel F. WallisDeVries, Claire C. Vos, Jana Verboom
Přispěvatelé: Spatial analysis & Decision Support, Amsterdam Global Change Institute
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2014
Předmět:
red deer
Bos- en Landschapsecologie
Population
Landgebruiksplanning
Metapopulation
Woodland
Biology
Biodiversity and Policy
north temperate forests
distribution patterns
Alternative stable state
Land Use Planning
Biodiversiteit en Beleid
Forest and Landscape Ecology
Bosecologie en Bosbeheer
Laboratory of Entomology
education
resilience
Vegetatie
Ecology
Evolution
Behavior and Systematics
Natuur en samenleving
grazing systems
SDG 15 - Life on Land
education.field_of_study
Herbivore
Vegetation
Habitat fragmentation
Ecology
Agroforestry
Ecological Modeling
Nature and society
metapopulation dynamics
population-dynamics
PE&RC
Laboratorium voor Entomologie
Forest Ecology and Forest Management
Disturbance (ecology)
regeneration
Vegetatie
Bos- en Landschapsecologie
Vegetation
Forest and Landscape Ecology
habitat fragmentation
management
Zdroj: Ecological Complexity 17 (2014)
Ecological Complexity, 17, 20-31
Ecological Complexity, 17, 20-31. Elsevier
Schippers, P, van Teeffelen, A J A, Verboom, J, Vos, C C, Kramer, K & WallisDeVries, M F 2014, ' The impact of large herbivores on woodland-grassland dynamics in fragmented landscapes: The role of spatial configuration and disturbance ', Ecological Complexity, vol. 17, pp. 20-31 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecocom.2013.07.002
ISSN: 1476-945X
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecocom.2013.07.002
Popis: The vegetation structure of natural ecosystems is usually considered independent of their size and their location in the landscape. In this study, we examine the effect of size, spatial configuration and disturbances on the dynamic interactions of large herbivores and vegetation in a patchy environment using a metapopulation model. Simulations indicate that small, isolated or unfenced patches have low herbivore numbers and high tree cover whereas large, well-connected or fenced patches support high herbivore densities and are covered by grassland. Recovery of both herbivore numbers and forest cover in response to disturbance is slow (>100 years). These long recovery times are partly attributable to negative feedbacks between herbivore numbers and tree cover. When the population of large herbivores is disturbed, forest is able to expand, subsequently inhibiting herbivore population recovery. Likewise, forest disturbance allows herbivore population expansion, which inhibits forest recovery. Additionally, infrequent and limited disturbances like hunting and forest removal also affect the vegetation cover in patches of nature. Thus, our work indicates that the location and size of patches, together with disturbances, largely determine the structure of the vegetation in fragmented landscapes. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
Externí odkaz: