Herbivory
by Eric Peterson
HERE'S
A NEW WORD FOR TODAY: HERBIVORY.
NOW
WE KNOW THAT CARNIVORES EAT MEAT AND HERBIVORES EAT PLANTS. HERBIVORY IS A NICKEL PLATED WORD FOR WHAT
HERBIVORES DO - EATING PLANTS
ELK
GRAZING AND DEER BROWSING IS
HERBIVORY. SAGE GROUSE PECKING ON
SAGEBRUSH IS HERBIVORY. HEY, A RODENT
EATING GRASS IS HERBIVORY!
WYOMING,
FOR EONS, HAS ALWAYS BEEN HOME TO
HERBIVORES. ANYTIME WE LOOK ACROSS
WYOMINGS RANGELAND LANDSCAPES, THERE ARE DOZENS OF SPECIES OUT THERE INFLICTING
HERBIVORY UPON THE RANGELAND PLANT RESOURCES
THE
COMPONENTS OF TODAY'S RANGELANDS ARE A RESULT OF THE INFLUENCES OF THE
PAST. THE PLANTS AND THE ANIMALS OF THE
RANGELAND HAVE EVOLVED TOGETHER AND HERBIVORY MAKES THAT LINKAGE OF THIER
CO-EXISTENCE.
SO
HERE'S A QUESTION TO PONDER. WITHOUT OUR RANGE PLANTS, WOULD WE HAVE OUR RANGE
ANIMALS WHICH EVOLVED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF THE RANGE PLANTS?
THE
ANSWER IS NO. AND WITHOUT THE HERBIVORY OF RANGE ANIMALS, WE WOULDN'T HAVE THE
RANGE PLANTS WE HAVE, WHICH ARE A RESULT OF THAT CO-DEPENDENT RELATIONSHIP.
FROM
THE UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING, I'M ERIC PETERSON.