Unexpected adaptation of plant offspring to intense livestock grazing

Picture copyright Tadey & Souto

Grazing intensification with non-native livestock degrade vegetation cover, particularly, in arid environments where low resource availability in the soil strongly limits plant recovery after damage. However, it remains unclear whether the negative effect of grazing on consumed plants is transmitted to plant offspring. Tadey & Souto analysed whether grazing reduces fruit weight, germination percentage and seedling vigor of consumed vegetation along a grazing gradient. They found that increasing livestock density decreased fruit weight and germination percentage but, unexpectedly, enhanced seedling vigor of dryland shrub species.

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