4 ms·
I thought sheep were the problem. what kind of vegetation did CA have before?
by maxxxxx 7y ago
I thought sheep were the problem. what kind of vegetation did CA have before?
- jonnycomputer 7y agoSheep and goats. In Valley Grassland it was mostly bunch grasses like Purple Needle Grass. Allan Schoenherr's A natural history of california is a great reference (see p.538-543, if you have the chance).
- jonnycomputer 7y agoNote: according to Schoenherr it wasn't goats and sheeps per se, as places like the Central Valley had grazers for a long time; it was over-grazing by farmers. The Californian islands are another matter. The introduction of large herbivores usually cause all kinds of havoc on small islands, as the plants are usually not adapted to them. That said, the ecology of small islands tends to be very unstable generally.