2019 Volume 10 Issue 1 Pages 15-21
To evaluate changes in the grassland vegetation after grazing of horses, in the grassland which succession progressed, we investigated the vegetation height and the coverage of each plant species in three different management types, namely horse grazing area, burning area, and unmanaged area, during the period between 2015 to 2016, in Appi Kogen, Hachimantai, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. In the horse grazing area, the vegetation height decreased and the coverage decreased in Miscanthus sinensis which is the type of “Dense growth”, whereas increased in Zoysia japonica, Hydrocotyle ramiflora, and Haloragis micrantha which is the type of “Creeping growth”. On the other hand, in the burned area, the coverage increased in Miscanthus sinensis and Carex oxyandra var. oxyandra, whereas it decreased in Hydrocotyle ramiflora and Haloragis micrantha but increased in Zoysia japonica. In the unmanaged area, the coverage of these species did not change, despite it increased in the vegetation height. Differences in the response of these plants in the horse grazing area and the burning area were thought to be due to resistance to eating pressures and preference of horses, and were considered as an effective indicators to judge the status of grasslands for vegetative management by grazing horses.
