Contingent Herbivore Regulation of Ecosystem Processes

98-13050McNaughton持续的食草动物对生态系统过程的调节本研究将研究大型食草动物、有蹄类动物如何与物理环境，特别是土壤相互作用，以创造对自己营养有利的环境。人类是研究计划中不可或缺的一部分，因为有人提出，非洲的牧民通过在村庄内夜间圈养牲畜来躲避捕食者，导致向当地注入大量营养物质。研究人员提出，在村庄搬迁后，这些富饶的地区成为当地食草动物的首选觅食区，它们既维持着它们的生存，又扩大了它们的面积。麦克诺顿博士将比较那些位于天生贫瘠土壤上的废弃村落的命运，以及其他富含养分的土地的命运。此外，还将对废弃后不同年限的地块进行矿化速率分析。这项研究将提供对非洲人类如何与其所居住的生态系统相互作用的洞察。

98-13050McNaughtonContingent herbivore regulation of ecosystem processesThis research will study the way that large herbivores, ungulates, can interact with the physical environment, particularly soils, to create environments that can be nutritionally advantageous to themselves. Humans are an integral component of the research plan since it is proposed that pastoralist cattle herders in Africa, by penning livestock inside villages at night to avoid predators, cause a large injection of nutrients into a local area. The investigators propose that after the village moves these enriched areas become favored foraging areas for native herbivores, which both maintain them and expand their area. Dr. McNaughton will compare the fate of abandoned village plots on soils that are inherently nutrient-poor with others that are nutrient-rich. In addition, mineralization rates will be assayed on plots at various ages from abandonment. This research will provide insight into how humans in Africa interact with the ecosystems they inhabit.