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Effects of large herbivores upon the animal community

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Grazing and Conservation Management

Part of the book series: Conservation Biology Series ((COBI,volume 11))

Abstract

In any system large herbivores can interact either directly or indirectly with other species of animals. Through the activities that herbivores bring about (Figure 6.1), direct competition may take place for resources important to other fauna. Indirect effects are the result of changes in the structure and the species composition of the vegetation, mainly through the foraging process. The effects are mediated through species-specific characteristics of the herbivore involved (e.g. grazer or browser, small size or large size), and, probably most important, through density. To evaluate properly (and judge) the interactions between large herbivores and other fauna in a given system it is important to realize where the system ranks on a scale from natural to completely influenced by humans. In general this is quite easy as most systems are to some extent managed and are ranked as semi-natural.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tropical Nature Conservation and Vertebrate Ecology Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen Agricultural University, Bornsesteeg 69, 6708 PD, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Sipke E. Van Wieren

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  1. Sipke E. Van Wieren
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Tropical Nature Conservation and Vertebrate Ecology Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen Agricultural University, Bornsesteeg 69, 6708 PD, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Michiel F. WallisDeVries (Senior Research Scientist) & Sipke E. Van Wieren (Senior Lecturer) (Senior Research Scientist) &  (Senior Lecturer)

  2. Dutch Butterfly Conservation, PO Box 506, 6700 AM, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Michiel F. WallisDeVries (Senior Research Scientist) (Senior Research Scientist)

  3. Laboratory of Plant Ecology, University of Groningen, PO Box 14, 9750 AA, Haren, The Netherlands

    Jan P. Bakker (Professor in Nature Conservation) (Professor in Nature Conservation)

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Van Wieren, S.E. (1998). Effects of large herbivores upon the animal community. In: WallisDeVries, M.F., Van Wieren, S.E., Bakker, J.P. (eds) Grazing and Conservation Management. Conservation Biology Series, vol 11. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4391-2_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4391-2_6

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