Impacts of Grazing on Semiarid Rangelands

Abstract

"Gary Jones criticizes the model of rangeland dynamics on the grounds that it assumes a negative impact of livestock on grasses and does not assume that livestock damages woody plants. He cites the writings of Voisin (unreferenced) and others as evidence that grazing stimulates grass growth. Experimental evidence on the stimulation of grasses by grazing is not common, although we acknowledge that it exists. Some of the best hard evidence for compensatory growth by grasses following defoliation comes from the work of McNaughton and colleagues in the Serengeti. Although some work was reported on the effects of herbivore saliva as a stimulant for grass growth, research on this effect has not been replicated and has largely fallen by the wayside."