Abstract
Biological invasions expand the geographical range of plants and animals. They proceed in relation to the organism’s physiological tolerance, migratory ability, and biogeographical barriers. During Earth’s history, these natural processes have been responsible for the assembly of communities through coadaptation and coexistence of species of distinct origin in a common environment. With human mediation, biological invasions have been gradually accelerated. In neotropical savannas, inadvertent or deliberate introduction of African grasses since colonial times was followed by spontaneous spread of the invaders. More recent introductions in this century, for the purpose of pasture improvement, have spread out rapidly and partially displaced native grasses. These new forage grasses were favored by the stockowners, due to their better persistence under grazing and higher nutrient value compared to the indigenous grasses (Parsons 1972).
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Baruch, Z. (1996). Ecophysiological Aspects of the Invasion by African Grasses and Their Impact on Biodiversity and Function of Neotropical Savannas. In: Solbrig, O.T., Medina, E., Silva, J.F. (eds) Biodiversity and Savanna Ecosystem Processes. Ecological Studies, vol 121. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-78969-4_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-78969-4_5
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