A global inventory of animal diversity measured in different grazing treatments

Abstract

Grazing by wild and domesticated grazers occurs within many terrestrial ecosystems worldwide, with positive and negative impacts on biodiversity. Management of grazed lands in support of biological conservation could benefit from a compiled dataset of animal biodiversity within and adjacent to grazed sites. In this database, we have assembled data from the peer-reviewed literature that included all forms of grazing, co-occurring species, and site information. We reviewed 3,489 published articles and found 245 studies in 41 countries that surveyed animal biodiversity co-occurring with grazers. We extracted 16,105 observations of animal surveys for over 1,200 species in all terrestrial ecosystems and on all continents except Antarctica. We then compiled 28 different grazing variables that focus on management systems, assemblages of grazer species, ecosystem characteristics, and survey type. Our database provides the most comprehensive summary of animal biodiversity patterns that co-occur with wild and domesticated grazers. This database could be used in future conservation initiatives and grazing management to enhance the prolonged maintenance of ecosystems and ecosystem services.