Grazing animals also help rejuvenate the veld by eating the grass. Buffalo, in particular, play an important role in sustaining the quality of grass. Because they can digest long, fibrous grasses, they often clean up old grazing areas and open the way for new growth. Zebra and wildebeest appear to have a close social relationship, and of all the grazers appear most prone to seasonal migration. Long-term patterns in Kruger show that these animals generally graze around Satara in summer and then migrate southwards towards the Sabie River for winter.
Elephants, too, are conservationists, despite their reputation as being destructive, wasteful eaters. They can consume up to kg of grass and leaves a day, much of which is recycled into the environment.
Many seeds are germinated by passing through the digestive system of the elephant, while the dung is also a handy source of manure for the veld. Nonetheless, elephants are a source of ongoing controversy in Kruger with many scientists believing that the long-term prospects of the Park are severely compromised by the relatively high elephant population. Since the midth century, there has been a substantial decline in the number of trees in the eastern grasslands, a decline attributed mostly to destruction by elephants.
Warthogs help aerate the soil when they use their tusks to root about for bulbs or rhizomes. Browsers Just as grazers can co-exist on the same grassland, browsers also eat different parts of the same trees. The top feeders are obviously the giraffe, which can reach leaves that are five metres or more off the ground. Giraffe lose condition during winter because these trees drop their leaves, and they are forced to eat less palatable evergreens. These animals like the flatlands of the savanna but can be seen on the rocky slopes of the Lebombo.
That's usually a sign of the first spring flush in the acacias and combretums. Elephants, too, go crazy for new growth, often knocking trees over to get at new leaves. This is often of benefit to smaller browsers as food that is beyond their normal reach becomes available closer to the ground. Elephants, which weigh up to five tons, stand about three metres off the ground, but can compete with giraffe for the top end of the browsing market because of their trunks, which can be up to two metres long.
Besides giraffe and elephant, the main browsers in Kruger are kudu, duiker, klipspringer, bushbuck, nyala and black rhino. Herbivores can also influence which species grow where. Big herbivores are important seed dispersers. They travel long distances and typically the bigger the animal the further it moves , transporting seeds on their shaggy fur and excreting them in their fruit-filled dung.
Herbivores can alter the playing field for plants by selectively eating some species and not others. Those species with physical and chemical defences an attempt to make them difficult to eat and less palatable become more competitive when herbivores are about.
Rootling behaviour, classically done by wild boar turning over the vegetation and exposing the soil while looking for roots and insects, gives new opportunities for rapid colonisers of the plant world. All these little disturbances all over the place are important because diversity creates diversity. A greater diversity of conditions will support a greater diversity of species.
A varied mix of large herbivores on the land helps create that diversity of conditions. The system gets even more complex and diverse when big predators are part of it. They influence the numbers and behaviour of herbivores. A nervous herbivore keeping its eyes peeled for a predator is a less efficient and thorough feeder.
This is one of the reasons why the introduction of wolves to Yellowstone had such a massive impact on the landscape see How Wolves Changed Rivers. Collectively, this really matters for the whole ecosystem. Herbivores affect the type of habitat available and so determine which species can survive and thrive. Herbivore-driven processes also affect the amount of carbon being stored in the plants above ground, and in the soil below ground.
They can change fire dynamics by affecting the amount of flammable material there is. First, grazing relates to the process of animals feeding on low-growing vegetation whereas browsing refers to the process of animals feeding on high-growing plants. Secondly, grazers and browsers are adapted differently for their feeding habits.
For instance, grazers have a smaller true stomach compared to the browsers. Additionally, the mouths of the grazers are small and have stiffer lips compared to the browsers whose mouths are wider and have long tongues to reach the high-growing plants. Giraffe browsing on Acacia on the Masai Mara. With most people rearing the two, it is hard to know whether such categorizations exist let alone placing each animal to the right category.
However, getting their distinct characteristics, for example, what they eat makes the process an easy one. Difference Between Browser and Grazer. Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects. MLA 8 Brown, Sarah. Name required. Email required. Please note: comment moderation is enabled and may delay your comment.
There is no need to resubmit your comment. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Written by : Sarah Brown. Articles on DifferenceBetween.
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