The past impact of livestock husbandry on dispersal of plant seeds in the landscape of Denmark
| Autor: | Hans Henrik Bruun, Bo Fritzbøger |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2002 |
| Předmět: |
Ecology
Agroforestry Cultural landscape Seed dispersal Denmark Movement Geography Planning and Development Population Dynamics Plant community General Medicine Plants Habitat destruction Geography Propagule Habitat Animals Domestic Seeds Environmental Chemistry Biological dispersal Animals Species richness Animal Husbandry |
| Zdroj: | Ambio. 31(5) |
| ISSN: | 0044-7447 |
| Popis: | The recent decline in species richness in (semi)-natural habitats in northern Europe has largely been attributable to habitat destruction, and to subsequent limitation in seed dispersal among fragments. However, some habitat types were probably split up already in the historical landscape, but the segregated parts were probably not isolated to the present degree. This paper seeks evidence for livestock as vectors for propagules at 3 spatial scales in the past cultural landscape. Three main scales at which livestock acted as seed dispersers are important: free movement in the landscape (1–10 km), driving animals to mast feeding or to manors (10–50 km), and the export of living animals (hundreds of km). The emerging picture is for most plant species a dramatically decreased chance of dispersal in the modern landscape. The consequence is probably decreasing species richness in (semi)-natural plant communities, such as pasture, meadow, and heathland. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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