BibliographicReference 76429

BibliographicReference record

Type: Bibliographic resource
Type of document: Book chapters
Type of document: Conference paper
BibLvlCode: AMS
Title: Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) in coastal dune grasslands
Abstract: We describe a field experiment for examining the impact of wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) on the vegetation in two Flemish coastal dune grasslands. When numerous, rabbits had a major impact on the vegetation. This impact can be considered positive in the case of the studied grasslands, as evidenced by a decreasing abundance by dominant grass species and a declining species richness. The decrease of the number of rabbits, due to VHS, may hence negatively affect dune grassland species richness. Introducing large herbivores can be part of the solution for preserving the dune grasslands, and this introduction may even have positive effects on rabbit populations through feeding facilitation.
Bibliographic citation: Somers, N.; Bossuyt, B.; Hoffmann, M.; Lens, L. (2005). Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) in coastal dune grasslands, in: Herrier, J.-L. et al. (Ed.) Proceedings 'Dunes and Estuaries 2005': International Conference on nature restoration practices in European coastal habitats, Koksijde, Belgium 19-23 September 2005. VLIZ Special Publication, 19: pp. 661-663
Topic: Marine
Access rights: open access
Is accessible for free: true

term: Coastal dune soils (term code: 127013 - defined in term set: CAB Thesaurus); Dunes (term code: 2533 - defined in term set: ASFA Thesaurus List); Grassland (term code: 150342 - defined in term set: CAB Thesaurus); Grazing (term code: 3813 - defined in term set: ASFA Thesaurus List); Herbivores (term code: 3985 - defined in term set: ASFA Thesaurus List)