Animals and Nutrient Cycling

Lynn Christenson (Biology)
Animals can have both direct and indirect effects on nutrient cycling: selective browsing on preferred species of vegetation influences plant community composition, and urine and feces also act in nutrient cycling. A study in Hubbard Brook looked for sightings of large animals (deer, moose, bear) to see where these animals frequent and how that might affect forest ecosystems, trophic structures, and nutrient cycling.

hubbard.jpg