Evolutionary history of grazing and resources determine herbivore exclusion effects on plant diversity.
Journal
Nature ecology & evolution
ISSN: 2397-334X
Titre abrégé: Nat Ecol Evol
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101698577
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
09 2022
09 2022
Historique:
received:
28
05
2021
accepted:
19
05
2022
pubmed:
26
7
2022
medline:
9
9
2022
entrez:
25
7
2022
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Ecological models predict that the effects of mammalian herbivore exclusion on plant diversity depend on resource availability and plant exposure to ungulate grazing over evolutionary time. Using an experiment replicated in 57 grasslands on six continents, with contrasting evolutionary history of grazing, we tested how resources (mean annual precipitation and soil nutrients) determine herbivore exclusion effects on plant diversity, richness and evenness. Here we show that at sites with a long history of ungulate grazing, herbivore exclusion reduced plant diversity by reducing both richness and evenness and the responses of richness and diversity to herbivore exclusion decreased with mean annual precipitation. At sites with a short history of grazing, the effects of herbivore exclusion were not related to precipitation but differed for native and exotic plant richness. Thus, plant species' evolutionary history of grazing continues to shape the response of the world's grasslands to changing mammalian herbivory.
Identifiants
pubmed: 35879541
doi: 10.1038/s41559-022-01809-9
pii: 10.1038/s41559-022-01809-9
doi:
Substances chimiques
Soil
0
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
1290-1298Informations de copyright
© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.
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