Publication Date

1993

Description

Shrub invasion of tropical woodlands is reducing the viability of native ecosystems as well as the livestock industry, After shrub invasion, forage supply is reduced and over-grazing and soil erosion are exacerbated. We propose a non-equilibrium model of the system and use that model to develop hypotheses and design experiments to test both competition- and disturbance-based management regimes. This model proposes that disturbance in the form of burning is the primary limiting factor in excluding and limiting shrub seedling establishment and suggests that management decisions focus on maintaining adequate herbaceous biomass for a burning regime that limits woody plant success.

Share

COinS
 

Managing Woody Weeds in Grazing Ecosystems: Application for Tropical Woodlands of North-eastern Australia

Shrub invasion of tropical woodlands is reducing the viability of native ecosystems as well as the livestock industry, After shrub invasion, forage supply is reduced and over-grazing and soil erosion are exacerbated. We propose a non-equilibrium model of the system and use that model to develop hypotheses and design experiments to test both competition- and disturbance-based management regimes. This model proposes that disturbance in the form of burning is the primary limiting factor in excluding and limiting shrub seedling establishment and suggests that management decisions focus on maintaining adequate herbaceous biomass for a burning regime that limits woody plant success.