Wild Herbivore Grazing Enhances Insect Diversity over Livestock Grazing in an African Grassland System.

ABSTRACT: Southern Africa's grassland biodiversity is threatened by habitat transformation such as commercial forestry. Ecological networks (ENs) have been instigated to alleviate the pressure of habitat transformation on local biodiversity. ENs are large scale webs of corridors and patches of natural vegetation criss-crossing production landscapes that can simulate conditions in protected areas (PAs). Many ENs have lost many native large mammal species, which have been replaced by domestic livestock to retain natural grazing dynamics, which could have an impact on the long-term value of ENs for insects. Here we compared dung beetle, butterfly and grasshopper diversity in ENs across a landscape mosaic of timber plantations, where 1) wild megaherbivores were maintained, 2) in ENs where these herbivor

SUBMITTER: Pryke JS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5082622 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature