Abstract
The impacts of domesticated herbivores on ecosystems that did not evolve with mammalian grazing can profoundly influence community composition and trophic interactions. Also, such impacts can occur over long time frames by altering successional vegetation trajectories. Removal of domesticated herbivores to protect native biota can therefore lead to unexpected consequences at multiple trophic levels for native and non-native species. In the eastern South Island of New Zealand large areas of seral grassland–shrubland have had livestock (sheep and cattle) removed following changes in land tenure. The long-term (>10 years) outcomes for these communities are complex and difficult to predict: land may return to a native-dominated woody plant community or be invaded by exotic plants and mammals. We quantified direct and indirect effects of livestock removal on this ecosystem by comparing plant and invasive mammal communities at sites where grazing by livestock ceased c.10–35 years ago (conservation sites) with paired sites where pastoralism has continued to the present (pastoral sites). There was higher total native plant richness and reduced richness of exotic plants on conservation sites compared with pastoral sites. Further, there were differences in the use of conservation and pastoral sites by invasive mammals: rabbits and hedgehogs favoured sites grazed by livestock whereas house mice, brushtail possums and hares favoured conservation sites. Changes in the relative abundance of invasive mammal species after removal of domesticated livestock may compromise positive outcomes for conservation in successional plant communities with no evolutionary history of mammalian grazing.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allcock KG, Hik DS (2004) Survival, growth, and escape from herbivory are determined by habitat and herbivore species for three Australian woodland plants. Oecologia 138:231–241. doi:10.1007/s00442-003-1420-3
Amiaud B, Touzard B, Bonis A et al (2008) After grazing exclusion, is there any modification of strategy for two guerrilla species: Elymus repens (L.) Gould and Agrostis stolonifera (L.)? Plant Ecol 197:107–117. doi:10.1007/s11258-007-9364-z
Anderson MJ (2001) A new method for non-parametric multivariate analysis of variance. Austral Ecol 26:32–46. doi:10.1046/j.1442-9993.2001.01070.x
Angel A, Wanless RM, Cooper J (2008) Review of impacts of the introduced house mouse on islands in the Southern Ocean: are mice equivalent to rats? Biol Invasions 11:1743–1754. doi:10.1007/s10530-008-9401-4
Arthur A, Pech R, Dickman C (2004) Habitat structure mediates the non lethal effects of predation on enclosed populations of house mice. J Anim Ecol 73:867–877. doi:10.1111/j.0021-8790.2004.00864.x
Bakker ES, Ritchie ME, Olff H et al (2006) Herbivore impact on grassland plant diversity depends on habitat productivity and herbivore size. Ecol Lett 9:780–788. doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2006.00925.x
Bellingham PJ (1998) Shrub succession and invasibility in a New Zealand montane grassland. Aust J Ecol 23:562–573. doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.1998.tb00766.x
Cingolani A, Noy-Meir I, Diaz S (2005) Grazing effects on rangeland diversity: a synthesis of contemporary models. Ecol Appl 15:757–773. doi:10.1890/03-5272
Coomes DA, Allen RB, Scott NA et al (2002) Designing systems to monitor carbon stocks in forests and shrublands. For Ecol Manage 164:89–108. doi:10.1016/S0378-1127(01)00592-8
Courchamp F, Caut S (2006) Use of biological invasions and their control to study the dynamics of interacting populations. In: Cadotte M, McMahon S, Fukami T (eds) Conceptual ecology and invasion biology: reciprocal approaches to nature. Invasion ecology 1. Springer, Berlin, pp 243–269
Cowan PE (2005) Brushtail possum. In: King CM (ed) The handbook of New Zealand mammals, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, Melbourne, pp 56–80
Day NJ, Buckley HL (2013) Twenty-five years of plant community dynamics and invasion in New Zealand tussock grasslands. Austral Ecol. doi:10.1111/aec.12016
Denyer JL, Hartley SE, John EA (2010) Both bottom-up and top-down processes contribute to plant diversity maintenance in an edaphically heterogeneous ecosystem. J Ecol 98:498–508. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2745.2009.01633.x
Diaz S, Lavorel S, McIntyre S et al (2007) Plant trait responses to grazing—a global synthesis. Glob Chang Biol 13:313–341. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2006.01288.x
Diez JM, Buckley HL, Case BS et al (2009) Interacting effects of management and environmental variability at multiple scales on invasive species distributions. J Appl Ecol 46:1210–1218. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2664.2009.01725.x
