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Large Mammalian Herbivores and the Conservation of Arid Acacia Stands in the Middle East by Christoph Rohner; David Ward is a Environmental Science article available to read on EtoBox.

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Abstract: High mortality and poor recruitment in __Acacia__ tree populations in many parts of the Middle East may result in loss of biodiversity. Human activities in recent decades have caused drastic changes in the water regime and the abundance of wild and domestic ungulates, which may negatively affect these trees. We studied the effects of large mammalian herbivores on the establishment of young __Acacia raddiana__ and __A. tortilis__ in the Arava Valley between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, Israel. Seed accumulation under trees was high when large herbivores were excluded, and direct observations confirmed that ungulates were the main seed dispersers of these __Acacia__ species. Insect seed predators (bruchid beetles) damaged more than 95% of seeds not consumed by ungulates. Seed germination was facilitated by gut passage through ungulates. Seedling survival was determined largely by water availability and was independent of herbivore density. Under present conditions, several years of high rainfall are necessary for successful establishment of young trees. Under severe browsing pressure by ungulates, growth in juvenile trees was delayed and smaller sizes were overrepresented.

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Author

Christoph Rohner; David Ward

Publisher

John Wiley and Sons; Wiley (Blackwell Publishing); Blackwell Publishing Inc.; Wiley (ISSN 0888-8892)

Published

1999

Language

EN

Field

Environmental Science (Physical Sciences)