Following the establishment of a conservation reserve, changes in ground stratum vegetation following removal of cattle were examined in a northern Australian savanna over a 10-year period. The floristic composition of 40 vegetation plots in lowland savannas were surveyed shortly after acquisition of the property, and then surveyed twice in the following 10 years after cattle removal. Some notable ecosystem-transforming introduced species (weeds) such as Themeda quadrivalvis remained relatively stable, whereas the pasture legume Stylosanthes scabra increased in cover. The species richness of both native and introduced plants increased. Various plant functional groups changed in relative cover, with a decline in relatively unpalatable grasses and a corresponding increase in palatable grasses, responses that are consistent with recovery from grazing pressure. Our results show that removal of cattle in highly disturbed savanna ecosystems can have both positive and negative results for native ground stratum vegetation in the first decade of recovery.

建立保护区后，在十年的时间内，在澳大利亚北部的热带稀树草原上研究了去除牛群后地面地层植被的变化。收购该物业后不久，对低地热带稀树草原的40个植被地块的植物区系进行了调查，然后在移牛后的10年内对其进行了两次调查。一些引人注目的生态系统改变的引进物种（杂草）（如Themeda quadrivalvis）保持相对稳定，而牧草豆科植物Stylosanthes scabra增加封面。本地植物和引进植物的物种丰富度都增加了。各种植物功能组的相对覆盖率发生了变化，相对难吃的草类有所减少，而可口草类也相应增加，其响应与从放牧压力中恢复的现象相一致。我们的结果表明，在恢复的头十年中，在受到高度干扰的热带稀树草原生态系统中清除牛对本地地层植被既有积极的影响，也有消极的影响。