Characterize the diversity of range

Characterize the diversity of rangeland vegetations
Mediterranean rangelands are made up not only of natural
vegetation communities including a variety of grass and forb
species, but also often of shrubs and trees, which produce
multi-dimensional heterogeneity at the scales of the landscape
or large paddock, of the vegetation community and of
the feeding station (Figure 1). The presence of ligneous
species radically changes the forage value of the vegetation
community and its dynamics, and consequently the diet
selected by the animals. Characterizing vegetation diversity
with variables related to animal intake and resource
dynamics is necessary to answer the questions of when and
how to use a given vegetation community in order to take