Influence Of Herbivores & Detritivores

Question 0

Herbivores: Selectivity -

Preferential grazing can

Answer 0

Influence the species and their relative abundance within the community.

Question 1

Herbivores: Selectivity -

Grazing animals tend to

Answer 1

Be selective in the material they eat.

Question 2

Herbivores: Selectivity -

Competitive species are

Answer 2

Constantly having their biomass removed, limiting their spread.

Question 3

Herbivores: Nutrient flux -

There is a constant

Answer 3

Recycling of nutrients in a grassland ecosystem.

Question 4

Herbivores: Nutrient flux -

Nutrients are returned to the

Answer 4

Soil through dung.

Question 5

Herbivores: Nutrient flux -

Nutrients are removed through the

Answer 5

Harvesting of milk, meat and wool.

Question 6

Herbivores: Nutrient flux -

Nutrient enrichment

Answer 6

Depends on the type of herbivores present.

Question 7

Herbivores: Nutrient flux -

Grazing enables

Answer 7

Faster cycling of nutrients than in ungrazed grasslands.

Question 8

Herbivores: Nutrient flux -

Plants can assimilate

Answer 8

Nutrients rapidly from dung to produce green material that is high in nutrients.

Question 9

Herbivores: Nutrient flux -

In ungrazed grasslands,

Answer 9

A high proportion of nutrients is locked up in the vegetation and soil matter.

Question 10

Herbivores: Trampling -

The impact of trampling depends on (6)

Answer 10

Herbivore density, 
Type & size of the animal, 
Soil type, 
Topography, 
Length & season of grazing period, 
Hydrology & rainfall.

Question 11

Herbivores: Trampling -

Can be beneficial as the

Answer 11

Litter layer is broken down, coarse vegetation is broken up and gaps are created where seedlings can germinate.

Question 12

Herbivores: Trampling -

If it is too concentrated or heavy,

Answer 12

Soil structure can be destroyed, the soil looses it’s ability to drain freely and it’s natural porosity is destroyed.

Question 13

Herbivores: Trampling -

Destruction of soil structure can result in (3)

Answer 13

Loss of vegetation,
Soil erosion,
Invasion by short lived species (weeds)

Question 14

Herbivores: Nutrient flux -

At a wet site, the availability of nitrogen is

Answer 14

Increased when grazing is reduced.

Question 15

Herbivores: Pollination -

Without herbivorous insects,

Answer 15

Thousands of plant species could not reproduce.

Question 16

Herbivores: Pollination -

Herbivorous insects

Answer 16

Transport pollen from one plant to another.

Question 17

Herbivores: Pollination -

Insects, mammals and birds are dependent either on

Answer 17

Seeds and fruits produced by pollination or by the pollinating insects themselves as a food source.

Question 18

Detritivores: Are important in the

Answer 18

Recycling of nutrients and overall health of grasslands.