Identification of key grass species under grazing in the Highland Sourveld of Natal

Abstract

Abstract Relative abundances of rangeland species have for many years been used to index trends in range condition following the impact of grazing. All species recorded in a botanical survey are usually classified according to their assumed reaction to grazing using the increaser and decreaser groups. We used a gradient analysis of 216 sample sites to show that only certain species in the Highland Sourveld of Natal, South Africa, were responsive to the grazing impact. We therefore recommend...