Article
Thresholds are in the Eye of the Beholder: Plants and Wildlife Respond Differently to Short‐Term Cattle Corrals
The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America
(2020)
Abstract
In sub‐Saharan Africa, mobile overnight livestock corrals (“bomas”) can be used to convert bare ground to productive ecosystem hotspots (“glades”) that are attractive to wild herbivores. We asked how long bomas must be occupied by cattle before undergoing a state change to a glade. We found that 7‐, 14‐, and 28‐day boma durations transitioned to glade‐like plant communities within three years. Wildlife showed lagged responses with transitions to glade‐like herbivore use occurring only in the longest duration (14‐ and 28‐day) treatments. Our results show that different response variables, when considered individually, may provide incomplete or misleading information about state changes.
Disciplines
Publication Date
2020
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/bes2.1639
Citation Information
Kari E. Veblen. "Thresholds are in the Eye of the Beholder: Plants and Wildlife Respond Differently to Short‐Term Cattle Corrals" The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America Vol. 101 Iss. 1 (2020) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/kari_veblen/87/