Research Paper
Year: 2023 | Month: February | Volume: 10 | Issue: 2 | Pages: 828-835
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20230298
Herbivory as a Tool in Conservation of Biological Diversity in Rangelands – Review
Nametso Goitsemodimo
National Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Private Bag 00177, Gaborone, Botswana
ABSTRACT
There is a global concern on how the biodiversity can be maintained. Competition has a high importance in maintaining diversity, but there are mechanisms like disturbances that eliminate competition that may cause variations in species richness. Animals play a crucial role in influencing species composition and distribution in an environment. Although some studies have shown positive theoretical and practical results of herbivory, consequences are still debated among ecologists. Understanding of the herbivory contribution to biological diversity conservation and responses by plants in most regions can be the basic starting point in predicting the sustainability of plant species that can serve an ecological niche globally. The use of herbivores as biological controls and weed control has offered environmentally friendly alternative to herbicides as well as cost effectiveness and sustainability in biodiversity conservation. Timing of herbivory and herd density utilization, offer a mechanism that can manipulate ecosystem for positive results. Therefore, managing mammal densities rather than monitoring their effects could be a better approach in improving biodiversity. Large herbivores require high quantity and less quality plants and the reverse for small herbivores, thus, the plant abundance and quality requirements should differ for different herbivores depending on body sizes. This behaviour helps create plant heterogeneity or high biodiversity. Thus, this review may provide may provide more information that would be useful in establishing the relationship between herbivore and plant species diversity identifying existing and potential challenges pertaining to variation in the vegetation structure and other indices as influenced by grazing.
Keywords: herd size, insects, species richness, large herbivory, sustainability.
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