Dodd M, Barker G, Burns B et al (2011) Resilience of New Zealand indigenous forest fragments to impacts of livestock and pest mammals. N Z J Ecol 35:83–95
Dungan RJ, O’Cain MJ, Lopez ML et al (2002) Contribution by possums to seed rain and subsequent seed germination in successional vegetation, Canterbury, New Zealand. N Z J Ecol 26:121–128
Elmhagen B, Rushton SP (2007) Trophic control of mesopredators in terrestrial ecosystems: top-down or bottom-up? Ecol Lett 10:197–206. doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2006.01010.x
Fabian Y, Sandau N, Bruggisser OT et al (2012) Diversity protects plant communities against generalist molluscan herbivores. Ecol Evol 2:2460–2473. doi:10.1002/ece3.359
Fensham R, Silcock J, Dwyer J (2011) Plant species richness responses to grazing protection and degradation history in a low productivity landscape. J Veg Sci 22:997–1008. doi:10.1111/j.1654-1103.2011.01305.x
Firn J, House APN, Buckley YM (2010) Alternative states models provide an effective framework for invasive species control and restoration of native communities. J Appl Ecol 47:96–105. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2664.2009.01741.x
Forsyth DM, Wilmshurst JM, Allen RB et al (2010) Impacts of introduced deer and extinct moa on New Zealand ecosystems. N Z J Ecol 34:48–65
Grosholz E (2010) Avoidance by grazers facilitates spread of an invasive hybrid plant. Ecol Lett 13:145–153. doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01409.x
Grove PB, Mark AF, Dickinson KJM (2002) Vegetation monitoring of recently protected tussock grasslands in the southern South Island, New Zealand. J R Soc N Z 32:379–414. doi:10.1080/03014223.2002.9517700
Haarmeyer DH, Schmiedel U, Dengler J et al (2010) How does grazing intensity affect different vegetation types in arid Succulent Karoo, South Africa? Implications for conservation management. Biol Conserv 143:588–596. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2009.11.008
Harris W, Fan J (1996) The role of fertiliser in the invasion of South Island high country by hawkweeds. Proc N Z Grassl Assoc 58:205–210
Hurst JM, Allen RB (2007) The Recce method for describing New Zealand vegetation-field protocols. Manaaki Whenua—Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
Innes J, Hay R, Flux I et al (1999) Successful recovery of North Island kokako Callaeas cinerea wilsoni populations, by adaptive management. Biol Conserv 87:201–214. doi:10.1016/S0006-3207(98)00053-6
Jones C, Sanders MD (2005) European hedgehog. In: King CM (ed) The handbook of New Zealand mammals, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, Melbourne, pp 81–94
Kenkel NC, Orloci L (1986) Applying metric and nonmetric multidimensional scaling to ecological studies: some new results. Ecology 67:919–928. doi:10.2307/1939814
Kimball S, Schiffman PM (2003) Differing effects of cattle grazing on native and alien plants. Conserv Biol 17:1681–1693. doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2003.00205.x
King CM, Edgar RL (1977) Techniques for trapping and tracking stoats (Mustela erminea): a review, and a new system. N Z J Zool 4:193–212. doi:10.1080/03014223.1977.9517953
Kutt AS, Gordon IJ (2012) Variation in terrestrial mammal abundance on pastoral and conservation land tenures in north-eastern Australian tropical savannas. Anim Conserv 15:416–425. doi:10.1111/j.1469-1795.2012.00530.x
Lee W, Wood J, Rogers G (2010) Legacy of avian-dominated plant-herbivore systems in New Zealand. N Z J Ecol 34:28–47
Legge S, Kennedy MS, Lloyd R et al (2011) Rapid recovery of mammal fauna in the central Kimberley, northern Australia, following removal of introduced herbivores. Austral Ecol 36:791–799. doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.2010.02218.x
Lunt I, Eldridge D, Morgan J et al (2007) A framework to predict the effects of livestock grazing and grazing exclusion on conservation values in natural ecosystems in Australia. Aust J Bot 55:401–415. doi:10.1071/BT06178
Mack RN, Simberloff D, Lonsdale WM et al (2000) Biotic invasions: causes, epidemiology, global consequences, and control. Ecol Appl 10:689–710. doi:10.1890/1051-0761(2000)010%5B0689:BICEGC%5D2.0.CO%3B2
MacKay AD, Lambert MG (2011) Long-term changes in soil fertility and pasture production under no, low and high phosphorous fertiliser inputs. Proc N Z Grassl Assoc 73:37–42
Mark AF (1969) Ecology of snow tussocks in the mountain grasslands of New Zealand. Vegetatio 18:289–306. doi:10.1007/BF00332843
