Ecosystem Resilience of a South African Mesic Grassland with Change from Rotational to Continuous Grazing

• Published in: Diversity (Basel) Vol. 15; no. 12; p. 1187
• Main Authors: Chonco, Nomusa, Slotow, Rob, Tsvuura, Zivanai, Nkuna, Sindiso
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.12.2023
• Subjects: Agriculture; Animal production; Biodiversity; Biological diversity; Cattle; Commercial farms; Continuous grazing; Ecological adaptation; Ecological effects; ecological resilience; Ecosystem resilience; Ecosystem services; Ecosystems; Farms; Flowers & plants; forage quality; functional diversity; Grasslands; Grazing; Horses; Infiltration; Livestock; Livestock production; Management systems; mesic grassland; Nutrients; Pasture management; Penetration resistance; Physical properties; Plant diversity; Plant species; Plants (botany); Productivity; Resilience; resistance to penetration; Rotational grazing; Sheep; Small farms; Social aspects; soil; Soil nutrients; soil properties; Soil resistance; Soil sciences; Soils; South Africa; Species composition; Species diversity; Vegetation; Water infiltration; South Africa; United States > US; forage quality; mesic grassland; soil properties

Grazing practices affect the soil and vegetation of grasslands, which further influence the provision of ecosystem services and the productivity of grasslands. We determined the ecosystem resilience of a mesic grassland under three grazing management systems in the Pakkies area, (30°33′08″ S, 29°25′...