How do wood bison grazing habits contribute to plant diversity and soil nutrient cycling in their habitat?

Answer

Grazing and physical disturbance encourage diversity and boost productivity.

The wood bison functions as a significant ecosystem engineer through its foraging and movement patterns. Their grazing consumption selectively removes dominant vegetation, which, combined with the physical disruption caused by their hooves and the depressions left by wallowing, actively prevents any single plant type from monopolizing an area. This disturbance creates opportunities for other, less competitive species to establish, thereby increasing overall plant diversity within the graminoid-dominated communities they favor. Moreover, this disturbance accelerates the turnover and reallocation of necessary materials, thus boosting overall plant productivity and speeding up the cycling of essential soil nutrients.

How do wood bison grazing habits contribute to plant diversity and soil nutrient cycling in their habitat?

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