Effect of woody-plant encroachment on livestock production in North and South America

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 111; no. 35; pp. 12948 - 12953
• Main Authors: Anadón, José D., Sala, Osvaldo E., Turner, B. L., Bennett, Elena M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 02.09.2014; National Acad Sciences
• Subjects: Agroecosystems; Animals; Argentina; Biological Sciences; Cattle; Climate; Conservation of Natural Resources - trends; cows; Ecoregions; Ecosystem; Ecosystem services; Ecosystems; Effects; Encroachment; Environmental Monitoring; Flowers & plants; Grasslands; land cover; Land management; Livestock; Livestock production; managers; Poaceae; Productivity; Range management; Rangeland ecology; Rangelands; recreation; savannas; Statistical variance; Trees; United States; United States; Argentina; South America; North America; USA; food production; global change; social–ecological systems

A large fraction of the world grasslands and savannas are undergoing a rapid shift from herbaceous to woody-plant dominance. This land-cover change is expected to lead to a loss in livestock production (LP), but the impacts of woody-plant encroachment on this crucial ecosystem service have not been...