Effect of Large Herbivore Browsing on the Functional Groups of Woody Plants in a Southern African Savanna

The impact of different large herbivore species and stocking rates in savanna ecosystems of Zimbabwe on the richness and abundance of woody plant functional groups and attributes was studied. Seven fence lines with different herbivore species and stocking rastes on either side of the fence were sampled. The number of species with different functional attributes of leaf longevity, fruit type, spinescence, and dispersal mechanisms and in the functional groups of palatability did not differ on either side of the fence. Differences in plant abundances were evident for 26 of the 35 tests conducted on plant abundances with different functional attributes and functional groups.