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Introduced goats reduce diversity and biomass of herbs in Caatinga dry forest
Author(s) -
Menezes Tatiane,
Carmo Rodrigo,
Wirth Rainer,
Leal Inara R.,
Tabarelli Marcelo,
Laurênio André,
Melo Felipe P. L.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
land degradation and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.403
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1099-145X
pISSN - 1085-3278
DOI - 10.1002/ldr.3693
Subject(s) - exclosure , rangeland , biomass (ecology) , grazing , herbivore , ecosystem , herbaceous plant , vegetation (pathology) , ecology , species diversity , agroforestry , biology , medicine , pathology
Herbivores are considered important drivers of vegetation shifts in rangelands worldwide. In the Brazilian Caating a years in 16 paired exclosure versus free‐access plots. Exclosure of goats caused a small but significant increase in the species diversity and above‐ground biomass of herbs that varied strongly with time. Taxonomic dissimilarity between exclosure and free‐access was small and due to the turnover of a few species, however, tended to increase with time. Environmental co‐variables, such as rainfall, forest cover, and grazing pressure were also important and have varying effects on herbaceous communities, adding complexity to the processes of species assembly of Caatinga rangelands. Management of grazed ecosystems must take into account that goats can shift plant species composition and diversity with potential cascading effects on ecosystem functions.