Mark AF, Dickinson KJM (2003) Temporal responses over 30 years to removal of grazing from a mid-altitude snow tussock grassland reserve, Lammerlaw Ecological Region, New Zealand. N Z J Bot 41:655–667. doi:10.1080/0028825X.2003.9512876
May F, Grimm V, Jeltsch F (2009) Reversed effects of grazing on plant diversity: the role of below-ground competition and size symmetry. Oikos 118:1830–1843. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0706.2009.17724.x
McGlone MS, Wilmshurst JM (1999) Dating initial Maori environmental impact in New Zealand. Quat Int 59:5–16. doi:10.1016/S1040-6182(98)00067-6
Meffin R, Miller AL, Hulme PE et al (2010) Experimental introduction of the alien plant Hieracium lepidulum reveals no significant impact on montane plant communities in New Zealand. Divers Distrib 16:804–815. doi:10.1111/j.1472-4642.2010.00684.x
Meurk CD, Walker S, Gibson RS et al (2002) Changes in vegetation states in grazed and ungrazed Mackenzie Basin grasslands, New Zealand, 1990–2000. N Z J Ecol 26:95–106
Norbury G, Flux JEC (2005) Brown hare. In: King CM (ed) The handbook of New Zealand mammals, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, Melbourne, pp 151–158
Norbury G, Reddiex B (2005) European rabbit. In: King CM (ed) The handbook of New Zealand mammals, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, Melbourne, pp 131–151
Norbury GL, Byrom AE, Pech RP et al (2013) Invasive mammals and habitat modification interact to generate unforeseen outcomes for indigenous fauna. Ecol Appl. 23:1707–1721. doi:10.1890/12-1958.1
Norton DA, Espie PR, Murray W et al (2006) Influence of pastoral management on plant biodiversity in a depleted short tussock grassland, Mackenzie Basin. N Z J Ecol 30:335–344
O’Hara R, Kotze J (2010) Do not log-transform count data. Methods Ecol Evol 1:118–122
Oksanen J, Blanchet FG, Kindt R et al (2010) Vegan: community ecology package. R package version 1.17-1
Partridge T, Allen R, Johnson P et al (1991) Vegetation/environment relationships in lowland and montane vegetation of the Kawarau Gorge, Central Otago, New Zealand. N Z J Bot 29:295–310. doi:10.1080/0028825X.1991.10416608
R Development Core Team (2009) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. Version 2.10.1. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria
Rogers G, Walker S, Lee B (2005) The role of disturbance in dryland New Zealand: past and present. Science for Conservation 258, Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zea, pp 1–122
Rose AB, Frampton CM (2007) Rapid short-tussock grassland decline with and without grazing, Marlborough, New Zealand. N Z J Ecol 31:232–244
Rose AB, Platt KH (1992) Snow tussock (Chionochloa) population responses to removal of sheep and European hares, Canterbury, New Zealand. N Z J Bot 30:373–382. doi:10.1080/0028825X.1992.10412917
Rose AB, Platt KH, Frampton CM (1995) Vegetation change over 25 years in a New Zealand short-tussock grassland: effects of sheep grazing and exotic invasions. N Z J Ecol 19:163–174
Rose AB, Suisted PA, Frampton CM (2004) Recovery, invasion, and decline over 37 years in a Marlborough short-tussock grassland, New Zealand. N Z J Bot 42:77–87. doi:10.1080/0028825X.2004.9512891
Sage DJM, Norton DA, Espie PR (2009) Effect of grazing exclusion on the woody weed Rosa rubiginosa in high country short tussock grasslands. N Z J Agric Res 52:123–128. doi:10.1080/00288230909510496
Scherber C, Eisenhauer N, Weisser WW et al (2010a) Bottom-up effects of plant diversity on multitrophic interactions in a biodiversity experiment. Nature 468:553–556. doi:10.1038/nature09492
Scherber C, Heimann J, Kohler G et al (2010b) Functional identity versus species richness: herbivory resistance in plant communities. Oecologia 163:707–717. doi:10.1007/s00442-010-1625-1
Schielzeth H (2010) Simple means to improve the interpretability of regression coefficients. Methods Ecol Evol 1:103–113. doi:10.1111/j.2041-210X.2010.00012.x
Scott NA, Saggar S, McIntosh PD (2001) Biogeochemical impact of Hieracium invasion in New Zealand’s grazed tussock grasslands: Sustainability implications. Ecol Appl 11:1311–1322. doi:10.1890/1051-0761%282001%29011%5B1311%3ABIOHII%5D2.0.CO%3B2
Skaer MJ, Graydon DJ, Cushman JH (2013) Community-level consequences of cattle grazing for an invaded grassland: variable responses of native and exotic vegetation. J Veg Sci 24:332–343. doi:10.1111/j.1654-1103.2012.01460.x
Smit R, Bokdam J, den Ouden J et al (2001) Effects of introduction and exclusion of large herbivores on small rodent communities. Plant Ecol 155:119–127
Souter NJ, Milne T (2009) Grazing exclusion as a conservation measure in a South Australian temperate native grassland. Grassl Sci 55:79–88
Sweetapple P, Nugent G (2011) Chew-track-cards: a multiple-species small mammal detection device. N Z J Ecol 35:153–162
