Dung predicts the global distribution of herbivore grazing pressure in drylands
2025
Eldridge, David J. | Sáez-Sandino, Tadeo | Maestre, Fernando T. | Ding, Jingyi | Guirado, Emilio | Delgado-Baquerizo, Manuel | Hermon Slade Foundation | King Abdullah University of Science and Technology | Chinese researchers | Eldridge, David J. [0000-0002-2191-486X] | Sáez-Sandino, Tadeo [0000-0001-9539-4716] | Maestre, Fernando T. [0000-0002-7434-4856] | Guirado, Emilio [0000-0001-5348-7391] | Delgado-Baquerizo, Manuel [0000-0002-6499-576X] | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72]
3 figuras.- 71 referencias.-
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]Dryland grazing sustains millions of people worldwide but, when poorly managed, threatens food security. Here we combine livestock and wild herbivore dung mass data from surveys at 760 dryland sites worldwide, representing independent measurements of herbivory, to generate high-resolution maps. We show that livestock and wild herbivore grazing is globally disconnected, and identify hotspots of herbivore activity across Africa, the Eurasian grasslands, India, Australia and the United States. Wild herbivore dung mass was negatively correlated with total organic nitrogen, yet strong site-level correlations exist between our livestock dung estimates and total soil organic nitrogen. Using dung mass as a proxy of herbivore abundance enables standardized, field-based measures of grazing pressure that account for different herbivore types. This can improve herbivore density modelling and guide better management practices for populations that rely on dryland-grazing livestock for food.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]D.J.E. is supported by the Hermon Slade Foundation. F.T.M. acknowledges support from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. We thank Z. Yuanjun for providing us with published papers and datasets from Chinese researchers.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]Peer reviewed
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]