Plants may have exerted greater influence on our terrestrial ecosystems than the megaherbivores that used to roam our landscapes, according to new research.
Previously, scientists believed that the Late Quaternary extinction event that took place between ~ 11,000 and 15,000 years ago across much of northern Europe, played a significant role in the subsequent expansion of woody plants and declining nitrogen availability over the last 10,000 years.
But in a new study, published in Ecology Letters, researchers suggest the changes had already started to occur in Britain and Ireland at the same time these mammals – such as the woolly mammoth, Giant Irish Deer, reindeer and wild horse – began to die out.
They also believe that natural fires had a greater role to play in these processes than previously thought, and that the natural burning of land should be taken into account when considering rewilding projects in the UK in order to ensure the sustainability of open, fertile habitats for grazing animals.
Read more at University of Plymouth
Photo credit: Flying Puffin via Wikimedia Commons
