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CONSUMER CONTROL OF GRASSLAND PLANT PRODUCTION
Open accessAbstract
The effect of herbivory on grassland whole-plant production is poorly understood. Herbivores can increase grassland aboveground productivity, and laboratory experiments suggest that herbivory should reduce grass root growth. However, few field studies have directly measured the response of grassland root production to herbivores. We examined the effect of native migratory ungulates on grassland primary production by comparing aboveground (NAP) and belowground (NBP) production in grazed vs. ungrazed (fenced) grassland at nine variable sites in Yellowstone National Park. NBP was determined with minirhizotrons to account for root turnover. Grazers stimulated aboveground, belowground, and whole-grassland productivity by 21%, 35%, and 32%, respectively. Root production was stimulated seven times more (217 g/m2) than shoot production (30 g/m2), indicating that the major effect of herbivores in this system was a positive feedback on root growth. Results refute the prevailing notion that grassland herbivory leads to a reduction in root productivity, and a concomitant decline in soil carbon content, and provide a potential explanation for how organic-rich soil developed in grassland that was grazed throughout millennia.
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“Frank et al. (2002) showed experimentally that grazers in Yellowstone National Park, especially elk, have a stimulative effect on grassland NPP by enhancing nutrient cycling rates, which is a function of the amount of grassland biomass consumed.”
From Effects of gray wolf‐induced trophic cascades on ecosystem carbon cycling (2016) · cites this paper as Frank et al. 2002
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“Frank et al. (2002) reported NPP from grazed grassland as varying from 325 to 565 g C/m 2 .”
From Effects of gray wolf‐induced trophic cascades on ecosystem carbon cycling (2016) · cites this paper as Frank et al. 2002
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“In many grasslands, grazing stimulates both below-and aboveground productivity of grassland plants (mcNaughton 1976, Frank et al. 2002, ziter and macDougall 2013).”
From Effects of gray wolf‐induced trophic cascades on ecosystem carbon cycling (2016) · cites this paper as Frank et al. 2002
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“Grazing is thought to stimulate production by removing the aboveground leaf and stem tissue that have high maintenance costs and shade actively growing leaf tissue, thus allowing assimilated carbon to be allocated toward growth (mcNaughton 1984, Frank et al. 2002).”
From Effects of gray wolf‐induced trophic cascades on ecosystem carbon cycling (2016) · cites this paper as Frank et al. 2002
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Metadata
- Authors
- Frank, D. A., Kuns, M. M., & Guido, D. R.
- Affiliations
- Syracuse University (US)
- ORCID
- Frank, Douglas A.
- Venue
- Ecology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2002-03
- Volume
- 83
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 602-606
- ISSN
- 0012-9658 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1987431303
- Cited by
- 238
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 8.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Ecology (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation (9726569)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Agronomy and Crop Science › Pasture and Agricultural Systems
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Keywords
- herbivory, grazing, root production, belowground productivity, aboveground productivity, minirhizotron, root turnover, migratory ungulates, positive feedback, soil carbon, Yellowstone National Park
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- CoChat. (2026). Citation check: CONSUMER CONTROL OF GRASSLAND PLANT PRODUCTION. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1890/0012-9658(2002)083%5B0602:ccogpp%5D2.0.co;2
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- Frank, D. A., Kuns, M. M., & Guido, D. R. (2002). CONSUMER CONTROL OF GRASSLAND PLANT PRODUCTION. Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2002)083%5B0602%3Accogpp%5D2.0.co%3B2
