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Environmental management2025; 75(7); 1665-1679; doi: 10.1007/s00267-025-02164-8

What moves large grazers? Habitat preferences and complementing niches of large herbivores in a Danish trophic rewilding area.

Abstract: Large herbivores (≥45 kg) fulfill key ecological functions. Since the Late Pleistocene megafauna diversity and abundances have declined sharply, with profound consequences for ecosystems. On this background the concept of trophic rewilding has emerged and is increasingly applied to restore natural disturbance regimes and trophic interactions, ultimately aiming to recreate self-sustaining, dynamic and diverse ecosystems. Effects of such efforts (e.g., more heterogeneous habitats) are evident, but herbivore space use, and the resulting distribution of effects on vegetation remain poorly understood. Here, we examine habitat selection of semi-feral water buffalos (Bubalus bubalis), horses (Equus ferus) and cattle (Bos taurus) in a Danish rewilding area. We modelled space use with remote sensed covariates, reflecting resources (vegetation greenness, distance to water) and infrastructure (distances to fences, paths, shelter). Seasonal differences and former land use were tested separately. We found large-herbivore space use to shift seasonally, reflecting food and water availability, and to be influenced by infrastructure and former land use. Horses reacted less to vegetation greenness and water than the two bovids. Cattle selected for green vegetation in summer, while buffalos showed the strongest association with water bodies. Overall, the three semi-feral herbivore species diverged in their habitat use both spatially and seasonally. This can be expected to translate to variable and complementary ecological impacts such as grazing, physical disturbances and habitat engineering. Such variable space use likely increases habitat heterogeneity and species richness. We therefore suggest that a diverse large-herbivore guild is key, both to understanding megafauna ecology and for successful rewilding efforts.
© 2025. The Author(s).
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Publication Date: 2025-04-25 PubMed ID: 40278902PubMed Central: PMC12228648DOI: 10.1007/s00267-025-02164-8Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

Overview

  • This research investigates how large herbivores such as water buffalos, horses, and cattle choose habitats in a Danish rewilding area.
  • The study aims to understand their space use patterns and how these contribute to ecosystem recovery and biodiversity through trophic rewilding efforts.

Introduction to the Research

  • Large herbivores weighing 45 kg or more play critical ecological roles, including disturbance creation and vegetation management.
  • Since the Late Pleistocene, there has been a dramatic decline in megafauna diversity and abundance, negatively impacting ecosystems worldwide.
  • The concept of trophic rewilding has emerged to restore natural ecosystem processes by reintroducing large herbivores to help revive dynamic and diverse ecosystems.
  • While the ecological benefits of rewilding, such as increased habitat heterogeneity, are recognized, the spatial behavior and habitat preferences of these herbivores have not been thoroughly understood.

Research Objectives

  • Examine habitat selection and space use of three semi-feral large herbivore species — water buffalos (Bubalus bubalis), horses (Equus ferus), and cattle (Bos taurus) — in a Danish trophic rewilding site.
  • Explore how variables like vegetation greenness, proximity to water, and infrastructure (fences, paths, shelters) influence their movement and habitat preferences.
  • Understand seasonal differences and factors related to previous land use on space use patterns.

Methodology

  • Collected spatial data on herbivore location and movement patterns within the study area using remote sensing.
  • Measured environmental covariates:
    • Vegetation greenness as an indicator of food availability.
    • Distance to water bodies representing water accessibility.
    • Distances to human-made infrastructure such as fences, paths, and shelters.
  • Tested the influence of seasonal variation and previous land use on habitat selection models for each species.

Key Findings

  • Space use by the large herbivores changed seasonally, largely influenced by food and water availability fluctuations.
  • Presence of infrastructure and former land use patterns affected where animals moved and grazed.
  • Species-specific habitat preferences were identified:
    • Horses showed less responsiveness to vegetation greenness and water compared to the other two species.
    • Cattle preferred green vegetation especially during summer months.
    • Water buffalos had the strongest association with proximity to water bodies, highlighting their dependence on aquatic or wet habitats.
  • Overall, the spatial and seasonal divergence in habitat use among the three species suggests complementary ecological roles.

Ecological Implications

  • Diverse habitat use leads to variable ecological impacts such as different grazing intensities, physical landscape disturbances, and habitat engineering activities.
  • Complementary niches among the herbivores likely increase habitat heterogeneity, promoting greater plant and animal species richness.
  • A diverse guild of large herbivores is crucial for:
    • Understanding past megafauna ecology.
    • Enhancing the effectiveness of trophic rewilding and ecosystem restoration projects.

Conclusions and Recommendations

  • Large herbivore species exhibit distinct habitat preferences that shift with seasonal conditions and landscape features.
  • Rewilding efforts should maintain or introduce multiple large herbivore species to capture complementary niche use and maximize ecological benefits.
  • Managers of rewilding projects should consider infrastructure and past land use when designing habitats to support diverse large herbivore movement and behavior.
  • Future research should further examine how these spatial behaviors translate into ecosystem function and species diversity in trophic rewilding contexts.

Cite This Article

APA
Rech BJ, Buitenwerf R, Ruggiero R, Trepel J, Waltert M, Svenning JC. (2025). What moves large grazers? Habitat preferences and complementing niches of large herbivores in a Danish trophic rewilding area. Environ Manage, 75(7), 1665-1679. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-025-02164-8

Publication

Environmental management
ISSN: 1432-1009
NlmUniqueID: 7703893
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 75
Issue: 7
Pages: 1665-1679

Researcher Affiliations

Rech, Bent Johann
  • Institute for Social Ecology, BOKU University, Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070, Wien, Austria. bent.rech@googlemail.com.
  • Department of Conservation Biology, University of Göttingen, Bürgerstrasse 50, 37073, Göttingen, Germany. bent.rech@googlemail.com.
  • Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark. bent.rech@googlemail.com.
Buitenwerf, Robert
  • Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark.
Ruggiero, Roberto
  • Department of Bioscience and Territory, University of Molise, 86090, Pesche, Isernia, Italy.
Trepel, Jonas
  • Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark.
Waltert, Matthias
  • Department of Conservation Biology, University of Göttingen, Bürgerstrasse 50, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.
Svenning, Jens-Christian
  • Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Herbivory
  • Ecosystem
  • Denmark
  • Conservation of Natural Resources / methods
  • Cattle / physiology
  • Horses / physiology
  • Seasons

Grant Funding

  • 101119940 / HORIZON EUROPE Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions
  • 0135-00225B / Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond
  • 16549 / Villum Fonden

Conflict of Interest Statement

Compliance with ethical standards. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests.

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Kristensen JÅ, Buitenwerf R, Berti E, Hansen OLP, Schowanek SD, Ejrnæs R, Hansen MDD, Olsen K, Normand S, Svenning JC. Space-use by feral cattle and horses shapes vegetation structure in a trophic rewilding area.. Ecol Appl 2026 Jan;36(1):e70170.
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