Tate KR, Scott NA, Saggar S et al (2003) Land-use change alters New Zealand’s terrestrial carbon budget: uncertainties associated with estimates of soil carbon change between 1990–2000. Tellus B 55:364–377. doi:10.1034/j.1600-0889.2003.01444.x
Thorsen MJ, Dickinson KJM, Seddon PJ (2009) Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspect Plant Ecol Evol Syst 11:285–309. doi:10.1016/j.ppees.2009.06.001
Verhoeven KJF, Simonsen KL, McIntyre LM (2005) Implementing false discovery rate control: increasing your power. Oikos 108:643–647. doi:10.1111/j.0030-1299.2005.13727.x
Verrier FJ, Kirkpatrick JB (2005) Frequent mowing is better than grazing for the conservation value of lowland tussock grasssland at Pontville, Tasmania. Austral Ecol 30:74–78. doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.2004.01425.x
Virgós E, Cabezas-Díaz S, Malo A et al (2003) Factors shaping European rabbit abundance. Acta Theriol 48:113–122. doi:10.1007/BF03194271
Walker S (2000) Post-pastoral changes in composition and guilds in a semi-arid conservation area, Central Otago, New Zealand. N Z J Ecol 24:123–137
Walker S, Lee WG (2002) Alluvial grasslands of Canterbury and Marlborough, eastern South Island, New Zealand: vegetation patterns and long-term change. J R Soc N Z 32:113–147. doi:10.1080/03014223.2002.9517686
Walker S, Wilson JB, Lee WG (2003) Recovery of short tussock and woody species guilds in ungrazed Festuca novae-zelandiae short tussock grassland with fertiliser or irrigation. N Z J Ecol 27:179–189
Walker S, Wilson JB, Lee WG (2005) Does fluctuating resource availability increase invasibility? Evidence from field experiments in New Zealand short tussock grassland. Biol Invasions 7:195–211. doi:10.1007/s10530-004-8976-7
Walker S, Price R, Stephens RT (2008) An index of risk as a measure of biodiversity conservation achieved through land reform. Conserv Biol 22:48–59. doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2007.00844.x
Walker S, Cieraad E, Monks A et al (2009) Long-term dynamics and rehabilitation of woody ecosystems in dryland South Island, New Zealand. In: Hobbs RJ, Suding KN (eds) New models for ecosystem dynamics and restoration. Island Press, Washington, DC, pp 99–111
Warburton B (2005) Bennett’s wallaby. In: King CM (ed) The handbook of New Zealand mammals, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, Melbourne, pp 39–45
Weigelt A, Schumacher J, Walther T et al (2007) Identifying mechanisms of competition in multi-species communities. J Ecol 95:53–64. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2745.2006.01198.x
Williams PA, Karl BJ, Bannister P et al (2000) Small mammals as potential seed dispersers in New Zealand. Austral Ecol 25:523–532. doi:10.1046/j.1442-9993.2000.01078.x
Wilson DJ, Lee WG (2010) Primary and secondary resource pulses in an alpine ecosystem: snow tussock grass (Chionochloa spp.) flowering and house mouse (Mus musculus) populations in New Zealand. Wildl Res 37:89–103. doi:10.1071/WR09118
Yeaton RI, Flores JLF (2009) Community structure of a southern Chihuahuan Desert grassland under different grazing pressures. S Afr J Bot 75:510–517. doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2009.04.004
Young LM (2012) Seed dispersal mutualisms and plant regeneration in New Zealand alpine ecosystems. PhD thesis, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, New Zealand, 182 p
Acknowledgments
C Jensen, R Carran, E Hayman, V Harrison and G Pech assisted with collection of field data. N Thornley from the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) provided maps showing boundaries of properties transferred to the conservation estate. C Thomson and J Whitford helped with site selection. R Duncan helped with data analysis and interpretation. Access to sites was provided by H Inch, B and J Kirk, G Burrows and DOC. This work was greatly improved by discussions with S Walker, S Timmins, C Krebs, ARE Sinclair, A Kenney, and J Reardon. A Mark provided insightful comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript. This work was funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Building, Innovation and Employment’s Science and Innovation Group, through core funding to Crown Research Institutes and funding for contracted projects C09X0505 and C09X0909.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Whitehead, A.L., Byrom, A.E., Clayton, R.I. et al. Removal of livestock alters native plant and invasive mammal communities in a dry grassland–shrubland ecosystem. Biol Invasions 16, 1105–1118 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-013-0565-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-013-0565-1