Grasshopper and ruminant grazing

Carex curvula
1 - Carex curvula grassland (Curvuletum) at 2350 m, Swiss Alps.
1 - Carex curvula grassland (Curvuletum) at 2350 m, Swiss Alps.
  • The annual nitrogen demand of an alpine grassland is largely derived from the nutrient cycle.
  • Use of instantaneous N-input via N-deposition and biological N-fixation is small (not shown here).
  • A cycle similar to the one shown here exists below the ground, although the "grazers" are different (soil animals).
  • Note that grasshoppers recycle nearly as much N as ruminants.
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2 - The fate of nitrogen in an alpine grassland at 2500 m elevation in the Swiss Alps (all numbers in g N m-2)